Waupaca Foundry, a leading supplier of gray and ductile iron castings globally, named Todd Pagel vice president of operations, effective January 1, 2023. Pagel is a 30-year veteran of Waupaca Foundry serving in positions as diverse as molding supervisor, plant manager, and most recently as director of operations. He started in 1993 as an operator in the molding department at Plant 2/3 in located in Waupaca,…

Waupaca Foundry is using an innovative adaptive technology to support workers who manually grind iron castings in the foundry. The Ironhand ® glove is the world’s first soft exoskeleton designed for the human hand to improve grip strength and reduce effort. The system was tested at the iron casting supplier’s Etowah, Tennessee casting finishing plant and is currently in trials at the Marinette, Wisconsin…

Waupaca Foundry is the recipient of three environmental awards earning national, state, and industry recognition for its commitment to energy reduction. The awards recognize the iron casting supplier’s commitment to finding smarter ways to use and protect natural resources. The award-winning energy projects include an overhaul to an air compressor system at Plant 1 located in Waupaca, Wis.; installation of…

“Our responsibility to our customers and our team members rests on our long-term sustainability,” said Waupaca Foundry President, COO and CEO Mike Nikolai. “We will continue to supply the high-quality cast and machined components and service that Waupaca is known for in the market.” Parts will transfer to Hitachi Metals, Ltd. operations, as well as to Waupaca Foundry plants located in Marinette, Wisconsin…

Easton, Pennsylvania-based Victaulic says it has acquired an iron foundry in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, from Wisconsin-based Waupaca Foundry Inc. Victaulic describes itself as a manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining, fire protection and flow control products. Victaulic says when the 220,000-square-foot foundry is operating at full capacity, it will increase the company’s “foundry production capacity by…

Waupaca Foundry was cited for implementing the ISO 50001 program to create a formal management system approach to energy reduction. Under the systemic approach, foundry leaders are able to gather and analyze data that identifies opportunities for additional energy reduction in plant operations. As compared to 2010, Waupaca was able to achieve an overall reduction in energy consumption of more than 20% at…

Bad Boy Mowers used an eight-piece steel weldment, fabricated internally, for its trailing arm on its Commercial Zero-Turn Mower. However, the fabricated weldment’s strength did not withstand impact testing. Impact tests showed that the welded axle would bend under extreme impact causing overall durability and assembly issues. Additionally, because of the many components of the weldment, the fit was never…

The Lawrenceville plant produces automotive suspension components including steering knuckles, control arms, and brackets for OEMs. Parts produced at the Lawrenceville foundry will move to other Waupaca Foundry plants, and will continue to be machined and assembled at the Effingham, Illinois location. "It's critical that we stay in front of changing market conditions and customer demand for long-term…

Waupaca Foundry, a Hitachi Metals Group company, has a reputation as solid as the castings we create. We deliver on our daily commitment to quality and true capacity. At Waupaca Foundry, capacity is more than volume. It’s our capacity to keep promises so our customers can expect tomorrow’s deliveries on time, as well as tomorrow’s innovations. It’s the capacity to contribute value and solve problems at…

An automotive OEM diligently working to meet government-mandated fuel economy goals sought Waupaca Foundry to achieve its lightweighting objectives. The targeted component is a differential carrier in the powertrain on the company’s light duty trucks already in production. By developing design modifications, Waupaca Foundry was able to reduce the weight of the high-volume part on one of America’s most…