Every now and then, something happens that epitomizes an era. When the first railroad to cross the North American continent was completed with a gold spike, that single event symbolized not only a success for the railroad industry, but opened a new chapter in American history. So many meanings are packed into today’s subject that I won’t have space to explore them all, but I’ll try. In 1919, a metals…

Minnesota lost 3,000 production jobs in 12 months, making some wonder whether the sector is forever down and out. Hooey, says Bob Kill, CEO and president of Minnesota Technology Inc., a quasi-state agency that works with outstate fabricators. "I can't say that it's a bad time for Minnesota's manufacturing. Nowhere among [producers] do I observe hand-wringing or hear gloom-and-doom worries about the ravages…

Tennessee Tool and Fixture will locate its first U.S. facility in Coffee County, according to Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolf. The automotive mold and casting manufacturer will invest $6.5 million in the new facility and create 60 new jobs, according to the state. “I want to thank Tennessee Tool and Fixture for locating its first U.S. operations in Coffee…

Improved material helps conserve energy, prolong machine life in high-temperature applications Madison Heights, Mich. — Moldmakers can now benefit from reduced labor costs with a new line of pre-machined high-temperature Insulator Sheets from DME. The Insulator Sheets, designed for standard mold bases, have the highest level of pre-machined features in the marketplace with locating ring clearance hole,…

Blackhawk Foundry and Machine in Davenport just announced it has laid off 50 employees over the past week. That's on top of the 40 employees who were laid off earlier this year. The company says it has been forced to streamline operations due to a slowdown in demand for its products. It has also mandated furloughs, cut salaried worker's pay and shortened work weeks to cut operating costs. The company has…

Techical tools specialist Oxford Instruments, iron castings maker Castings, plumbing group BSS and Hyder Consulting all announced cut jobs, with most warning of more to come. Hyder, which provides design consultancy services for infrastructure projects, warned it was "cautious" about the current year because of the difficult trading conditions, prompting a 10pc slump in its shares.It is cutting around 8pc…

There were 42 more people working at Great Lakes Castings in November than there were a year earlier as the company is gaining new customers. “Our existing customers were placing more orders and we were able to get some new work from some new customers,” said the Ludington plant’s human resources director, Mike Helsel. Helsel said Great Lakes Castings — between its facilities in Ludington and Holland —…

Morgan Technical Ceramics Certech (MTC Certech), a leader in the investment casting industry, has introduced its advanced P52 core material used for producing ceramic cores that remain extremely stable with the high temperature super alloys now being used to cast quieter and more fuel-efficient jet engines. The fused silica ceramic cores are ideal in airfoil casting of blades and vanes for rotating and…

Real Alloy Recycling, a Mount Pleasant aluminum foundry that employs about 40 people, will shut down as its corporate parent restructures its financial affairs in bankruptcy court. Real Alloy Holding Inc., of Beachwood, Ohio, announced last week that the Mount Pleasant foundry, 7505 Durand Ave. will cease operations. No closing date was given. Real Alloy bought the 180,000-square-foot plant from Beck…

ATLANTA, GA. - Mueller Water Products Inc. said that it was facing some of the stormiest economic seas it's ever seen. The company, which has major factory and foundry operations in Decatur, has been slashing costs and shedding jobs companywide over the past 18 months and said it was ready to cut more costs in 2009. Union leaders in Decatur said 10 "down days," when production is sharply cut back and…