August 2026 Volume 8

CONTENTS

AUGUST 2026 | VOLUME 8

INDUSTRY NEWS 51 Remembering Dan Ulven 52 Forged Solutions Group Completes Acquisition of Custom Alloy 53 DOW Launches BuildFreedom. US, Announces $10M Skilled Trades Investment With Mike Rowe and Forge the Next-Generation Industrial Workforce 53 Federal Assistance for Defense Related Forging Product Supply Issues 54 Forging Industry Association Announces Leadership Changes 55 H.I.G. Capital Completes Acquisition of Premier Forge Group 56 Faces of Forging 58 Welcome New Members 58 Forging Day 2026 62 Forging the Future Starts Early 64 Donor Spotlight: AMl & Gemini FORGING RESEARCH 66 Accuride Works To Engineer the Grain Structure of 6XXX Series Aluminum Alloys Using Process and Microstructure Modeling MEMBERS SPEAK 68 A View from the Industrial Middle AD INDEX 71 August Advertiser Index 61 FIA Upcoming Events FOUNDATION NEWS

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SAFETY 26 FIA 2026 Safety Conference Focuses on High-Consequence Manufacturing 27 Musculoskeletal Issues Facing the Forging Industry 30 OSHA Reveals Plans for Heat Illness and Emergency Response Rules AUTOMATION 31 Beyond the Buzz: A Practical Path to AI on the Forging Floor MATERIALS 34 Beyond the Die Steel 36 The Material Advantage OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT 40 The Basics of Employee Pay 42 Preparing Replacements and Navigating Transitions 44 Cyber Risk, Business Interruption, and Insurability 46 2026 Forging Performance Looking Up 48 Quick Guide to Microsoft 365 Security

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR 3 Letter from the Editor WASHINGTON UPDATE 6 From Material to Machine ENERGY 8 Myth Buster: Why ‘Shoulder Season’ Isn’t Best for Buying Energy 10 Energy Cost Savings Opportunities in the Forging Industry EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 14 The Evolution of Power Supply Technology for Induction Forging Systems 17 10 Questions Forgers Should Ask Their Equipment Suppliers 21 Designing for Die Life MAINTENANCE 24 How to Minimize Downtime During Upgrades or Retrofits

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE FORGING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION | FORGING.ORG | AUG 2026

The Material Advantage

How Forgers are Navigating Cost, Capacity and Critical Supply Risk Page 36

Beyond the Die Steel The Materials Behind Modern Forge Tooling Page 34 Designing for Die Life Page 21 For advertising contact info@forging.org

FIA Magazine (ISSN 2643-1254 (print) and ISSN 2643-1262 (online)) is published 4 times annually, May, August, November and February by the Forging Industry Association, 6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, Ohio 44131. Telephone: (216) 781-6260. Only (1) copy of the print version distributed at no charge only to members of the Forging Industry Association. Digital version distributed at no charge to qualified individuals. Subscription requests available at www. forging.org. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid in Independence, OH and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Forging Industry Association, 6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, Ohio 44131. Copyright © 2026 by the Forging Industry Association in both printed and electronic formats. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations or for any statement made or opinion expressed herein. Data and information presented by the authors of specific articles are for informational purposes only and are not intended for use without independent, substantiating investigation on the part of potential users.

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