November 2019 Volume 1

Official Publication of the Forging Industry Association ControllingMaximumDie Temperature for Better Die Life page 28 DoYour Employee Reviews ReallyWork for You? page 30

November 2019 forging.org

F orging i nduStry

COMMUNITY COLLEGE INITIATIVES

WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT

FORGING RESEARCH

TECHNICAL LIBRARY

H ow tHe F orging F oundation S upportS tHe F orging i nduStry page 3 INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019 1 Vaughan &Bushnell Mfg. Co. Celebrate 150thAnniversary page 40 Modelling of the Forging Process for aMagnesiumAlloy AutomotiveControl Arm page 46

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FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

It's All About the People

Schaumburg. Attendees were impressed with Amada’s thoughtful customer service value proposition embodied in a world class building filled with works of art, marble, high-tech machine tools and plenty of unique meeting spaces, including a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired space complete with his design flare and furniture. Amada makes a popular billet saw for the forging industry, among many other types of metal fabrication machine tools (lasers, press brakes, machining centers). Conference presentations are available to all members on the FIA website. You can find the conference highlights on pg. 10 of this issue. FIA’s 2nd Annual Forging Automation 101 Workshop & Plant Tours sold out again with just under 80 in attendance. Plant tours offered by Trenton Forging Company, Eaton Steel, Gerdau Steel and LASCO all shed light on the state of automation in the forging industry. The event was capped off by an all-star end-user panel featuring Estwing, Klein Tools, Hendrickson, Eaton Steel and Trenton Forging Company. FinalThoughts As I made my member and member prospect visits this summer and fall, I’m aware many in our membership are experiencing a slowdown, especially in energy and agricultural/mining/off-road orders for forgings. The continued threat of unfair trade is on many of your minds. There is no shortage of reporters contacting me for the association’s response to the electric car impact on the state of the forging industry, which to date has not been a significant impact and no one can say with any authority when and if that impact will be significant. I know the forging industry will not be scared off from these market headwinds. The FIA is here to assist our membership with resources including innovative events, trade advice, lobbying support, market surveys and a staff and board of directors that wants to hear from you so we can formulate helpful plans to keep our industry thriving.

The Foundation Issue We’re nothing without our forging people! We are blessed as an industry to have some of the toughest, grittiest and brightest folks around. FIA’s leaders were wise (thank you, Charles H. Smith, Jr. and Gordon Walker) in 1961

to establish a forging foundation to extol and teach the benefits of forging to … well, to people: design engineers making engineering product decisions, university professors influencing our future engineers, and young people entering universities making decisions about their careers—to name a few segments of folks. As the Foundation evolved froma standalone entity into a supporting organization of FIA (in 2000), more forging constituents have been invited to the party, including middle/high school STEM teachers via materials boot camps, students pursuing manufacturing studies at community colleges and trade school students. Scholarships took root, targeted to attract more students into metallurgy and manufacturing—including a scholarship to attract more women into our profession. ( See our cover story article on pg. 3 ) Take a look at our ‘Members Speak’ opinion column (pg.55) from our Board Chair Alex Jennings, president of Specialty Ring Products, to learn about his passion for working with our community colleges and trade schools. Also look for a special announcement of the President’s Challenge as a means to make a stronger impact attracting talent into the forging industry. 150 Year Celebration – Vaughan&Bushnell Mfg. Co. How many industries can even contemplate that headline? How many family businesses have five generations involved in them? It was my lucky day driving through the west-central Illinois cornfields to have an appointment with Plant Manager Mike Havens of Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. Co. just ahead of the FIA Marketing Conference in Schaumburg, Ill. Mike showed me the new museum coming together in the company’s Bushnell, Ill., headquarters. Enjoy this story and pictures of an iconic hand-tool brand and their place in forging history. ( pg. 40 ) Popular FIA Programs Return! The FIA Marketing Conference is back! Over 50 participants from the industry were treated to some informative presentations in a unique venue. Many of you would be hard-pressed to find an equipment showroom like the Amada Solutions Center in

Sincerely, James R. Warren

President and CEO Forging Industry Association

PUBLISHER James R. Warren jwarren@forging.org CONTRIBUTOR Angela Gibian angela@forging.org Editorial Staff

Board of Directors

Gerald Bornman Joseph Cipriani Robert Dimitrieff Mike Gill Jeff Klingerman

Chelsea Lantto Douglas McIntyre David Mesick John Pale Greg Timmons

OPERATIONS Joseph R. Boni joe@forging.org DESIGN Lorean Crowder lorean@forging.org

CHAIRMAN Alex Jennings VICE CHAIRMAN Kurt Ruppenthal

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019 1

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2019 | VOLUME 3

p. 10

p. 30

p. 40

DEPARTMENTS 1 President's Not e 3 Industry News & Calendar 18 Washington Update 21 Economic Update 26 Equipment & Technology 28 Materials 30 Operations & Management

PRESIDENT'S NOTE 1 It's All About the People INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR 3 How the Forging Foundation Supports the Forging Industry 10 FIA Marketing Workshop 2019 Recap 12 Fall Meeting of Members was a Great Success! WASHINGTON UPDATE 18 FIA Lobby Firm Report ECONOMIC UPDATE 21 FIA Quick Read Economic Update EQUIPMENT & TECHNOLOGY 26 Siempelkamp Forges Ahead with Massive Multifunctional Press MATERIALS 28 Controlling Maximum Die Temperature for Better Die Life

OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT 30 Do Your Employee Reviews Really Work For You? 32 We Can’t Find Good Help! ASSOCIATION NEWS 35 Welcome New Members 38 Member Spotlight: McKees Rocks Forgings 40 Vaughan & Bushnell Celebrates 150 years FORGING RESEARCH 42 Forging and Casting Industry Summit 46 Modelling of the Forging Process for a Magnesium Alloy Automotive Control Arm

35 Association News 42 Forging Research 55 Members Speak

OfficialPublicationofthe Forging IndustryAssociation ControllingMaximumDie TemperatureforBetterDieLife page28 DoYourEmployeeReviews ReallyWorkforYou? page30

November2019forging.org

MEMBERS SPEAK 55 The Power of Two

F orging i nduStry

COMMUNITYCOLLEGE INITIATIVES

WORKFORCE

DEVELOPMENT

FORGING RESEARCH

TECHNICAL LIBRARY

H owtHe F orging F oundation S upportStHe F orging i nduStry page 3 INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS

Vaughan&BushnellMfg.Co. Celebrate150thAnniversary page40 Modelling oftheForging ProcessforaMagnesiumAlloy AutomotiveControlArm page46

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, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 615, Cleveland, OH44114. Telephone: (216) 781-6260, Fax: (216) 781-0102. 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 Cleveland, OH and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Forging Industry Association, 1111 Superior Ave., Suite 615, Cleveland, OH 44114. Copyright © 2019 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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FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019

INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

How the Forging Foundation Supports the Forging Industry By Karen Lewis and JimWarren

The Forging Foundation builds a pipeline of the best and brightest future employees of the forging industry by promoting our industry, awarding scholarships and sharing employment opportunities and encouraging participation in forging research and projects. Established in 1961, the Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation (FIERF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization supporting the Forging Industry Association (FIA). Founded as an organization to give the industry and individuals a tax advantaged way to shape the future by developing the bond between the forging industry and academia, the Forging Foundation has been fostering relationships with professors, researchers and students for nearly six decades. (see Sidebar re: Reflections of Charles H. Smith on page 7) Early this year, Foundation Trustees reaffirmed that commitment through strategic planning and the adoption of the mission statement: "The Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation connects the educational community and the industry to develop the future workforce; promote forged products and research; and facilitate technology transfer." To live into that mission, the Foundation is leading the forging industry toward a future where FIA members will have a sustainable and educated workforce; be recognized as the provider of highly valued products fueled by practical applied research; be more competitive by the transfer and deployment of innovative technologies; and be served by an educational and research foundation with the resources to enable the industry to meet its future needs. Sustainable and Educated Workforce: New Focus on Two Year Colleges/Trade Schools Building Your Workforce at Community Colleges events and presentations have introduced FIA Members to local Community Colleges for training and hiring opportunities. Cuyahoga Community College (Cleveland, OH) and Richard J. Daley (Chicago, IL) have hosted discussions and tours as part of these FIERF sponsored networking events. Community Colleges are an excellent resource for finding skilled employees. The Foundation is looking for additional FIA Members with whom to partner in their local areas to develop collaborative action plans to feed your future workforce pipeline. And while the FIA staff works hard to develop these relationships, we thought we’d offer the following five ‘do these now’ tips for jump starting a relationship with your local community colleges:

1. Meet the President’s Challenge. Join your fellow FIA member presidents and donate $1,500 to the President’s Challenge Scholarship Funds. These dollars will benefit students attending two year community college/trade schools. Staff will direct dollars to schools near FIA members where dollars were collected from (regional approach). Both faculty and FIA members will weigh in on selecting students. Simply send your check made out to the Forging Foundation or contact Jim Warren to express your intention at to donate at jwarren@forging.org. 2. Host a Manufacturing Day Plant Tour. If you are reading this, the 2019 Manufacturing Day (October 4, 2019) has already passed andmore than 700,000 working age youth have attended 3,000+ plant tours across North America (www.mfgday.com). But there’s good news! Manufacturing Day plant tours can take place all year round! Tidy up the plant, improve your lighting so students (and your customers) can see how awesome your plant is and invite them in! Be ready to explain the great, high-paying careers you offer. 3. Allow Your Staff to Teach at a Local Community College orHigh School. Inviting and rewarding your top talent to get involved with local schools is a smart move. By allowing your talent to participate in day and evening manufacturing-focused classes at your local community college or high school provides an opportunity to observe the on-time and high-achieving students directly and invite them to participate in local plant tours. Establishing relationships with schools will provide a pipeline for talent to discover your company and the variety of jobs you offer . 4. Set-up an Internship Program with a Local Community College. Paid internships are an excellent way to evaluate and hire great people for permanent employment. Many are surprised to learn that two year colleges will coordinate an internship with local businesses. Build your bench with the internship system. 5. Sponsor & Assist a FIRST Robotics Team. No other program that we are aware of influences more K-12 students worldwide to pursue careers in engineering and technical manufacturing than the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program. FIRST spans the K-12 ages and is most popular with high-school students who approach FIRST with a varsity sport energy level. Students build robots and compete

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019 3

INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

regionally, hopefully advancing to global competition at their superbowl in late spring. Many of these students head to two and four year schools and are prime employees for forgers to recruit. Learn more about the program at www.firstinspires.org. FIERF Connects Universities and Students with the Forging Industry FIERF Magnet Schools are a way for you to connect directly with professors and students at universities with whomwe have developed relationships. The Forging Foundation builds ties with faculty members and makes direct contact with students by providing financial and curricular support to encourage and promote studies and research in forging technologies. These professors are excellent contacts for internships/co-ops/new hires and for ways to engage with their students including class presentations, plant tours, senior design project ideas and much more. FIERFMagnet Schools include: California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, California Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio Ohio University, Athens, Ohio University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan University of North Texas, Denton, Texas University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Internship Program – Hiring a summer intern or co-op student may be one of the best investments you can make. These programs bring new perspectives into your organization, help you identify candidates for full-time employment and build awareness of your organization with students. The Foundation acts as a clearing house for organizations seeking to hire Scholarship or Magnet School students as summer interns. Planning ahead is the key to a successful program. Contact the Foundation office or visit www. fierf.org for additional information. (See Walker Internship Article page 9) Technology & Workforce Development Summits have been held at Colorado School of Mines, California Polytechnic, Case Western Reserve, Illinois Institute of Technology, Pennsylvania State, Marquette and Ohio State Universities. From interactions at these Foundation sponsored events multiple internships and full time hires have resulted. Participants at the summits engage with teachers, researchers and students to build relationships through senior project sponsorships, class presentations and plant tours.

ASM Materials Camps for Teachers have been sponsored by the Foundation for the past seven years, reaching over 6,000middle and high school teachers with information on the forging process and careers in the industry. In addition to these resources, last summer eleven industry volunteers made in person presentations to the teachers. Milwaukee Forge LLC,Midwest Forge LLCandUniversal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc. have provided eye-opening plant tours for teachers. These companies and volunteers are building important relationships in their communities and future workforce. Scholarships are funded by the industry and administered by the Foundation. Charles W. Finkl Scholarship was established in 2004 in memory of Chuck Finkl to encourage engineering students to pursue careers in the forging industry supply chain. Students who are college sophomores and juniors majoring in metallurgical, materials, chemical, computer, electrical or industrial engineering at an accredited four-year college or university are eligible to apply. Awards are $2,000 in the junior year and an additional $2,000 in the senior year if the student remains eligible. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above and be a citizen of the United States, Canada or Mexico. Forging Industry Women’s Scholarship was established in 2015 by Sharon Haverstock to seek out the best and brightest women with the desire and potential to be leaders in the forging industry. Awards of up to $5,000 are made to full-time graduate and undergraduate students attending a two- or four- year college or university in the fields of engineering, business or a comparable area of study. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or above and be a citizen of the United States, Canada or Mexico. More than $850,000 have been awarded in scholarships to over 230 students. Applications for both scholarships will open February 1, 2020 on the FIERF website (www.fierf.org). Named Professorship at Colorado School of Mines (CSM): The Foundation’s endowment to create the Center of Forging Excellence at CSM provides a coordinating source with technical universities and other FIERF-designated Magnet Schools to promote forging-related courses. Professor Kester Clarke holds the FIERF professorship. Professor Clarke also serves as the academic facilitator for the popular FIA Theory and Application of Forging and Die Design course.

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INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

Transfer and deployment of innovative technologies All Forging Foundation supported research is made available to FIA Members via the Online Technical Library. The library also contains past forging relevant research of the Colorado School of Mines Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center.

atlas of information comparing the response of each type of steel to process. Junior and senior undergraduate students working on the project will be Yuankang Wang, Pedro Ciacco, Anastasia July, Adam Argentine and Christine Determan. Industry partners include Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., Ellwood Materials Technologies and GKN Powder Metallurgy. “Characterization of Friction Stir Additive Alloys,” Principle Investigator FIERF Professor Kester Clarke, Colorado School of Mines. Objective of the project is to evaluate the viability of friction stir additive (FSA) manufacturing as a processing pathway to produce alloys with otherwise unachievable properties. Stuart Shirley, a former Finkl Scholarship recipient is working on the project. Industry partners are The Queen City Forging Co. and SCMMetals. “Effect of Processing Variables and Die Geometry on Microstructure of Forged IN718,” Principle Investigator Professor Tushar Borkar, Cleveland State University. The project is particularly interested in the recrystallized grain structure and how it varies depending on the stain induced in the part by the forging process. David Mikhail, junior mechanical engineering student is working on the project. The industry partner is TECT Power. “Laboratory Testbed to Develop ‘Smart’ Robotic Forge Press Tenders,” Principle Investigator Professor Joe Domblesky, Marquette University. Students will build a small scale robotic forging cell that will initially be used to develop an intelligent trim press tender where the technology can be scaled up and used in a forging plant. Senior design team members include Chris Byrne, Haley Neaumann, Lydia Kirsch, Jake Gladysz and Jerry Steele. Walker Forge and Superior Die Set are industry partners.

All documents are now searchable, by title, description and key words.

FIAMember log-in is required. Contact FIA to setup and reset your login: info@forging.org. Reports are organized by topics: Additive Manufacturing Forging Industry Technical Conference Presentations Light Weighting Competing Process Comparisons and Optimization

Defects Design Heat Treatment Heating and Cooling of Stock Job Shop Lean Metallurgy Predictive Maintenance Quality Control Simulation and Modeling Techniques and Systems Tooling and Lubrication

Projects in process: “Modeling of the Forging Process for a Magnesium Alloy Automotive Control Arm” (see page 46), is Talal Paracha’s Master’s Thesis supported by FIERF on the Forging of MagnesiumAlloys for Automotive Applications as an approach to light weighting. “Effect of Processing on the Microstructure-Performance between a 5340 Wrought Steel and a 4340 Selective Laser Melted (SLM) Steel,” Principle Investigator Professor C. Isaac Garcia, University of Pittsburgh. This work proposes to build an

“Enhancing Tool Life by Manipulating the Punch and Die Elastic Strain Field during Forging,” Lead Investigator Professor Gracious Ngaile, North Carolina State University. Reduction in tool-workpiece pressure will in turn decrease tool wear, prolong lubricant effectiveness and reduce thermal loading to the tooling. Daniel Santiago Rodrigues, MS Mechanical Engineering student and Hunter Rollins, Research Assistant are working on the project. Industry partners are Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation and American Axle &Manufacturing.

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019 5

INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

Forging Industry Technical Conference

“Laboratory Testing to Identify Permanent PVD Coatings to Minimize Lubricants Use During Forging,” Principle Researchers FIERF Professor Kester Clarke and Professor Stephen Midson, Colorado School of Mines. Leveraging coating research performed at CSM to develop a laboratory test that quantitatively measures the impact of PVD permanent coatings on the coefficient of friction between steel tooling and the workpiece. The goal is to reduce the amount of lubricant used during forging. Trevor Kehe, ungraduate MME is wrapping up work on the project. Industry partners include The Queen City Forging Co., Finkl Steel and Bohler-Uddeholm. “High Strength, High Toughness Microalloyed Steel Forgings Produced Using Relaxed Forging Conditions and No Heat Treatment,” Professor Anthony DeArdo, University of Pittsburgh. Development of new composition and process route with minimum die wear, limited distortion and no heat treatment. Graduate student Aaron Stein is working on the project. Industry partners are Universal Stainless & Alloy Products, Inc., Meadville Forging Company and TimkenSteel. FIERFWebinars Webinars connect FIA Members directly with professors and students who have completed Forging Foundation supported research. On December 5th, the Foundation will host a webinar on the “Forging of Magnesium Alloys for Automotive Applications” work done at the University of Waterloo ( see article page 46 ). These interactive sessions are recorded and posted in the Online Technical Library.

All FIERF sponsored research is reported out to industry via the biennial Forging Technical Conference. This popular event brings together industry and research thought leaders and invites speakers to showcase the best in forging technology with a diversity of presentations of interest to different processes, materials and end use markets. The 2018 conference held in Long Beach, California included an optional plant tour of Weber Metals, Inc. where participants got an up close and personal view of the new 60,000 ton press. Industry and technical presentations topics ranged from aerospace and automotive electrification to light weighting and additive metal manufacturing. Presentations from the 32nd Industry Conference are posted in the Online Technical Library. Connect with FIERF online LinkedIn – Follow the Forging Industry Educational & Research Foundation’s new showcase page on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/ showcase/forging-industry-educational-and-research-foundation/) to keep up to date on the latest workforce development events!

New project submissions are being solicited FIA Members are encouraged to work with academic partners and the Forging Foundation to find solutions to industry challenges and provide experiential training to your future workforce. The Foundation will accept grant applications through February 15, 2020. Please share your ideas. Grant applications are available on the FIERF website. Grant requests are reviewed by the FIA Technical Committee using the following criteria: how the proposed project addresses industry needs; has educational value for students; have defined industry partners and students; clearly defined metric deliverables and task plan tomake funding recommendations to the Forging Foundation's Board of Trustees. The Technical Committee continues to mentor Foundation funded projects and assist with technical, logistical and other concerns that may arise.

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INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

FIERF.org – The Foundation’s website is filled with resources for industry, students and educators. Here you will find future workforce development resources, information on events and links to the Online Technical Library. Educators and students use the site to access curriculum information, forging process videos, scholarship applications and grant applications.

SIDEBAR: Reflections of Charles H. Smith Jr., Steel Improvement and Forging Company, FIERF Founding President on the Foundation’s 35th Anniversary. During the years that I served as the President of the Drop Forging Association (now identified as the Forging Industry Association), 1956-1958, I had many opportunities to be concerned about the in-roads being made upon the forging industry’s traditional customers by competing methods of producing parts. Within the automotive industry, for instance, such traditional forged parts as crankshafts and connecting rods were being lost as a result of steady improvements in the properties of castings and powered metallurgy. Even the aircraft industry saw the forging industry losing market share as a result of important developments in investment castings and newmaterials. A thoughtful analysis at that time suggested that design engineers throughout America thought all too infrequently about basing their designs for new products upon the advantages inherent in forged products. I for one, thought back to my days at M.I.T. where I took every course then available that had any relationship with the fundamentals of forged metals -- yet all of those courses together accounted for less than a few weeks of study during the four years that I was there. Just as important, in our large research universities, it was extremely rare to find much attention being given toward improvements that would benefit the forging industry although a lot of research was being directed towards the several branches of the foundry industry. Again, a few discreet questions directed to the professors and deans of American’s engineering schools disclosed that the Foundry industry had for many years been financing research at our technical universities through a foundation that had been in existence for decades, and they were getting good results from these efforts! Still, another problem of our industry: -- the lack of attention given to forging technologies in our engineering schools meant that, in addition to the failure to give future design engineers an appreciation of the value of utilizing forged products in their new products, we were also confronted with an inability to hire young engineers fresh out of college, to work in our own industry. There was no technical university anywhere in America with courses aimed at training their graduates for work in the forging industry! Gordon Walker, President of Walker Forge and Vice-President of the Drop Forging Association when I served as President, and I spoke frequently about the need to create a better bond between our industry and the institutions of higher learning in our country, particularly the engineering colleges emphasizing materials, manufacturing methods, and design. It took several years, however, before enough momentum developed toward a research and education foundation for the forging industry to make the creation of FIERF a reality.

Please Support the Forging Foundation Contribute –We invite you to partner with the Forging Foundation to develop your future workforce for research projects that connect industry with academia and provide practical knowledge for your company. All contributions to the Forging Foundation are tax deductible as charitable contributions to the extent permitted by law. The generous support of Forging Industry Association covers the Foundation’s administrative costs so 100% of your donations this year fund research and education initiatives. For more information on personal, corporate or planned gifts please contact the Forging Foundation at foundation@forging.org or 216-862-6967.

FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019 7

Thank you to our Anvil Society Members!

American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.

$25,000+

• Cleveland Hardware & Forging Co. • Electralloy • The Ellwood Group • FRISA Forjados, S.A. de C.V. • Modern Drop Forge Co.

• Nucor Steel • Sharon P. Haverstock • TimkenSteel Corporation • Weber Metals, Inc.

• Park Ohio Holdings Corp.: Canton Drop Forge, Kropp Forge,

Southwest Steel Processing LLC, Ajax Ceco, Ohio Crankshaft

$10,000+

• Forge Resources Group • Keystone Forging Co. • LASCO Engineering Services L.L.C.

• Pat Mooney, Inc. • The Queen City Forging Co.

• Scientific Forming Technologies Corp. • Walker Forge

$5,000+

• Campbell Press Repair • Eaton Steel Bar Company • Forging Equipment Solutions • McInnes Rolled Rings

• Milwaukee Forge LLC • Onex, Inc. • Specialty Ring Products

• Tkach Consulting LLC • Trenton Forging • Universal Stainless

$2,500+

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FIA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2019 216-862-6967 l foundation@forging.org l 1111 Superior Ave. Suite 615 Cleveland, OH 44114

INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

Walker Forge has been working with technical, university-type, academic institutions for decades. We nowwork at ALL educational levels, from grade school to graduate school and it has been a very worthwhile transition. It’s been apparent here for some time that most university interns were ill-suited for the ‘non-complexities’ of day-to-day manufacturing. Strength of materials – yes; Strength of relationships - not so much. The summer/semester internship is a great way to build the necessary skills to help make career choice less intimidating and personal experience skills more impressive. A successful internship is as much about the student as it is the enterprise and its’ mentors. What we do to help with a student’s ‘Summer Vocation’

Unfortunately, a single recipe for success does not exist. We believe it is different for each and every applicant/mentor experience. We support FIERF Magnet Schools projects, Wisconsin Technical Schools programming, and local school systems in all curriculums. These collective efforts, from many, have provided the makings for some great stories over the years, unfortunately, success is still cannot be guaranteed. Get over it. Engage anyway. The following is one series of unedited thoughts, from one of the twelve students working at Walker Forge and Precision Thermal Processing during the Summer of 2019: company. A common occurrence working so closely with steel mills is finding indications and seams in bar stock or already forged parts. Throughout the internship I have worked on many different instances for multiple steel mills of cracked bars and seams. Due to this relation I have expanded my knowledge of the steel making process to better understand the work I do within the forge. What I learned: Coming into a job with little to no knowledge base of the day to day process can be intimidating. Here at Walker Forge not once did I feel like I didn’t belong in the metallurgical lab working alongside trained professionals. Walker Forge believes heavily in the ability to train dedicated workers to do any task, evident my first week learning all there was to know about being a lab technician. In the short three months I spent in the Walker Forge metallurgy lab I was taught skills and knowledge that go beyond four years of engineering schooling. Through the work with hands on practice I can now identify microstructures, determine carbon content, design heat treating processes, and follow predesigned specifications. All of these skills were developed through on the job work, not by sitting in a lecture hall. Besides major specific tasks I also expanded my soft skills working in a small company and becoming self-reliable on completing tasks. I didn’t stay cooped up in the lab all summer; I even had the opportunity to tour other departments within the plant. From quality control to machining and forge presses, to robot operations, I was given the ability to learn in depth all the possibilities at Walker along with forges across the country. It is pretty obvious that this could be the beginning of one of those great stories. Manufacturing firms in general, and FIA members in particular, need to create opportunities for stories like this to be written. It would be best if we all tried to find or, heaven forbid, help create many more like her. Rick Recktenwald President, Walker Forge

How I got toWalker Forge:

I began my search by asking my advisor for possible summer internships from companies hiring first-year students. There I learned about Walker Forge and was given the contact information for a former Michigan Tech graduate who currently worked at the forge. When I sent my first email to Rick I didn’t even know he was the president of Walker Forge. I knew this job would be different from any other

internship based on the phone calls I had with Rick and John. The small town feel was evident and I knew that was something I grew up with being from the Upper Peninsula. Then began the long and hard search for housing that I could stay in for the three months I would spend in Clintonville. Working closely with Amy in HR, no apartments could be found in the area available for rent. She went so far as to asking other workers at the plant if they would take me in for the summer. Finally, I came to the decision that I would stay with family in the Green Bay area, about a 40 minute commute to Through rapidly gained experience and working alongside John, I was able to greatly excel inmy position as ametallurgical technician without any prior knowledge as to what someone working in the metallurgy lab did for a living. I had the opportunity to work start to finish with little supervision on the failure analysis of an oil well pump shaft. The results yielded an eight page report fabricated completely on my own, with some guidance from the lab supervisor. Almost every piece of equipment at Walker Forge is maintained and/or fabricated in house, this allows not only for self-reliance, but also the ability for an intern like myself to analyze and create reports on parts that will be utilized by the work each day. What I did:

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INDUSTRY NEWS & CALENDAR

FIA Marketing Workshop 2019 Recap

On Sept. 18-19, FIA held its Marketing Workshop for the first time since 2016, hosted by the AMADA SolutionCenter in Schaumburg, Ill. (northwestern suburb of Chicago). More than 50 attendees were impressed by Amada’s state of the art training center and were able to tour its showroom with the latest technology in automation, laser cutting, press brakes, punching, robotic bending and much more. Attendees received industry updates from world-class speakers on many topics: automotive, aerospace, heavy construction, agriculture, mining, the economy and the energy sector. FIAO&S SURVEY During lunch on the first day, The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), gave an update on FIA’s popular Orders & Shipments Survey. Contact Delaney Schield if you would you like to participate (Dschield@amtonline.org or 703-827-5240). SALES &MARKETING James Soto, CEO of Industrial Strength Marketing, guided the audience through an interactive survey on sales and marketing techniques. Attendees received live feedback on how their companies ranked with their sales and marketing efforts and where they could improve, based on the individual’s responses. AUTOMOTIVE Center for Automotive Research (CAR) gave a global view of lightweight vehicles, electrification and forecasts in automotive trends—both in production and employment. U.S. light vehicle monthly sales and SAAR are on the rise, with the CUV leading with 21.5 percent of U.S. sales. For North American automaker investment by region, Canada came in at 7 percent, Mexico at 19 percent and the U.S. with 74 percent. Gas prices are down, which shows a pronounced move toward

light trucks, enabled by relatively low fuel prices. U.S. automotive employment growth is slowing. In electrification, the market share segment breakdown shows the CUV leading with 38.9 percent. A case study was shared showing the opportunities and challenges with electrifying the great American pickup. One of the challenges is that pickups require a large and more costly batteries. Finally, CAR forecasts are showing that U.S. light vehicle sales for the next five years will dip in 2021 then will be back up by 2025. Production forecasts are following the same trend. AEROSPACE Weber Metals gave an aerospace industry overview from a forging perspective, sharing the two key global drivers of the industry are oil prices and air passenger volume. When oil prices are high, it puts pressure on aircraft OEMs for improvements in fuel burns. Air passenger volume trends show steady growth since 2014. The market is strong and shows growth through challenging times. Air travel remains resilient through financial and geopolitical challenges. There is continued 20-plus years’ growth forecasted, with 4.6 percent in world traffic growth. Commercial aircraft production is forecasted for an estimated 50,000 fleet size in 2038. The largest growth market continues to be the Asia-Pacific region. The strength of the commercial sector has put pressure on available forging capacity for defense work. Aerospace forging trends show open-die forgings are primarily used in the aircraft development phase, with the transition from open-die to closed-die occurring during aircraft serial production. Additive and forging-plus-additive are the bleeding edge. Procurement trends and behaviors show limited forging capacity and know-how. Weber Metals also shared engine sourcing trends from 1960-2020 and aerospace raw material usage by weight and value. Weber reports four aerospace forging barriers to entry: 1. Certification 2. Know-how (manufacturing, engineering, M&P) 3. OEM/Tier 1 approvals 4. Capital AGRICULTURE / MINING Agriculture. In the U.S., agriculture has been going through an unusually rough patch. That is saying something, given the almost constant travails of the farm community. This year, the major inhibitors have been the weather and trade wars. The spring floods yielded to summer floods and now more rain during peak harvest time. The USDA is predicting yet another down year for all major crops. The Chinese have responded to U.S. tariffs with attacks of their own, and most of these have been aimed at the farm exports the U.S. sends. The soybean tariffs have all but cut off this market,

Paul Spitz of Unit Forging and Scott Bowerman of Amada America Inc.

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and demand is down, in any case, because of the mass slaughter of hogs in China as they attempt to control the spread of swine flu. This down year has meant much lower sales for farm equipment, and that has created revenue and profit constraints for dealers as well as manufacturers of the machinery. Mining. Though it has been affected by a general decline in the pace of manufacturing, mining has been holding its own for the past few years. Demand for oil has been steady, but prices have been lower than the producers would prefer. Output from shale oil has been falling as the easy deposits have been exploited and going after others will demand prices closer to $100 a barrel. Metals such as copper, nickel, bauxite and iron ore are affected by demand issues in everything from construction to aerospace to vehicles in general. The U.S. now is actively seeking to develop rare earth metals to break the stranglehold the Chinese have onmaterials such as lithium and cobalt. This will mean more development in the U.S. and more support from the U.S. government to develop the business in other nations. ECONOMY Dr. Christopher Kuehl of Armada Corporate Intelligence opened with a presentation titled, “Finding the Dark Cloud Behind the Silver Lining in the Economy.” U.S. GDP growth has accelerated while Europe has slowed. Trade tensions are still one of the biggest threats to the global economy. Five issues to think about, according to Dr. Kuehl: 1. Return of recession or inflation and likely Fed reaction. 2. Trade war impact 3. Labor shortage 4. Political stalemate 5. Consumer confidence and retail shifts (online vs. brick and-mortar stores) Dr. Kuehl shared inflation projections that show small federal interest rate hikes are still expected by some. The future looks a little dimmer—views of the U.S. economy five years out have hit their lowest levels since January 2018. He shared PMI declines, overall CMI, manufacturing CMI, service CMI and big improvements for state leading indexes in March 2019 vs. May 2018 and reported that the U.S. is right in the middle for growth. In closing, Dr. Kuehl emphasized that people are needed now to fill manufacturing jobs. 80 percent of manufacturers reported a moderate or serious shortage of qualified applicants. Manufacturing is the ninth largest economy in the world, contributing $2.18 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2016. 3.5 million manufacturing jobs need to be filled, with 2 million expected to stay unfilled due to a skills gap. ENERGY TheMaguire Energy Institute shared short- and long-termprospects and challenges facing the oil and gas industry, with a highlight that the future is natural gas. There are only three countries that produce

more oil thanTexas—Iraq, Saudi Arabia andRussia‚—with theU.S. being the largest supplier in recent months. Crude oil production reached a record high last year. U.S. natural gas production nearly doubled over a 12-year period from 2006-2018. Emerging powers in liquefied natural gas exports are Qatar, Australia, the U.S. and Russia. Short-term challenges facing the U.S. oil and gas industry are: 1. Falling U.S. oil and rig count. 2. Oil field services sector outlook remains tenuous. 3. Pipeline constraints. 4. Tariff war with China. 5. Possible global recession in 2020. Long-term challenges facing the global oil and gas industry are: 1. The world is investing less in “clean” energy. 2. Global demand for power. 3. Questions over the future of transportation being all electric (forecasts call for 8 percent of global car fleet being electric in 2040). 4. Fracking banned. The presentation closed with this reality check: Fossil fuels aren’t going away any time soon! The FIA Marketing Committee is planning the next Marketing Workshop for October 2020 in the Midwest. Stay tuned for details coming soon!

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FIA Fall Meeting of Members was a Great Success! By JimWarren

Nashville turned out to be a resounding success as the 2019 location for FIA’s Fall Meeting of Members. With 72 members and six speakers participating, attendees enjoyed a good turnout in a town known for its country music stars and honky tonks. The event drew 10 first-time attendees, and our most popular roundtable focused on Forging & Tooling Materials. Former Senator and CNN Political Commentator, Rick Santorum, did not disappoint bringing his brand of conservatism to the podium and fielding many questions about the future of Washington D.C. from the members. FIA thanks the EllwoodGroup for the sponsorship of Senator Santorum.

Karen’s services for the last 33 years. Congratulations to Karen! The FDMC board discussed the recently released Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) funding announcement from the Defense Logistics Agency R&D Division focused on ‘Innovative Forging Technologies.’ FIA is teaming with ATI who they’ve had a 20+year relationship with. The objectives of the Innovative Forming Technologies (IFT) program are 1) to structure, execute, and coordinate projects that develop innovative solutions that can reduce the disproportionate number of DLA backorders or unfilled orders for items that contain forgings, and 2) to improve the quality, productivity, technology, and business practices of the forging industry. The program seeks to demonstrate readiness improvements by developing and applying innovative methods of designing and manufacturing weapons systems spare parts and components through the use of advanced forging technologies. More details are available online (www.govtribe.com/opportunity/ federal-contract-opportunity/innovative-forgings-technologies baa000319) or contact the FDMCExecutive Director Polly Graham at polly.graham@ati.org. Keynote Presentations Prepare Forgers for What’s Next From my perspective forgers are in a cautious mood with business conditions generally trending on the slower side, unless a significant portion of a forgers business is in the aerospace segment. What follows here are brief bullet points sharing the general theme of a keynoter’s message. FIA staff has loaded versions of the presenters’ slides on the FIA website. The slides are open to all members for viewing with your FIA login and password. MARKETING • Success rate in picking up phone in first hour or receiving RFQ • Why you need to make marketing the strength of your business • Marketing readiness assessment • Do you know the main reasons your customers choose you over your competitors? • Do you know where your biggest source of untapped new business is and how to ultimately mine it? • Do you know your conversion rate of leads into customers? Example: out of X number of leads, you get Y number of customers or sales that deliver Z in profit

Kathy Saunders, Ellwood Group’s Director of Marketing and former Senator Rick Santorum Three Boards HaveTheir Meetings in Nashville On October 13th, just ahead of the conference, the FIA Board of Directors met in the morning, and the FIERF Board of Directors met in the afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon following the conference, the Forging Defense Manufacturing Consortium (FDMC) met. The major news from the FIA and FIERF boards was the retirement announcement of longtime FIERF Executive Director Karen Lewis effective December 31, 2019. The industry was fortunate to have

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TRADE AND SECTION 232 OVERVIEW AND REMEDY Summary of trade developments in current administration • WTO • FTAs • Section 301 • Section 232 (initiation possible by December 2020) New trade initiatives covering steel forgings

• Section 232 • AD/CVD MARKETOUTLOOK FOR FORGING& TOOLINGMATERIALS • Macro-economic background

• Impact on commodities • Forging and rawmaterials • Spotlight: automotive & energy markets • U.S. steel industry

FIERF’s Executive Director Karen Lewis receives a standing ovation from the members acknowledging her 33 years of service to FIA and FIERF [FIERF President Suzanne Tkach pictured to right] WORKFORCEDEVELOPMENT PANEL • Host plant tours for students • Schedule company visits to schools • Leadership credo & operating management style • Meeting structure & cadence • Visual workplace enhancements • Leadership succession planning • Communication – verbal &written • Incorporating culture into orientation • Having fun in the workplace • Company App to connect with staff • Modern, open office space • Shift modeling • Serve on local school/workforce development boards WASHINGTONUPDATE • We’re in an Age of Disruption • “Permissionless” Players Upending Establishment • Leadership Shifting Away fromWashington • House, Senate &WH All In-Play in 2020 Elections

FIA Chairman Alex Jennings serves as the FIA Fall Meeting of Members host and introduces keynote presenters.

• Disruption Is Accelerating • An Era of Reform is Coming

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