AFS Marketing and Selling of
Castings Conference
The AFS Marketing and Selling of Castings Conference was last month in Chicago and the response was, I think, very good. Metalcasting salespeople were in good spirits and enjoyed a quality program put on by AFS. The speakers were first-rate. Attendees traveled from some considerable distances.
A challenge I see for future events is a more casting-specific
flavor. Specifically, while the speakers
were excellent, they could only be so casting-centric. That
is not a criticism, just an observation.
Austempering Enjoyment for the Technical Reader
If you haven’t yet read the paper from AP’s Dr. Kathy Hayrynen and Justin Lefevre on Austempered Materials for Powertrain Applications, you should. You can download it here.
A Uniquely American Thing
I suggest you take in this opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal on the current US energy boom. Bret Stephens writes that this phenomenon of “fracking happened in the U.S. because Americans, almost uniquely in the world, have property rights to the minerals under their yards. And because the federal government wasn’t really paying attention.” He is so right. This innovation and the actual production would be impossible in other countries with more entrenched bureaucracies. Please read the whole thing.
More WSJ
The media are awash in predictions for 2015. The Journal takes a stab in this piece on “What to Watch in Business in 2015”. Short answers for metalcasters: Ag will be down 15% overall and Light Vehicles could finally match a 12-year high of 17 million. When coupled with a record year in railcar builds, it looks to be a busy year for metalcasters.