If we could tell you all the good stuff we’ve got going on your head would explode. But there’s PLENTY of good stuff we can report. With our aggressive capacity increases we have now worked our backlogs back down to historical levels. In fact, we caught up so quickly that we happily surprised some of our customers who had dialed in extended turn times. It’s good to see some concrete around the bins again!
Just this week an OEM truck manufacturer gave AP Westshore the second highest quality audit score ever and the highest score ever awarded to a heat treater. The auditor was effusive in his praise. Well earned, Oshkosh. Our customers know that for the highest quality Austempering services available anywhere the AP companies are the benchmark.
An international producer of critical pressure vessels is successfully testing ADI components. A major tier supplier of heavy truck suspension components is forecasting a 30% increase in orders for critical ADI structural components that replaced expensive, heavy, steel forgings. A major bearing manufacturer just cut AP Livonia the largest single purchase order ever. Railcar production, and production of the critical ADI components on them, is skyrocketing. New ag, mining and turf care consummables are being converted to ADI and CADI™ weekly. US light vehicle production is climbing and Austempered iron and steel components are included in their suspensions, engines and transmissions.
The Monster Parts™ Division is soon to be commissioned and we’ve already lined up major OEM’s and tier suppliers with components as large as 7 tons and two meters in diameter. With our new Monster Parts™ capability we will be opening markets up to ADI and Austempered and Carbo-Austempered™ steel that heretofore were the sole domain of pearlitic and martensitic steel forgings, castings and weldments.
On a lighter note, just today, truck traffic into AP Westshore was blocked by a disabled truck. Ironically, a cast aluminum wheel hub on the trailer had failed, shearing off the bolts and locking up the axle. John Wagner and the APW crew were quick to point out to the driver that if he had been equipped with a lightweight, Walther EMC Duralight® ADI hub the failure would never have occurred.
We’re here. We’re energized. We’re doing our jobs, making stuff in the USA……. and no amount of headwinds from Washington are going to stop us now.