As I write this message our state has entered Phase 5 of its regulations for containing the spread of the coronavirus, meaning have relaxed mask mandates and increased capacity limits for public spaces. As a result, we finally see things opening up and business and life returning to normal — bringing a sense of relief to those of us used to working closely with our customers in the metalcasting industry. However, as the shift to normal continues, we also recognize an urgent need for our foundry customers to meet the new demands they face.
The pandemic has changed how all companies do business. This change has had ripple effects touching every facet of business operation. For example, the use and frequency of video conferences is here to stay. There never will be a substitute for meeting in person with colleagues and contacts but being able to sit down “face-to-face” for a quick discussion — via video — simply adds to the level of clear communication we can have with each other.
Casting Industry Supplier Association (CISA) member companies support each other and meet the foundry industries’ challenges. We are constantly expanding our knowledge base, to grow and innovate, learning from each other (the primary reason for our association), and looking for the trends that show where we need to grow as an organization and what technologies we need to develop to continue meeting those challenges.
Currently, CISA has a membership of 23 companies, each one of which is a key supplier of equipment and materials to the North America foundries. We meet as a group two times each year to discuss new technology, industry trends, and how best to serve our foundry partners. Each fall, we meet for a business session near Chicago, and in the spring, we conduct an on-site session as we visit one of our nation’s important foundries.
We thank Foundry Management & Technology for its long-time support of CISA and this sponsored issue. This yearly opportunity with the August issue allows CISA member companies to present their company, its contributions to the metalcasting industry and insights to the technologies we share.
I want to thank the CISA Board of Directors for all the support they have provided over the past year, helping to guide our Association through the trials of the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, I want to thank Executive Director Mark Ziegler and Immediate Past President Steve Ryan for their dedication to the Casting Industry Supplier Assn., developing our programming, and maintaining the organization.
- Mark Ziegler – CISA Executive Director
- Steve Ryan – Badger Mining Corp., Immediate Past President
- Bryon Barber – Canfield & Joseph Inc., 1st Vice President
- Nathan Wollenburg – Prince Minerals LLC, 2nd Vice President
- Dale Welsh – Hill & Griffith Co., Director
- Sam Erkonen – Howe & Hutton, Legal Counsel
Claude Hutchens is Market Director - Foundry, International, with General Kinematics Corp., Crystal Lake, IL. Contact him at [email protected]