Alliances and synergy
the way of the future
Synergy. A word not commonly used, but
one with increasing meaning and value for Anderson Global customers.
It’s a word that implies teamwork,
partnership, working toward a common goal. It represents strength because
it happens when separate entities combine to form something new, stronger,
and more powerful than those entities are on their own.
Nowhere is synergy more evident than
in a turnkey prototype development project Anderson Global and strategic
allies Ashland Casting Solutions and Wolverine Bronze Company are completing
in Roseville, Mich., for General Motors. It’s an alliance that combines
the precision and outside-the-box thinking of a world-class custom tooling
manufacturer, the simulation and documentation expertise of a global
leader, and the casting expertise of a highly respected foundry.
Turnkey project
The alliance marks something unique in
the industry – turnkey, concept-to-production support for a complex,
ground-breaking project.
“We knew there had to be a better way
for General Motors to develop critical castings to launch a major plant
expansion, and we knew people who could help us make it happen,” says
John McIntyre, Anderson Global president and alliance leader.
“Working with Ashland for many years
on a variety of projects convinced us Ashland shares our dedication
to quality and service as well as to our core values,” John explains.
“We knew we had the best with Ashland doing core-blowing simulation,
solidification simulations, process data documentation, and project
overview.”
Wolverine Bronze was the obvious choice
as final member of the alliance, John says. “We had already worked
with Wolverine – and Ashland – on a challenging, quick-turnaround
project that required redesigning five complex gear box and cover castings
in 3D solids, designing tooling, designing gating, doing casting simulations
to prove out gating, producing tooling, making castings, and x-raying
castings. We had five weeks to do it in, and we did it.”
When the customer machined the castings,
they all passed every test.
Small wonder John looked to Wolverine
Bronze to put the core machine and other production-intent molding equipment
in a Wolverine plant in order to make the initial castings with production
processes.
Anderson Global designed and built the
tooling for the complex project.
About 8 months after the General ?Motors
project began, the first castings were produced successfully. The project,
by the way, included tearing down one building and erecting another.
Leading the future
The ability to assemble teams and create
alliances like the one we led for General Motors is the future for the
industry, John says. It will make it easier for the metal casting industry
to create superior products on time and on budget. The exceptional combination
of hands-on know-how, insight, innovation, skill, expertise, and global
resources that alliances like Anderson Global, Ashland, and Wolverine
Bronze provide offers casting designers, foundries, and end-users vast
opportunities for products, services, and value.
John sums it up this way. “We know
and understand metal casting. It’s the industry we’ve always specialized
in and it’s the one we’re passionate about. We began building our
reputation as a world-class manufacturer of superior custom tooling
nearly 80 years ago. Joining forces with allies we know, respect, and
trust is a natural fit and offers great solutions for customers. Sharing
assets allows us to do more for customers and to provide a much larger
selection of products and services than we’ve ever been able to offer
before.”
Exponentially expanded services
Alliances mean more for everyone, from
provider to buyer to end-user.
Anderson Global has built a reputation
for excellence in everything from experiential-based concepts and implementation
for casting efficiency issue solutions to plant expansion, new facility
development, and overall plant automation. In addition, we offer knowledge-based
engineering for facilities, equipment, tooling and casting development,
and engineering-based manufacturing for facilities equipment and tooling.
That impressive list grows rapidly when
we add the specific expertise of our alliance members.
- Core package designs help
customers minimize sand use to enhance automation processes.
- Using advanced software, we
can design the most efficient new molds – and find efficiencies when
we redesign worn molds.
- Arena Flow® simulation software
optimizes core processes.
- We can create mold, pattern,
and core box designs for prototype, development, and production as well
as rapid prototype casting development with tooling using printed sand
molds and cores.
- We can create prototype cores
and castings in sand using low-cost, quick-turnaround tooling and prototype
cores and castings in permanent and semi-permanent mold.
- We can provide leak testing,
x-ray, and other testing of prototype and development castings as well
as CMM inspection and statistical analysis
- Optimal core handling and
core setting as well as mold and core box materials create excellence.
- Optimal gating, solidification,
and cooling using MAGMASOFT® and ProCAST casting process simulation
tools mean superior projects.
That’s just a short list.
We can add developing ideal core cycle
times, core scrap rates, core quality standards, sand types, resin types,
and resin percentages. We can also add gravity and low-pressure casting
machines, casting machinery and automation, green sand molding machines,
permanent mold casting machines, and core machines. We can add automation
expertise and state-of-the-art robotics. We can still add more.
It’s synergy
The ability to assemble teams and alliances
means total casting solutions, world-class quality, global sourcing,
superior engineering, and products and services unequalled in the casting
industry. It combines the knowledge, expertise, and commitment to excellence
of powerful casting industry allies to create something greater than
the sum of the parts – synergy.
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