Howmet Aerospace (formerly Arconic) recently shed 131 of the 600 workers at its manufacturing facility in Niles, Ohio. The workforce reductions – through direct layoffs, attrition and voluntary retirements – are the result of a weakened economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Howmet Aerospace produces engineered products and forgings such as engine components, fastening systems and forged wheels.

The AIST Foundation Real Steel Video Contest challenges high school and university students to research the steel industry and produce a three-minute original video related to a decided theme.

Germany’s Kaiser Aluminium-Umformtechnik GmbH, a manufacturer of forged-aluminum components for small- and medium-sized products, successfully started up its first Schuler servo screw press. The system will be primarily used to produce complex chassis components for the automotive industry. The investment further expands Kaiser Aluminium-Umformtechnik’s market position as a competent partner for forged parts and components in the aluminum sector.

American Axle & Manufacturing’s (AAM) Electric Drive Technology will power Jaguar’s first pure-electric model, the I-PACE. AAM supplies both front and rear e-Drive units, which together deliver a total of 294 kW of AWD power and 700 Nm of torque. The system leverages AAM’s experience in the design, analysis and processing of geared mechanical systems to engineer compact, quiet and efficient drive units.

France’s Transvalor, a manufacturing process-modeling software developer, joined the University of Strathclyde’s (Scotland) Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) as a tier-one partner. The first partner to join the AFRC in support of its soon-to-be-opened FutureForge facility, Transvalor will provide process simulation expertise and deep insight into material behavior resulting from manufacturing processes. The FutureForge facility will help manufacturing companies of all sizes become more competitive by exploring less energy-intensive methods of forging. It will also use digital technologies to accelerate the development of forged products.

SMS Concast will supply two eight-strand billet casters for Yongfeng Lingang’s newly built basic oxygen furnace (BOF) steelmaking plant in Linyi City, China. The two casters will have a combined production capacity of approximately 2.6 million tons per year of steel bars. Both casters will have a radius of 10.25 meters (33.6 feet). While the first caster will produce on eight strands right from the beginning, the second one will initially be equipped with seven strands but prepared for the addition of an eighth strand in the future. Both machines will cast billets of 165 mm (6.5 inches) square.

The BMW Group opened its new Additive Manufacturing Campus in Germany. The facility brings together production of prototype and series parts under one roof, in addition to research into 3D-printing technologies and training for the global rollout of toolless production. It will allow the BMW Group, which produced about 300,000 parts by additive manufacturing last year, to develop its position as technology leader in the utilization of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry. The campus, which was an investment of approximately $16.8 million, operates around 50 industrial systems that work with metals and plastics.

SMS group put a 31.5/34-MN open-die forging press into operation at Gustav Grimm Edelstahlwerk (GGE), a forge based in Remscheid, Germany. GGE specializes in the manufacture of high-alloy forgings. Because of the built-in hydraulic and control systems, GGE’s new high-speed forging press achieves time savings of about 10% compared to the old press. For the first time, SMS group has installed an additively manufactured machine component in an open-die forging press. The 3D-printed hydraulic manifold block is lighter, more compact and has a flow-optimized design. Designed by SMS group and made of an aluminum alloy, it weighs just one-tenth of the conventional steel component. The manifold block is used to distribute hydraulic oil for operating and venting the cylinders.

According to a report, Spain’s Alcorta Forging Group will open its first U.S. manufacturing operations and regional headquarters in Marysville, Ohio. The 100-year-old company, which develops and manufactures automotive components, will invest $15 million and create 50 new jobs. The 150,000-square-foot forging and manufacturing facility will be completed in three phases and include state-of-the-art machinery and equipment. Under the current uncertain circumstances, Alcorta will move forward with its pre-construction activities while remaining on hold for the construction launch.

Olympic Steel Inc. opened a 120,000-square-foot metal-processing facility in Buford, Ga. The location expands the company’s southeastern region footprint, which also includes facilities in Locust, North Carolina; Winder, Ga.; and Hanceville, Ala. The Buford facility will act as the region’s primary flat-rolled fabrication hub, with metal processing anchored in the Winder facility; metal distribution in both the Winder and Hanceville locations; and pipe and tube laser fabrication and bending and welding at the company’s Chicago Tube & Iron location in Locust, N.C.