Forged Solutions Group Inc. (FSG), a provider of complex, precision forged rings and closed-die products to aerospace and defense customers, acquired Steel Industries Inc. Headquartered in Redford, Mich., Steel Industries is a vertically integrated manufacturer of open-die forgings and seamless rolled rings for the aerospace, defense, space and industrial markets. Since 1913, Steel Industries has forged components for the most demanding end-use applications. Steel Industries offers forging, heat-treating, machining and finishing services.

If your furnace is a bottleneck in your operation, it may be time to consider adding a new one. This article reviews the basics of furnace structure and style, refractory selection and combustion design. It concludes with a recent case study.

In previous articles in this series, the key concepts and structures of developing a cost model were discussed. Important ideas to review are granularity, processes, level and special process cases.

You are ready to begin building your cost model, or perhaps you are in the process of electing/upgrading your ERP software and want to plan through how it will support your cost model. 

In prior articles (December 2021 FORGE and February 2022 Industrial Heating), we discussed the reasons behind the importance of understanding margins (price minus cost) for the seller of any product or service. Your Cost Model is the framework for calculating costs.

Sheffield Forgemasters signed up as a Tier One Partner with the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland. The move will give the 200-year-old company, which was recently taken into public ownership, access to the AFRC’s research-and-development facilities focusing on emerging advanced manufacturing technologies such as residual stress, advanced furnaces and forging expertise in Industry 4.0 data analytics and modeling. 

Sheffield Forgemasters signed a memorandum of understanding with Rolls-Royce SMR to jointly explore commercial mechanisms for a long-term collaboration on the supply of forgings to the Rolls-Royce UK Small Modular Reactor (SMR) fleet. The project directly supports the United Kingdom’s civil nuclear industry and the development of SMRs in the U.K., with Sheffield Forgemasters able to supply the complex nuclear-grade demonstrator forgings as part of the regulatory process.

In late July 2021, an announcement was made by the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) that it would launch an offer to acquire Sheffield Forgemasters International Limited (SFIL). The agreement was to allow the government to refinance and take control of the company to secure the supply of components critical to the military and security interests of the MoD, as well as to secure future defense programs.

The University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), part of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland, is opening an office in Sheffield, United Kingdom, to provide local forging and forming houses with easy access to support from the research center located near Glasgow Airport in Scotland. Supported by Sheffield City Council and operating out of an office on the Olympic Legacy Park, the AFRC’s new base will effectively bring the research lab directly to the manufacturers. The office will help South Yorkshire companies tap into leading metallurgy capabilities, numerical and analytical process modeling tools, and some of the most advanced industry-scale forging and forming equipment in the world over 260 miles away in Scotland.

A strategic plan is a roadmap for the managed growth of a company. This process can be managed by an experienced CFO or other outside facilitator.