We run Classified ads in our magazine and on our website, proving (for any doubters) that there are jobs to be filled in metalcasting. But, there are essential “jobs” aren't being filled, jobs that fall outside the responsibilities of one individual — indeed outside the responsibilities of any single company. An industry that’s changing as quickly as metalcasting is changing needs qualified and capable people guiding and advising it through the development process.

One place where more of this type of manpower, and brainpower, is needed is the AFS 1-E Engineering Committee. The committee leaders tell me they need more active members in order to address the issues that characterize the different ways foundries and diecasters operate today.

Resources are tight everywhere, we know, and everyone is busy — too busy.  It seems that active participation at the 1-E Committee is one casualty of that problem. (This is not the only AFS committee needing more active participation, I’m reliably told.) And the problem is more acute because the 1-E Committee’s agenda is so critical.

They recognize that engineers and operators in  metalcasting need to recalibrate the nature of their specialties in order to  match the demands of their jobs. So, Brian Mervau, of Dalton Corp. and Don O’Connell of Neenah Foundry Co. believe the 1-E Engineering Committee needs to be refocused so that it covers topics and problems that relate to “process management.”

"Principles of industrial engineering remain a fundamental requirement of successful manufacturing,” O’Connell emphasizes. “However, the application of these principles has evolved and the 1-E Committee must as well."

“We need to redefine our mission,” Mervau concludes. Undoubtedly lots of foundries could benefit from process management advice. Maybe they just don’t realize there’s a committee trying to address their problems, but waiting to be approached. Maybe the don't even realize some of their problems are the effects of this shift in emphasis.

Among the Committee’s recent initiatives have been a series of process-improvement seminars at various host foundries, at which students are given extensive tours so that they can gain insights to metalcasting in practice. And, in their observations these visitors can recommend improvements based on their own experience or studies, which may be helpful and/or constructive to the operators.

Another initiative involves the two-day ““Manufacturing  Engineering” workshop that the Committee is developing. But, such programs demand willing volunteers to organize them, and active attendance in order to make the presentations valuable. Mervau emphasizes that the committee needs input from general managers and “production management types.”

That would not only make the programs more valuable, but would expand the range of ideas in discussion. O’Connell indicates an interest in scheduling more topics derived from Lean manufacturing theory and practices, i.e., process improvement strategies that can be implemented by small and midsized companies with reasonable expectation of success.

“With more skills and talent brought to the table,” Mervau explains, “we would be able to broaden our offering to host companies for training seminars and programs. The longer our laundry list of experience the better we could serve the unique challenges brought to us by anyone in the foundry industry. We don't want to limit our membership to just IE's. We need general management and top level managers from all areas also.”

Translation: the extra brainpower will be valuable, but the extra manpower is also critical. The committee needs better attendance, because while the six active members of the 1-E Engineering Committee are dedicated and committed to serving the AFS and industry generally, they don’t have the as much time available as the "job" requires.

There is no end to the examples of good ideas that go undeveloped because people are too distracted or too unfocused. And there are good ideas that get overlooked because there are no resources available to develop them. The problem for 1-E Engineering Committee seems like a hybrid of these: It’s a solution waiting for good people to discover it.