Amcast Transferring European Technology to Indiana Aluminum Wheel Foundry

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Amcast Industrial Corporation (NYSE:AIZ)(Dayton, Ohio) is installing a new "flow form" aluminum wheel processing line at its aluminum car wheel manufacturing plant located in Marion, Indiana. This will be the first use of the "flow form" process at a U.S. Amcast plant. Existing Amcast plants typically use permanent mold low pressure die casting technology to make wheels. The company has been studying the new technology which is similar to "metal spinning" technology, for three years. The process has been used in Italy at Amcast subsidiary Speedline SRL plants located Italy. Casting equipment is of German design and the new equipment is being installed at a cost of $14.2 million.

Amcast began relocating existing equipment to make room for the new line last year. The new line is being installed to make wheels for the corvette in 2005. If the process proves successful, Amcast will consider expanding the Marion physical plant and adding a second "flow form" process line in the future. Estimates for that expansion are in the $20 million range.

Known as the Gas City plant, Amcast first began construction in Marion on a $20 million new aluminum foundry in 1991 with Initial production of 45,000 aluminum wheels per year. The original 75,000 square foot building has since been expanded to encompass approximately 180,000 square feet.

Amcast operates five aluminum wheel foundries in the U.S. and also manufactures aluminum parts at its Casting Technologies subsidiary in Franklin, Indiana. The company's Plumbing division makes copper and brass fittings at three plants under the Elkhart Products subsidiary and one foundry under the Lee Brass subsidiary.