Fusium acquires BSL Casting 

Effective November 1, AFS Corporate Member Fusium has acquired BSL Casting, a steel foundry based in Rimouski, Quebec, that will continue to operate under its existing name.

Fusium was created in 2018 following the acquisition by the owners of Saguenay Foundry of TMA Foundry in Trois-Rivières. The acquisition of BSL Casting allows Fusium to become a more flexible supplier for its existing customers. “With several customers of Saguenay Foundry looking for steel and stainless-steel parts and many BSL Casting customers wanting cast iron parts, this acquisition will now make it possible to offer a more complete range of products to our partner customers,” said Fusium CEO and President Philippe Dubuc. “We would like to thank our financial partners Desjardins Entreprises, Investissement Québec and the Fonds régionaux de Solidarité FTQ for their essential contribution to Fusium projects.”

A specialized manufacturer of ferrous and nonferrous castings ranging from prototypes to medium series runs, Fusium plans to add its own “flavor” to each division, said Dubuc, to help the whole group grow.

“Fusium and BSL Casting share the same values and our goal is to continue to provide an excellent customer service and to continue to manufacture quality parts.”

American Iron & Alloys LLC joins The Lawton Standard Co. family

AFS Corporate Member The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added American Iron & Alloys, LLC (AIA), located in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to the Lawton Standard family as part of its expansion strategy. AIA processes and distributes continuous cast iron, bronze bar, tubing, and other metal components. It also provides metal finishing and other services to the North American market. AIA primarily focuses on ductile and gray iron in round, square, and rectangular bars under the well-known Versa-Bar brand. The bars can be processed into cut-length, tubed, milled, or slit to plate configurations. Sizes range from 1.5 in. up to 24 in. for all shapes to serve customers that produce and machine high-quality, gray, ductile, and austempered iron castings up to 250 lbs.

Alex Lawton, CEO of Lawton Standard, said, “We have been exploring ways—both via acquisition and organically—to augment our production efforts and further serve the marketplace. From the moment I met AIA’s founder and president, Rick Janes, and his team, I felt we found a great fit. Working with AIA and Versa-Bar is a springboard to our developing services, including a distribution arm. We will support AIA’s growth as it works to support our foundries and their customers. When we look back in several years, both parties and all stakeholders will be astounded at what has been accomplished.”

“We had known of C.A. Lawton for many years as a foundry leader,” Janes said. “They had even been a customer of AIA for their pattern shop materials. When I was first introduced to Lawton Standard, I quickly saw where they could be a great fit for AIA. Their strategy and focus on foundry-related businesses and locations were an obvious attraction for what I aspired to with AIA’s distribution capabilities. They have now brought that to the table for AIA and Versa-Bar. Alex Lawton saw this, and we quickly got to work to see how well these synergies would fit. So, here we are, and I really couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to have AIA join such a great group of companies and people.”

Ohio foundry getting $5+ million revitalization

P&THE Manufacturing LLC, which purchased Ross Aluminum in April, is investing $5.4 million into the plant, reported WHIO TV 7. Ross is an aluminum foundry based in in Sidney, Ohio.

“The expansion and revitalization of the Ross plant brings 175 jobs and the newest aluminum casting technology to keep this staple of the region growing and competitive in the global marketplace with talent from Ohio,” said JobsOhio CEO and President J.P. Nauseef.

Ross has served a wide range of industries, including aerospace and power generation, since 1931, according to the Dayton Development Coalition.

Source: MODERN CASTING December 2022 p10