Wagstaff Press Releases

Jining City, Shandong, China, April 6, 2009 - Yankuang Group, a diversified corporation headquartered in Jining City, Shandong, China, has recently moved forward with plans to extend its holdings into the aluminum extrusion market. With 50 subsidiary ventures in coal, aluminum, finance, power generation, civil engineering, construction, manufacturing, logistics and trade, Yankuang Group companies have been at the leading edge of technological innovation in China, and have been named in the “Top 50 Listed Companies in China” for several years.

After expanding its business to the aluminum industry in 2003, plans to offer aluminum extrusions to industrial and logistics markets have advanced with recent supplier agreements. USA-based Wagstaff, Inc., has been chosen to supply casthouse equipment to Yankuang Group and to provide technical service and start-up assistance during commissioning of the casting operation. Scheduled for delivery in late 2009, the complete extrusion billet casting station includes a Wagstaff^® ShurCast Casting Machine, an AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control System, and three Wagstaff^® Billet Casting Systems.

Yankuang will use the billets cast with Wagstaff’s AirSlip^® Air Casting Technology and conventional billet tooling to produce tubes and high-quality extrusion for use in rail transportation, shipping containers, and other large-scale industrial applications. With the extension of activities into down-stream aluminum products, Yankuang will be better positioned to control production costs and to minimize environmental impact.

Bluffton, Indiana, November, 2008 – A brand-new extrusion billet casting facility began production in October, 2008. Alexin, LLC, a greensite remelt casting facility located in Bluffton, Indiana, opened its doors for extrusion billet orders after an aggressive year of planning, construction, and trial runs. The entire facility is designed with maximum efficiency and sustainability in mind, from minimizing carbon emissions with a highly efficient natural gas system, to utilizing state-of-the-art homogenizing ovens, high efficiency furnaces, and packaging lines; this operation is cutting edge in the world of aluminum billet production.

Alexin’s motto, “bridging the gap,” explains the company’s strategic focus on providing premium extrusion billet to a high concentrate of extruders in the region. Considering the negligible bauxite mining in the U.S., Alexin aims to take advantage of the infinite life span of aluminum, renewing scrap from the area into high-quality aluminum billet for extruders. At least 80% of Alexin’s final aluminum product is produced from recovered scrap. This 4-to-1 scrap-to-new ratio satisfies the extruder’s requirement for participation in environmental production initiatives, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDS) Green Building System.

In late 2007, Alexin, LLC purchased a complete state-of-the-art billet casting station from Wagstaff, Inc., including five billet casting systems utilizing AirSlip® Air Casting and NuMax™ Billet Casting Technologies, an AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control System, and a ShurCast™ Casting Machine. Also installed, a Roll-Over Style Mold Table Tilt System pivots the underside of the mold table away from the pit allowing easy access to the molds. This reverse tilt arrangement exposes the molds for access by casting personnel from a maintenance man lift, while billets are removed from the pit. This configuration greatly improves the average between-cast turnaround time, improving safety at the same time.

Represented by the five red circles in the company logo are Alexin’s Management Team: Tom Horter, President; Todd Johnson, Vice President Technical Services; Neil Johnson, Vice President of Sales and Materials; Jay Jarrett, Vice President of Finance; and Jeff Stringer, Vice President of Operations. Each member of the management team has years of practical experience in the aluminum extrusion industry and has drawn on past successes to direct their operations and to create an optimized production environment.

Hannam Metals, located in Seoul, South Korea, has successfully commissioned its newly-constructed billet casting facility. Beginning operations in late 2008, Hannam Metals produces up to 7,000 MT/month including A6063, A6061 alloys in 6", 7", 8" & 10" diameters for the open market in the region, as well as overseas customers.

In planning for its new casting facility, Hannam Metals called on Wagstaff to equip the greensite facility with a complete billet casting station. Experienced in aluminum casting with Wagstaff and other suppliers’ equipment, Mr. Lee, Kwan Woo, Plant Manager/Director of Hannam Metals, recommended Wagstaff to supply the casting machinery. His recommendation was based upon industry standards for billet quality and Wagstaff’s reputation for efficient products and superior after sales service and support. Wagstaff® AirSlip® Air Casting Technology is known as the industry’s premier billet casting product and is relied upon around the world to consistently produce billet with a very thin shell zone and superior metallurgical properties. “Wagstaff AirSlip billets have a reputation around the world as the standard all producers strive to attain. These billets are very profitable in the marketplace,” explains Mr. Lee.

Early in 2008, Hannam Metals purchased two Wagstaff® Billet Casting Systems equipped with AirSlip® Air Casting Technology, a ShurCast™ Casting Machine, and an AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control System. Hannam’s installation marks the 100^th ShurCast Casting Machine installed to date.

Since commissioning the casting station in December, Hannam has achieved 100% pit recovery.

Arlington, Virginia, October 21, 2008—The Aluminum Association announced its newly elected Board members during The Association’s 75^th Annual Meeting at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. New members joining the Board of Directors include Dale Chittum, Jean-Marc Germain, Kevin Person, Kip Smith and James Robertson.

“We really have added some excellent executives to the Aluminum Association Board of Directors,” said Kevin Anton, Vice President, Alcoa Inc. and President, Alcoa Materials Management and AA chairman of the board. “2009 is shaping up to be a challenging year and I’m pleased that we’ll have access to their expertise and experience.”

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June 2008 - Shandong Nashan Industry Co. Ltd., a member of the Nanshan Group, located in Longkou, PR China, placed an order with Wagstaff, Inc. to supply aluminum casting equipment for its latest expansion. The contract included custom direct-chill casting solutions to equip three new rolling ingot casting stations and two new extrusion billet casting stations.

Shandong Nanshan’s three new ingot casting stations will include model 800S ShurCast™ Casting Machines, Wagstaff Ingot Casting Systems equipped with Epsilon™ Ingot Casting Technology, and Wagstaff AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control Systems. Powered by two model 500S Wagstaff ShurCast™ Casting machines, Shandong Nanshan’s billet stations will cast with Wagstaff AirSlip® Air Casting Technology. Shandong Nanshan worked closely with Wagstaff engineers to devise an overall casting strategy that would help the aluminum company achieve future production and quality goals.

This new contract marks the fourth major project between Wagstaff and the Nanshan Group. The relationship began with the rolling ingot project at the greensite casthouse Yantai Nanshan in 2003 and the plant’s subsequent expansions and addition of extrusion billet casting capabilities in 2006. Greensite Shandong Nanshan began production of extrusion billet in 2007, utilizing both Wagstaff AirSlip® and NuMax™ Billet Casting Technologies.

This new endeavor will boost Nanshan’s aluminum production by 500,000 tons per year. In a recent visit to the Wagstaff facility in Spokane, Washington, Nanshan’s production manager, Mr. Shaoyu Liu shared, “It is Nanshan's goal to strive to be the best, the largest, and the most successful aluminum sheet and extrusion products manufacturer in the world. As one of the equipment suppliers, Wagstaff will help contribute to our success."

Abu Dhabi, UAE, May 23, 2008 – Emirates Aluminium (EMAL), currently constructing the world’s largest, single-site aluminum production facility, has selected Wagstaff to supply its casting technology for the development of billet and ingot casting stations.

Greensite casthouse, Shandong Nanshan Industrial Co., Ltd., located in Longkou, Shandong, China, recently completed commissioning of a new billet casting station.

Shandong Nanshan’s new billet pit includes equipment purchased from Wagstaff, Inc. including three Wagstaff Billet Systems equipped with AirSlip® Air Casting Technology and one Wagstaff Billet System Equipped with NuMax Casting Technology. The multi-purpose pit is powered by a Wagstaff 500S ShurCast Casting Machine and an AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control System. Along with the AutoCast Automated Casting System, Shandong Nanshan purchased Wagstaff’s Enhanced Reporting System, allowing the casthouse to achieve greater productivity through equipment tracking and product disposition.

A notable achievement during this commissioning was the successful cast of 410mm alloy 7075 billet using NuMax Billet Casting Technology. Shandong Nanshan is currently consuming the billet in their extrusion operation, producing parts for the transportation industry inside China. Shandong Nanshan is also casting 7075 with its AirSlip tooling in multiple sizes.

Shandong Nanshan is part of the Nanshan Group of companies. The Nanshan Group provides power, aluminum, coal, construction, and a variety of other products to the Chinese and world markets.

Wagstaff, Inc., a 61-year-old producer of direct-chill aluminum casting equipment supplies technology solutions throughout 54 countries. Wagstaff is based in Spokane, Washington, USA.

By Kim Crompton

As world aluminum prices go, so go the fortunes of Wagstaff Inc., a 61-year-old Spokane Valley company that makes equipment for the aluminum-casting industry. Right now, aluminum prices are hot, and they’re expected to remain so for the foreseeable future.

See the article in its entirety at : http://www.spokanejournal.com/spokane_id=article&sub=3335

July 2007 - Alufond, a division of Alumil, has recently awarded Wagstaff, Inc. a contract to supply equipment for a new extrusion billet casting station at its Kilkis, Greece facility. Alumil, the largest extrusion group in southeast Europe, continues to expand and has experienced significant growth for 78 consecutive quarters. The expansion is in response to a booming construction sector and increased demand for premium extrusion billet at the company’s building product operations.

Included in the contract is a custom-designed casting station consisting of a Wagstaff ShurCast™ Casting Machine, 2 AirSlip® Billet Systems, and an AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control System for casting extrusion billet of various sizes for ultimate use in the production of value-added building products. The Wagstaff AirSlip® Air Casting Process incorporates a shorter mold, faster casting speed, individual water jets, and unique air bearing to minimize heat extraction through the mold wall and enhance direct chill cooling. The AutoCast system is designed to integrate casting station control devices to easily control casting parameters, eliminate process variance, and maximize production while keeping operators at a safe distance from molten aluminum during billet casting.

As the primary consumer of its cast billet product, Alumil has strict standards in billet quality intended for use in its architectural applications division. Alufond cites Wagstaff’s reputation as the leading supplier of billet casting equipment as a key factor in supplier selection for this new project.

This new casting station is expected to be commissioned in early 2008.

SPOKANE, WA - CAP CEL Co., Ltd., a registered company located in Thailand is currently in the process of becoming ISO 9000 certified and manufactures aluminum alloy billet for "COMECHAI" brand, the recognized brand of Thailand’s best aluminum alloy billet. They recently purchased a 68 strand Wagstaff AirSlip® Air Casting Process Billet System to support their goal of becoming the best aluminum alloy billet manufacturer in Southeast Asia and to deliver to their customers top quality aluminum alloy billet with excellent surface smoothness.

CAP CEL Co., Ltd. supplies aluminum to their local market and exports all over the world to aluminum extruders who fabricate building construction, furniture, aircraft, accessories, electronic supply, etc. They produce aluminum alloy billet (homogenized) 6063, 6061, 6060 and other series, with billet diameters ranging at 4, 4.5, 5, 6, and 7 inch and have a manufacturing capacity at 24,000M/T per year. They state they choose Wagstaff because customers will have more confidence in the quality of their product by using Wagstaff, the best casting equipment technology in the world. With Wagstaff technology and equipment, manufacturing capacity will increase to around 40,000M/T per year; expected completion 1^st quarter of 2008. Once fully operational, the factory will have the capacity of 64,000M/T per year.

November 2006 - With the 2005 acquisition of Seval Valjaonica Aluminijuma a.d. in Sevojno, Serbia, Impol dd of Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenia made plans to erect a new direct-chill casting complex to cast rolling ingot. The aluminum producer chose Wagstaff Inc., of Spokane WA USA to supply the casting equipment for the new project.

In close cooperation, the partners engineered and built a new casting pit to include a Wagstaff ShurCast™ Casting Machine and Wagstaff's AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control System including LMI Technologies’ laser-based mold metal level control functionality.

To meet various customer needs for rolling sheet ingot quality and also to position the company favorably for future markets, Impol chose Wagstaff VariMold™ Adjustable Ingot Casting Technology. VariMold™ technology allows the aluminum producer the flexibility of casting multiple sizes of rolling ingot with just one mold.

The partnership between the parties plus the sophisticated skills of the on-site work force contributed to the smooth installation and start-up period. The casting operation was producing on scheduled capacity within shortest possible time.