Ohio Automotive Foundry Reported Closing
Ravenna Aluminum hurt by automotive market
According to local news reports, Ravenna Aluminum Inc. will close its foundry in Ravenna, OH, and its machining plant in Rootstown, OH, by year's end. A letter from company president Kurt Blemaster to Portage County officials cites financial problems for the decision, according to the report. More than 450 employees will be displaced.
The reports indicate that closing comes in advance of a sale of the operations, which have supplied aluminum castings to Ford Motor Co., among other automotive customers.
Ravenna Aluminum is an operating unit of Foundry Systems International Group, which is controlled by the Blemaster family. Other companies in the group are Ohio Aluminum Industries, Garfield Hts., OH, and Production Patter Co., in Bedford, OH.
The former produces specialized aluminum castings in small to medium-sized volumes, for aerospace, automotive, and commercial aftermarket customers; the latter produces foundry tooling and pattern equipment. There is no indication of changes ahead for those operations.
Neither Ravenna Aluminum nor Foundry Systems Intl. have offered a public comment on the news.
Ravenna Aluminum hurt by automotive market
According to local news reports, Ravenna Aluminum Inc. will close its foundry in Ravenna, OH, and its machining plant in Rootstown, OH, by year's end. A letter from company president Kurt Blemaster to Portage County officials cites financial problems for the decision, according to the report. More than 450 employees will be displaced.
The reports indicate that closing comes in advance of a sale of the operations, which have supplied aluminum castings to Ford Motor Co., among other automotive customers.
Ravenna Aluminum is an operating unit of Foundry Systems International Group, which is controlled by the Blemaster family. Other companies in the group are Ohio Aluminum Industries, Garfield Hts., OH, and Production Patter Co., in Bedford, OH.
The former produces specialized aluminum castings in small to medium-sized volumes, for aerospace, automotive, and commercial aftermarket customers; the latter produces foundry tooling and pattern equipment. There is no indication of changes ahead for those operations.
Neither Ravenna Aluminum nor Foundry Systems Intl. have offered a public comment on the news.
