ME Electmetal's Duluth, MN foundry will undergo a $10 million expansion of production capacity, the largest capital investment at the plant since it opened in the early 1980's. The foundry, which produces high-quality iron and steel castings for the mining industry, will add another 30 permanent jobs in response to a production schedule that is booked solid over the next ten months.
Construction is underway and should be completed by the fall, according to plant manager Bill Grau. "Because of domestic and foreign demand for our product, as well as demand from our Iron Range customers, we have out grown our current capacity." In addition to this site, plans are in the works for the Tempe, AZ foundry to grow as well. "This shows they're committed to the future of a North American building platform," Grau added.
As one of the newer foundries in North America, the Gary-New Duluth foundry is also the largest built since the end of World War II. Its heavy-wear castings are used in grinding and crushing machinery, with steel castings ranging from 1 to 5 tons. The foundry also produces metal track pads used to move heavy mechanical shovels, and parts for crawler transporters used to move the Space Shuttle when it is on the ground.
In addition to the Duluth and Tempe foundries, the Chilean-based ME Elecmetal has a pair of foundries located in Santiago and Rancagua, Chile.