FIA, FIERF Elect Directors and Officers

The Forging Industry Association (FIA) and Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation (FIERF) have elected directors, officers, and trustees to serve three-year terms.

FIA named four new directors to its board: Timothy Hunter, McInnes Rolled Rings; Donald Jones, DeKalb Forge Co; Williard Walker Jr., Walker Forge Inc.; and John Wilbur, Consolidated Industries Inc.

Jim Link, vice president of operations with MFC Group in Meadville, PA, was elected president of FIA. He is joined by Randy Schoenfeldt, Patriot Forge Co. as vice president, John Cain, Scot Forge Co., and Donald Larson, Charles E. Larson & Sons Inc.; members of the FIA Executive Committee.

FIERF elected four trustees to its board. They are: Anthony Biell, Scot Forge Co.; Douglas Brown, Inductotherm; Paul Dimitry, MACSTEEL; and Bruce Liimatainen, A. Finkl & Sons Co.

Additionally, John Pale, American Axle & Manufacturing, was elected vice president of the foundation. Joseph Cipriani of Keystone Forging Co. was elected to the foundation’s executive committee. Michael Wicklund, Missouri Forge Inc., is serving the second year of a two-year term as president of the foundation.

2005 Annual Forging Industry Sales
The Forging Industry Association (FIA) released the final revised figures for the forging industry in 2005. The report shows sales of metal forgings produced by independent (custom) forging plants in the United States, Canada, and Mexico have experienced significant increases in orders and shipments.

The figures are broken down according to three major forging processes — impression die, open die, and seamless rings — amd encompass all metals forged in U.S dollars (millions). The report is based on information compiled from companies believed to have produced an average of 93% of 2005’s total custom forging sales. The report is statistically treated to represent 100% of shipments in the custom forging industry. Figures quoted in this report do not include forgings produced for captive use or standard catalog products. Components produced via the cold-forging process are also excluded from this report.

FIERF Announces Scholarship Recipients
The Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation (FIERF) awarded 17 Finkl Scholarships to university electrical, industrial, materials, mechanical, and metallurgical engineering students enrolling in their junior year this fall.

This marks the third year of the program. Over 50 students have received support for their education since its establishment in 2003. The scholarships are named in memory of Charles W. Finkl, who served for 25 years on the FIERF board of directors, including two stints as its president.