Culture

Strengthening Workers for the Daily Grind

Grinding castings is a strenuous and demanding job – and assigning workers to that necessary task is a real challenge for metalcasting operations. But it’s essential work, and as foundries produce higher volumes of castings the strain and need grow proportionally. Waupaca Foundry is pioneering use of “adaptive technology” to support workers assigned to manually grind iron castings.

Foundry Management & Technology

#culture #marinette #safety #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Feb 1, 2023

Waupaca Foundry named Todd Pagel as vice president of operations.

Pagel is a 30-year veteran of Waupaca Foundry who has served in positions including molding supervisor, plant manager and, most recently, director of operations. He started in 1993 as an operator in the molding department at Plant 2/3 in Waupaca. In 2021, while working as plant manager at Plant 2/3, he was also responsible for melt and molding operations at Plant 6, which is located in Etowah, Tennessee.

Insight

#culture #waupaca #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Dec 9, 2022

Pictured left to right: Matt Jacobs, Alan Crawford, Steve Sirkorski

To Munich and Beyond with Level III MAGMA Certification

Waupaca Foundry Tooling Engineer Alan Crawford earned his Level III MAGMASOFT® certification in 2022—one of only approximately 50 in the United States. His recent presentation at the MAGMA North American User Group meeting in Chicago, Illinois, on September 7-9, 2022, made a significant impact. In fact, the certification panel asked Crawford to share his capstone project again at the MAGMA International User Group event in Munich, Germany, on October 19-21, 2022.

Janelle Bailey | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #employee-spotlight #waupaca #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Dec 9, 2022

New Soft Exoskeleton Glove in Foundry Lends a Hand to Worker Wellbeing

Foundries have long been defined by their hard work environments and manual labor. However, in the last 25 years, Waupaca Foundry has both witnessed and led industry change. Since 2016 alone, Waupaca Foundry has invested over $360 million in capital to build, continuously improve, and maintain state-of-the-art operations. Technology and automation have made foundry and machining jobs safer, more ergonomic and skilled. Areas in the foundry where manual operations still outpace robotics do remain, though, such as in the mill room. There is an opportunity to bridge the automation gap and improve work environments that support team wellness and longevity. Enter the world’s first soft exoskeleton glove: The Ironhand®.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #marinette #safety #wf

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Dec 2, 2022

Matt Jacobs, Ariel Bartel, Steve Sirkorski

Reducing Foundry Scrap Leads to Level III Certification

Congratulations to Waupaca Foundry’s Ariel Bartel, who recently earned her Level III MAGMASOFT certification through MAGMA Academy. MAGMA is a world-wide leading developer and supplier of finite element analysis software, including MAGMASOFT. Through certification, users become adept at maximizing the tool’s more advanced features in aim to improve metal casting quality, optimize processes, and reduce production costs.

Janelle Bailey | Waupaca Foundry

#award #culture #employee-spotlight #waupaca #wf

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 15, 2022

Heavy-handed | Plant News | insightonbusiness.com

Bioservo’s battery-powered “Ironhand” glove is a soft exoskeleton that increases the wearer’s hand strength by about 20%, helping factory and warehouse workers with efficiency and with mitigating chronic pain and injury associated with repetitive work. The company has partnered with such heavy-hitters as NASA and General Motors, but now it’s putting the glove to the ultimate test at Waupaca Foundry.

Insight Publications

#culture #Ironhand #manufacturing #marinette #millroom #reliability #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 10, 2022

Marines Staff Sergeant Deployed to 14 Countries Before Joining Waupaca Foundry Veteran Spotlight: Storekeeper, Hank Lynch

At the age of 18, Hank Lynch followed his instinct to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. Over the next seven years, Lynch went on a personal mission to travel as often and to as many places as the Marines would send him. Now a storekeeper at Waupaca Foundry’s gray iron Plant 2/3 in Waupaca, Wisconsin, Lynch reflects on how his journey in the Marines led him to be who and where he is today.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #employee-spotlight #veteran #veterans #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 8, 2022

Grit and Determination of Former Marine Shines at Waupaca Foundry

On any workday, you can find Jaime Chandler, a millroom inspector grinder at Waupaca Foundry’s ductile iron location in Marinette, Wisconsin, on the job early — by nearly 30 minutes — ready to work. Chandler, a former Marine, attributes that, as well as many of his other work habits, to his time in the service.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #employee-spotlight #marinette #veteran #veterans

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 4, 2022

Internal Call Leads to Service in the United States Army

In 2007, at the age of 22, Lazaro Diaz II was working in the automotive industry as a finance manager for his family’s car dealerships. Content and feeling accomplished, Diaz couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted to do more; He wanted to serve in the military.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #tellcity #veteran #veterans

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 3, 2022

Military Veteran Brings Sense of Ownership to Waupaca Foundry

If you were to ask Robert Larsen, a pattern vault attendant at Waupaca Foundry’s Plant 1 gray iron location, to recite his time in the Wisconsin Army National Guard, he would be able to provide the month, day and year of his enlistment, basic training and any extensive operations without even stopping to think — a testament to his ability to think three or four steps ahead during his job today at Waupaca Foundry.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #employee-spotlight #veteran #veterans #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Oct 11, 2022

Coming home to Waupaca

Since she turned 18, Gabriela Ocampo has relocated from Miami to Texas, then to Chicago, before finding a place she calls home. Now 24 years old, she is living in Waupaca and working directly for Waupaca Foundry.

Robert Cloud | waupacanow.com

#culture #jobs #waupaca #wf

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - May 12, 2022

OCTC graduating 615 students

Armando Ramirez Rodriguez of Owensboro, who also received an associate of applied science degree in computerized manufacturing and machining, plans to work at the Waupaca Foundry in Tell City, where he had an internship, and continue his education at Western Kentucky University.

Keith Lawrence | Messenger-Inquirer

#culture #skillsgap #tellcity

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Apr 29, 2022

Dennis Peterson Retires With 50 Years at Waupaca Foundry

Dennis Peterson reached that rare distinction when he retired in March 2022 with 50 years at Waupaca Foundry. And with decades of experience, few retire from the iron casting supplier having worked in a variety of areas of the foundry as Peterson.

Lydia Engelbreth | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #employee-spotlight #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Apr 21, 2022

Waupaca to idle most of Etowah foundry, cut 540 jobs

A decade after Waupaca reopened its Etowah foundry following a yearlong shutdown during the Great Recession, the company said in a layoff notice received by the state Wednesday that it will idle its melt, molding and core room production in McMinn County.

David Flessner | Times Free Press

#etowah #jobs

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Mar 8, 2022

Women in Metalcasting: Career Impact That Matters

It’s 1976. Jimmy Carter is elected President of the United States. Apple computers forms. Alex Haley writes Roots. It’s a time of societal shifts. At Waupaca, women have begun working in the foundry—a pivotal move, challenging the notion that skilled trades in the foundry is a men’s club.

Kristin Stankewicz | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #innovation

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Feb 28, 2022

Waupaca Foundry Helps Celebrate 75 Years Of The Foundry Education Foundation

In 2022, the Foundry Education Foundation less formally known as FEF celebrates its 75th year. The program started in 1947, two years after WWII ended, due to the high demand for skilled workers in the metalcasting industry.

Lydia Engelbreth | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #engineering #intern #jobs #scholarships #skillsgap #workforcedevelopment

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Feb 24, 2022

Dave Bean Tell City Plant 5 project engineer

Project Engineer Dave Bean Leads Waupaca Foundry Through a Successful Cupola Replacement

Tell City, also known as Plant 5, is home to over 20 engineers, 9 of which are project engineers. Among this group is Project Engineer, Dave Bean. Dave and Plant 5 have something unique in common, they both got a start around 26 years ago.

Lydia Engelbreth | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #engineering #innovation #tellcity

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Feb 15, 2022

Casting Call: Dale Atchison

Mill Room Foreman, Dale Atchison shares insights about the honest, down-to-earth culture at Waupaca Foundry. The gray and ductile iron foundry is located in Tell City, Indiana, and attracts a working-class community. "I learned that it's not only what we make but what we are, we're pretty close-knit here," says Dale. For him, it's the relationships that have turned a job into a second family.

Waupaca Foundry

#employee-spotlight #jobs #tellcity

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Feb 4, 2022

Waupaca Foundry’s Brian Swan Named “Hometown Hero” by State of Wisconsin Assembly

The Assistant Chief/Volunteer Firefighter Helped Pass a Law Which Creates an Emergency Zone Around the Scene of Roadway Incidents to Keep Emergency Responders and Roadside Workers Safe

Kim Viduski | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #legislation #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Jan 31, 2022

Students Offered Internships by Waupaca Foundry During COVID-19

Undergraduates Struggling to Fulfill College Requirements Provided Opportunity in the Manufacturing Industry

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #scholarships #tellcity #university #workforcedevelopment

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Jan 19, 2022

WMC Elects President, COO & CEO of Waupaca Foundry Mike Nikolai as New Board Chairman

Newly appointed Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce 49th Board Chairman, Mike Nikolai shares 2-year term objectives, the value of WMC membership, and the continued sustainability of business in Wisconsin.

Kurt R. Bauer | WMC TV

#community #nikolai #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Dec 10, 2021

50 Years at Waupaca Foundry Brings a Lifetime of Changes

On December 10th, 1971 Tracey Ambacher joined Waupaca Foundry. He started at Plant 1 in his senior year of high school. At the time, there was no application process. Tracey’s neighbor was none other than, Plant Manager Gary Thoe (who was later promoted to CEO). Gary recruited Tracey to join the team at the same time that Ambacher’s number was almost called to service in the Vietnam War draft.

Lydia Engelbreth | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #employee-spotlight #innovation #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 11, 2021

Navy CTM Brings Expertise to Waupaca Foundry

Steve Durbin brought his 22 years of technical experience in the U.S. Navy when he joined the team at Waupaca Foundry in Effingham, Illinois.

Lydia Engelbreth and Emily Schutte | Waupaca Foundry

#effingham #veteran #veterans

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 10, 2021

23-Year National Guard Career Ends on a High Note: A Bronze Star Award

Jeff Henke’s second career is in the ductile iron core room at Waupaca Foundry in Tell City, Indiana. Prior to becoming the Core Room Supervisor, he spent 23 years in the U.S. Army National Guard, based out of Jasper, Indiana, where he held the title of Communications Chief with HHC 1st Battalion 152nd Infantry and Charlie Company 1st Battalion 152nd Infantry and later deployed with his unit for Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003/2004.

Lydia Engelbreth and Emily Schutte | Waupaca Foundry

#tellcity #veteran #veterans

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 9, 2021

A Foundry Career, First Forged in the Navy

Phil Eatherton, Waupaca Foundry human resources manager at Plant 4 in Marinette, Wisconsin, started his foundry career while serving in the United States Navy. That specialized training, in addition to two deployments, provided a unique backdrop to Phil’s current leadership role.

Lydia Engelbreth and Emily Schutte | Waupaca Foundry

#marinette #veteran #veterans

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Oct 14, 2021

Military Gives Serviceman the Confidence to Last a Lifetime

Vic Civik, a worker in Waupaca Foundry’s shakeout department at its Plant 1 facility in Waupaca, Wisconsin, joined the military on December 14, 1991. What began as a way to make extra money for college, the military became a confidence builder for Civik, and he still carries that confidence with him to this day.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#veteran #veterans #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Oct 14, 2021

Casting Call: Ethan Lamar

Ethan Lamar, Shakeout Division team leader at Waupaca Foundry in Tell City, Indiana shares “At Waupaca, our leadership team makes it possible where you have every chance to learn the craft of working in a foundry" Ethan’s dedication to safety and passion for his coworkers is part of the reason he calls the men and women he works with “My family outside of my family”.

Waupaca Foundry

#employee-spotlight #jobs #tellcity

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Oct 11, 2021

Casting Call: Laura Roloff

Laura Roloff, core room team leader at Waupaca Foundry in Waupaca, Wisconsin shares her move from CNA to the foundry, Laura states, "I always grew up thinking I would be a nurse, my whole life, then I was a CNA for 7 years and ended up not being happy doing that. So I needed a change." Laura's need for change drove her to take a risk and move to Waupaca Foundry, she has turned her job into a second home with a new work family as well.

Waupaca Foundry

#employee-spotlight #jobs #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Oct 7, 2021

A Call to Duty at Age 12 Leads to Joining the Military at Age 18

Jake Roloff, a molding operator at Waupaca Foundry’s Plant 2/3 location in Waupaca, Wisconsin, knew at the age of 12 that he wanted to join the military. Roloff had just started the eighth grade when the events of September 11, 2001, occurred, and the event stayed with him throughout his adolescence.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#culture #veteran #veterans #waupaca

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Aug 3, 2021

Ron Cronin core room supervisor in Etowah Tennessee

Casting Call: Ron Cronin

Ron Cronin, Core Room Supervisor at Waupaca Foundry's plant in Etowah, Tennessee shares his career journey. Ron says, “My expectations were really high, and they have exceeded every single one of them.”

Waupaca Foundry

#employee-spotlight #etowah #jobs

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Jul 8, 2021

Tim Cayemberg, pattern repairman in Marinette, Wisconsin

Casting Call: Tim Cayemberg

Tim Cayemberg, Pattern Repairman at Waupaca Foundry's plant in Marinette, Wisconsin shares his journey in his career at Waupaca. Tim expresses "At Waupaca you're not a number, they're there to help you, and that's what I love about it."

Waupaca Foundry

#employee-spotlight #jobs #marinette

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Jun 7, 2021

Perry Central Commodore Manufacturing, Waupaca Foundry Partner With Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce Board To Launch Registered Apprenticeship Program

Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce Board, Inc. has partnered with Perry Central Commodore Manufacturing and Waupaca Foundry to develop an Industrial Manufacturing Technician Registered Apprenticeship Program. Apprentices will receive a U.S. DOL approved nationally recognized portable credential at the completion of the 4-year program.

newsnowdc.com

#manufacturing #tellcity

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - May 16, 2021

Casting Call: John Gleason

John Gleason started working at Waupaca Foundry’s machining facility in Effingham, Illinois in November 2011 as a machine operator.

Ally Melby | Waupaca Foundry

#effingham #employee-spotlight

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - May 3, 2021

Waupaca Foundry Leaders Earn Awards | The BRAKE Report

Waupaca Foundry announced that two of its own, Sara Timm and Greg Miskinis, have recently received a combined four industry awards

The BRAKE Report

#award #culture #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Mar 8, 2021

Now Hiring: Waupaca Foundry Seeks to Hire Up to 200 People

Jamie Bestul grew up in Waupaca and has worked at the foundry with the same name for the past decade. He gets a kick out of seeing the name of his hometown on products around Wisconsin and across the globe. “It’s a really big deal,” Bestul said. “It’s really nice to see and it’s a great accomplishment being able to know our product is out there making a difference.”

Nathan Phelps | spectrumnews1.com

#waupaca #wfnews

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Feb 24, 2021

Foundry grows skilled labor force

The brakes that stop your car, the drive train in a semi truck, even the fire hydrant on the street are there thanks to engineers from Waupaca Foundry.

The foundry employs environmental, process, mechanical, electrical and industrial engineers throughout its production processes to design and cast iron parts that are in the products we use every day. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Mechanical and industrial engineers are second and third in projected job growth among engineers (behind civil engineers). Together, these two occupations will be among the fastest growing occupations in manufacturing.

WaupacaNow | waupacanow.com

#jobs

Waupaca Foundry

Culture - Nov 12, 2020