Last Casting: Citation closes doors Friday on foundry that has been in operation in Lufkin for 70 years

A good read from the Lufkin Daily News...

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/02/26/citation_closes.html

The Final Pour

Texas Foundries - 1939 to 2009

It is customary in the foundry and metalcasting industry for pattern makers to make medallions to commemorate significant events in the life of the foundry. Generally, these are happy and joyous events to celebrate the "first pour of molten metal" on a new molding line or a retired molding line or to christen a new furnace or some other significant event or milestone such as a well deserved quality certification or anniversary of years in business. Many businesses in the East Texas area have these medallions on their walls to mark events such as first place in the hush puppy contest at the East Texas Fair or a member of the chamber of commerce or a drug free workplace partner.

Unfortunately, medallions are also created for final pours in the life of an institution as is such the case with this medallion. Word on the street is that Citation Lufkin AKA Texas Foundries will do their final pour on Thursday, tomorrow. After seventy years of making quality castings for industry and the military, Texas Foundries will begin the final arduous task of shutting the furnances down forever and finishing and shipping the final castings. The die is cast and soon the gates will be locked. Everyone had hoped there would be a white knight appearing to rescue the operations, but it appears that such is not the case it becomes my duty to inform you...

I visited Texas Foundries in Lufkin Texas today to "scavange" some items that were being sold and to say a final goodbye to many of my friends there. One week shy of twelve years, I worked at Texas Foundries in the computer department - first as a Sr. Programmer/Analyst and then as the Information Systems manager. When I first started with Texas Foundries in 1994, there were nearly 1,200 employees running the ductile iron and steel foundries. Now, somewhere around 400 good souls will be or already are on the unemployment line. I have many positive fond memories of the place - but it was always the people that made Texas Foundries special. People are always the most important asset of any company. Write it down, mark it, circle it - it is an absolute truth.

A sad day for Lufkin and all of East Texas...

This medallion was actually cast several weeks ago.




Even Doc Holliday, the MinPin is sad about the closing of Texas Foundries... He spent many a night and weekend there making sure that production was posted...

Under the Pump @ Synchro32

One of the neat things about working for Synchro32 is that I get to speak to people around the world - in far far away lands. It was really mind boggling when I first started work with Synchro32, almost 15 short months ago - my how time flies, in that I was actually calling Australia and South Africa and Turkey and the UK - not to forget Canada, Mexico, Russia, Poland, India, and everywhere in between. One of the truly fascinating things is that everyone uses different terminology - phrases - sayings that are local to their part of the world. My good work mate and friend Lee Mahon has been educating me over the course of time in the terminology of the UK and Wales. The first time I spoke with the Synchro32 managing director Chris Collins, I could barely understand him due to the accent. The same goes for Lee Mahon - at least initially. I now can understand everyone like they were next door neighbors here in Texas. I've been keeping a list of sayings and here are a few of them...

Australia - "under the pump" - meaning, a lot of work to do. Under pressure. In the USA we would call this "under the gun".

Australia - "no worries" - very common phrase from our Australian customer base - means just what it implies. Very relaxed attitude unless you are under the pump.

Australia - "back in a tick" - meaning a very short amount of time - the tick of a clock.

UK - Heeming - really busy.

UK - Dolly Bird - British term for pretty young women

UK - Thats the Badger - right on, correct - on target - correct answer.

UK - Badgered - broken - likely beyond repair.

UK - Giz a ciggy - can I have a cigarette

UK - Crash the ash - your turn to share the cigarettes

UK - Cadgin a fag - see Crash the ash.

UK - off you pop and away with you - go on then...

UK - Geezer - a blokie bloke - a decent chap all the razzmatazz...

UK/Australia - cheers - saying thank you or good bye.

UK - Knackered - extremely tired. exhausted. (Simon taught me this one - he uses it all the time as he is constantly on the road supporting and training the Synchro32 customer base - often flying back and forth from North America. Simon got home from the states and was knackered...)

I won't even go into the more colorful ones that Lee has instructed me in - or the ones that have hugely opposite meanings than what the American counterparts intend...

I've found that the Urban Dictionary is a good place to look up such terms...
www.urbandictionary.com

Well, that's all for today from deep in the heart of Texas for Synchro32 North American Operations...

Spring in Texas

While much of the Northern hemisphere is ensconced in the trenches of Winter, Texas is having it's typical early Spring. I was greeted this morning walking out of the house on my way to the Synchro32 office by a beautiful tree in full bloom. A carpet of the blooms was made upon the grass. I call this a false Spring, as there will undoubtedly be another freeze or two before we are greeted with the blue blazing hot weather of 100f+ days and blue norther storms. A couple of years ago we even had a dusting of snow as late as Easter. Enjoy it while you can. I think my golf clubs need dusting off...





Won't be long now until the air is filled with the sound of lawn mowers, weed whackers, and leaf blowers... Aren't digital cameras great! No more waiting for pictures to be developed to find out you left the lens cap on... You can shoot a nearly infinite number of pictures (googleplex - 1) and cull the ones that are not any good.

Digital cameras are an outstanding case study in survivability, changes in customer demand, marketing conditions, and leadership practices for companies. Nearly overnight, the demand for print/film cameras and film disappeared. I have to admit, I was one of the holdouts of print cameras. I have several really good film cameras in storage - that are for the most part worthless. Film that I used to drop off to be processed is now now sent electronically to a local drugstore who will print them up for me at very little cost. What a deal. Companies and manufactures that did not see this coming are left with a supply of film and cameras and have not adapted to the new marketing conditions. The early innovators embraced the new technology and the new customer demand and adapted to the changes - those that did not are struggling for survival or have already failed. The winds of customer demand are ever changing and it's the innovative companies that succeed year after year. Innovation requires risk and determination. The risk can not be mitigated away, but can be calculated and spread out. The transition from slide rule to calculator was over many years as was the demise of the buggy whip - this staged transition took a while and allowed companies to adapt. The transition from film cameras to digital was very rapid and only the most foreseeing companies were able to respond adequately.

Synchro32 software helps our customers adapt to ever changing marketing conditions and to control the cost and production variables. With Synchro32, it's like Spring blooms every day.

Wisconsin AFS Regional Milwaukee Day III & IV

from left, Alfred Spada - Editor in Chief of Modern Casting and Shane Allen of Synchro32 discuss the pending turn around of the economy and the need for metal casters to be prepared for an avalanche of new orders.

First and foremost and most importantly - and I'm not just blowing smoke or flattery here as I never do that - but Donna Nagy and her team @ AFS Wisconsin performed another outstanding curtain call with the 2009 AFS Wisconsin Regional Conference along with everyone involved from AFS and Modern Casting. It is no small feat to pull off something like this w/o a hitch (that anyone knows about at least) - irregardless of how many notches you have in your belt of past shows. Like anything, you are only as successful as your most recent performance. Having the lunch and breakfast in the exhibit hall was an outstanding idea - along with having the meals included in the exhibitor price tag. Unfortunately, due to the demands of Synchro32 and our never ending workload, I needed to work on the night of the banquet supporting our customers and doing my part as a member of the Synchro32 team - but I am sure it was stellar performance. On behalf of Synchro32, we want to congratulate you and your team on another successful show and we do appreciate all that you do and are looking forward to even better things in Y2K +10. Bravo. On behalf of the entire Synchro32 Team. Thank you!

The AFS Wisconsin Regional 2009 is now in the history books. Despite a low turnout at the show, and the weather could not be blamed this year, Synchro32 came away with many solid leads and did write one quote at the show. I expect the quote to be signed and returned later this next week. Turn out was exceedingly low and I infer that it is due to the down tick in the economy. The first thing that companies do during recessionary times is to slash travel and the subsequent travel expenses. The show was jam packed with vendors vying for the attention of those in attendance and I got to know several of them quite well. In fact, one vendor steered a lead in the direction of Synchro32. You can never have too many leads or contacts. It's always good to see my friends at other booths at the shows and share some good laughs with them.

Overall, compared wtih 2008, the AFS Wisconsin Regional was very successful for Synchro32. The weather was unusually warm for February and there was nary a bit of snow to be tromping and sloshing through. There were light sprinkles on the first day of the show, but the temperature was well above freezing. Synchro32 has already made plans to be at the new and improved AFS Wisconsin Regional in 2010 - booth# 28. See the Synchro32 webpage at http://www.synchro32.com/exhibitions/exhibitions.htm for all of the teams future expos.

Speaking of teams, teamwork really comes into play during exhibitions as there is obviously an increased workload on everyone when someone is out of the office. Thus, it is important to remember that Synchro32 is an outstanding dedicated hardworking team and that none of this would be possible without everyone pitching in. Synchro32's success is judged by the success of our customers and the teamwork of the entire Synchro32 team.

I learned an invaluable lesson during the show regarding digital photography. I had taken a slew of digital pictures with customers and dignitaries of the 2009 AFS Wisconsin regional show and I thought I had transferred all of the pictures to my PC. Unfortunately, :( only about 1/2 of the pictures were transferred and I had already formatted the memory card. Important lesson here is to NOT format the memory card until I am safely back in the office, even after having backed them up to one of my laptops. I did try some various software tools in a valiant attempt, like a knight rescuing the fair maiden from the castle, to recover the images. Unfortunately, sometimes the dragon wins. None of the deleted pictures could be recovered. Lesson learned - time to move along little doggy.

Here are some pictures from the opening day of the show.
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee students prepare to "pour" molten beer using a ladle.

The following are pictures of the antique and ornate P'fister hotel in downtown Milwaukee. The P'fister conveys the old world charm of Milwaukee and one can just imagine the robber barons of the time walking the lobby. This is the last year for AFS Wisconsin to be hosted at the P'fister.


The following snap shots are of the outside of the P'fister and the surrounding area. Lots of old and ornate buildings and I don't have clue one as to what they are or were.











Notice the sign in the window, lower left hand corner from a very posh high-fluting mens haberdashery in the P'fister...



It's a wrap folks... See you on down the road in Seattle at the AFS NW Regional Conference March 19th-21st @ the Red Lion. Details @ http://www.wa-afs.com/
Synchro32 will be in booth#1.

Warmest Regards,

Shane Allen

Synchro32
North American Operations
One Congress Plaza
111 Congress Ave. 4th Floor
Austin, TX 78701 USA
800-323-2808 (voice/fax)
sales (*AT*) synchro32.com
www.synchro32.com

Wisconsin AFS Regional Milwaukee Day II

There wasn't any heat wave records set today in Milwaukee. I awoke to a cool and drizzly day. Took the short hike from the hotel to the Pfister where the show is at - just about six blocks. Need the exercise. By the way, you can click on the pic to make it larger.



The Milwaukee River is partially frozen over.


The legendary Pfister hotel in downtown Milwauke - an old landmark. Very posh.


Tis me, setting up the Synchro32 booth all by my lonesome. I've got it down to an art and GES delivered the show boxes as promised. It takes me about two hours to get everything setup. From here, they will go onto Seattle for next months AFS NW Regional show.



Here are some completed pictures of the Synchro32 booth. Show time is at 8am CST in the morning. Going to be a long day, being on my feet the whole time. I'm sure my dogs will be dog tired at the end of the dog day, but it will be a lot of fun. A potential customer snuck into the exhibit area during a break from one of the meetings to discuss Synchro32 - even though the show had not opened yet.






That's all for today. I've already had a quick meal as it is cold and wet outside and I shan't be going out until Day III.

Wisconsin AFS Regional Milwaukee Day I

One of the great perks of working with Synchro32 is that I get to attend the majority of the trade shows and expos in North America and hopefully Australia this year! I don't mind the occassional travel as it gets me out of the office and these foundry/metalcasting shows are really mini reunions as I get to catch up with my friends and customers in the foundry industry. The foundry and metalcasting industry is a small close knit fraternity. In fact, last night I got to have an outstanding rib dinner with Dave Schmidt of Finite Solutions www.finitesolutions.com at a local brew pub. The meat just fell off the bone. I met Dave last year during the brutally cold expo. What a difference a year makes. Dave won't be at this years show, but caught up with me anyway. It's always nice to have someone to do dinner with. I'll catch up with Dave again next month in Seattle, then Las Vegas, Australia, and Indianapolis. Foundry shows are like a circuit. Normally, Synchro32 has two team members at the show, but business is so good that it's all hands on deck and I'll be doing the shows solo.

Synchro32 customers are finding this economic blip a good time for refresher training, learning new modules, and getting new reports created. Additionally, new customers are coming on board as going with Synchro32 is a natural decision in that it does not require a capitol expenditure and during a slow down there is more time for installation and training. Synchro32 knows metalcasting and is installed worldwide. Metalcasting is all we do and we do it very well. The Synchro32 software is 2nd to none in terms of it's functionality, support, and price.

Last year, it was -14f or -25.6c, and there was a major winter blizzard that literally paralyzed Milwaukee. I was delayed by a full day getting to Milwaukee and ended up in Minneapolis for a night. Burr. The wind was howling and there was a wind chill -40f or -40c. Burr. On top of that, I had a case of bronchitis. The show was pretty much a disaster as Synchro32 only came away with one interested visitor to the booth. This year, things should be much better! Milwaukee is actually in the middle of a heat wave and a record high temp was set yesterday. There is virtually no snow anywhere, except in the shadows, and it is short pant weather.

I'm currently at a local hotel doing Synchro32 work and will go to the Pfister Hotel shortly to beging the process of setting up the booth. Even while on the road, Synchro32 is hard at work supporting our customers and working on landing new customers. It's all a team effort and Synchro32 is the best team around.

I'm going to be updating my blog this week with day-by-day pictures of the show. These pictures are from yesterday, Feb 10th, when I flew from IAH, Houston, to Milwaukee.

This picture is of me driving to the Houston airport. Even though I have logged many miles in the air, there is still excitement about getting to "fly through the air". Even with all the security hassles in the post 9/11 world, it is still enjoyable. Having Continentals Silver Elite status is nice too - priority security boarding, checking two bags for free, and priority seating are nice perks that make travel just a little bit easier. I've also found that always traveling with a passport makes it easier too - plus I never know when I might be beckoned out of the country.









Haven't you ever dreamed about just showing up to the airport with no schedule, looking at the flight board, and say "lets go there" and get your ticket and "come fly away with me".



A sign of the times...



Took a small Embraer ERJ jet to Milwaukee - very cramped inside - fortunately it was only a 1/2 full flight and I had a row to myself. Ended up having to check my laptop bag as it wouldn't fit anywhere.



That is I, on my way to Milwaukee...



Look, NO SNOW! Wisconsin in Feb w/o snow? What gives? I'm not complaining...





Downtown Milwaukee w/o any SNOW! Balmy weather!





The Synchro32 mobile office at the Hampton Inn, downtown, Milwaukee..



My little buddy, Doc Holliday, the Min-Pin who could - waiting on his master to return to have his belly rubbed...