Survival of the Fittest Diecaster: North American diecasters are becoming creative and flexible to succeed in a changing industry

摘要

For many U.S. diecasters, the recent recession has caused a struggle for survival. From 2008 to 2009, total tonnage of aluminum, magnesium and zinc die casting shipments dropped from 1,497,000 tons to 990,000 tons, according to forecasting firm Strate-casts Inc., Ft. Myers, Fla. (Fig. 1). The automotive industry - which accounts for about half of all die casting shipments - is weak, other diecasting customers have gone out of business, and jobs continue to move to China and other lower cost countries.