Duratech Industries, Jamestown, N.D., wanted to save time and money on the production of a 18-row planter used to plant corn, beans, grass and other crops. The agriculture manufacturer knew cost-saving opportunities could be found with metal castings and contacted green sand metalcaster Pier Foundry, St. Paul, Minn., to identify potential areas for conversions. Together, the two companies selected a lower bracket fabrication, which consisted of 15 laser-cut steel pieces and required welding at 30 separate locations. Duratech had been cutting 60,000 individual steel parts to produce 4,000 weldments at a single time in order to keep its costs competitive, which resulted in a two- to three-month lead time.
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