Ladish announces comprehensive Cudahy forging modernization plan

Citation

(2001), "Ladish announces comprehensive Cudahy forging modernization plan", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773eaf.003

Ladish announces comprehensive Cudahy forging modernization plan

Ladish announces comprehensive Cudahy forging modernization plan

Keywords: Ladish, Forging

Ladish Co., Inc. recently announced that the board of directors had unanimously approved a comprehensive four-year, $75-million capital investment plan for the Cudahy, Wisconsin forging operation. Committed expenditures will advance core metalworking competencies and improve cost effectiveness through facility modernization, new equipment, and process improvements.

"Nearly every airframe and jet engine manufacturer worldwide uses Ladish forgings in their products," says Kerry Woody, president and CEO of Ladish. "The outlook for aerospace forgings is strong, and our expenditures over the course of the next four years are targeted to take advantage of opportunities in both commercial and military markets. We are confident this modernization plan will significantly improve our cost competitiveness, allowing us to meet customer cost challenges as well as satisfy shareholder expectations for earnings-per-share growth."

In addition to the Cudahy Forging operation, Ladish also owns Pacific Cast Technologies, a titanium investment casting business in Albany, Oregon, and Stowe Machine, a precision machining business in Windsor, Connecticut. Last year the company committed to an $11 million expansion to double capacity at Pacific Cast Technologies, and the year before that expanded Stowe Machine by more than 40 per cent. "We are excited about the prospects for continued sales growth throughout the Ladish family of aerospace, metalworking companies," Woody says. "Our businesses provide technically complex, highly engineered product to an industry which demands the highest quality from its supply base. This Cudahy modernization will complement technology advances already completed over the last several months."

Cudahy Forging activity in the area of technology includes the development of a "super cooler", a proprietary high-velocity quenching technology for rotating jet engine parts, which is patent pending. New equipment includes an aluminium heat-treatment facility, featuring process controls designed to meet stringent aerospace requirements for temperature uniformity and quench-transfer times.

"Our customers demand better solutions, our shareholders expect improved value in their investment, and our employees are committed to continuous improvement," Woody says. "This modernization plan will benefit all stakeholders, and ensure our future as a preferred supplier to the world's finest aerospace industries."

Further details are available from Ladish Co., Inc. Tel: +1 414 747 2935; Fax: +44 414 747 2890.