Beginning in 2012, Wolf Steel has been working to increase their existing foundry capacity and product quality. In this expansion Wolf has added over 15,000 square feet of manufacturing floor space to the existing 7,750 square feet. This expansion included the addition of critical process equipment such as a new Inductotherm 3,000 pound melt furnace (in addition to their existing 1,500 pound melt furnace), a new Atlas-Copco Air Compressor, and several new Tinker Omega systems.
The steady growth of Wolf Steel over the last decade has been the impetus for this expansion. In order to meet increasing customer demand, the existing plant has been tripled in size. The construction project itself was a smooth process with virtually no impact to customer orders. In addition to the physical machinery and square footage, key computer systems have been upgraded. This included a SolidCast/Flowcast computer simulator program, allowing them to project how the castings will solidify before the process even starts. This greatly improves quality yield and decreases the likelihood of expensive internal errors.
Mike Ulven said of this expansion, “The new building additions allowed us to completely reorganize our entire manufacturing process from start to finish. Wolf Steel Foundry had begun its LEAN manufacturing journey and the timing was perfect to use those streamlining tools to ensure an optimum flow of production through the plant.” With the increased melting capacity, the foundry can now produce an increased volume of castings as well as the ability to produce larger castings for both new and existing customers.
Founded in 1989, Wolf Steel Foundry is known for producing excellent quality steel castings on-time with competitive pricing. Wolf Steel prides itself on being a 100% no-bake steel foundry with parts that can be cast from 5 lbs. up to 2,200 lbs. With its on-site laboratory, every heat receives a chemical analysis to ensure quality. In addition, Wolf Steel also provides physical certification, magnetic-particle inspection, and radiography testing. Wolf Steel is a part of The Ulven Companies, which now comprises a group of four privately held American companies.
