Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 60, Number 145, Decatur, Adams County, 20 June 1962 — Page 11

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 80, —

Decatur Casting Co. Has High Reputation In Metal Castings

By Jack Heller ' One of the oldest industrial arts known to man is practiced daily in Decatur. And, it is practiced to such a degree of skill at Decatur Casting Co. that the local firm has a reputation as one of the elite in a highly competitive field. The art is metal casting. While the prehistoric men who poured molten metal into sand molds did not know it, they were some of the world’s earliest scientists. But* ynlike other industries, fine metal casting still demands the human* touch and the human knowledge that makes it almost an art. This is the way Decatur Casting feels about its work.

Like all other businesses in these days of overhead - profit squeezes, Decatur Casting has undertaken some modernization and some automation. But, with a reputation for the utmost in quality that they intend to maintain, Decatur Casting can oply go so far with automation, m top quality gray iron castings the human skill and knowledge that prevents complete automation is always needed. There is no mechanical substitute for human judgment. A Modern Practice None of this is intended to imply that, like the out-of-the-way blacksmith shop, Decatur Casting “ ( still represents the casting foundry of 100 years ago . As business has improved in the past year, methods have also been improvedAnd they will continue to be improved in the coming months. In every way, Decatur Casting is adopting the most modern methods of production. Be bulk of those new methods are in the materia! handling phase of the operations. The actual production of the castings win always demand the skilled judgment cd experienced craftsmen. But the faster materials can be brought to these mep, the faster and better they can turn out the quality castings. The casting business, like most others today, is highly competitive. Despite the competition, Decatur Casting business has been on the upswing for the past several months. The business graph hasn’t gone off the top of the paper, yet,, but business has steadily picked up, and there are signs that it will continue. Users of castings are beginning to learn that there is no substitute for quality in a competitive market. They are also learning that Decatur Casting produces, a real quality product. Established in 1920 The Decatur Casting company was established in Decatur in 1920. It was located here to furnish casting for the then—new General Electric plant. In the years that followed, the General Electric went to die-casting, and Decatur Casting started to lode for new customers. Today, practically all of the local plant's production goes into the electric motor, gasoline and hydraulic pumps, compressor, and automotive fields. An '’inside component,” the castings produced in Decatur are rarely visible in the finished products as which they are an integral part. Nonetheless, manufacturers who need critically alloyed castings to definite specifications not possible in an automated foundry appreciate the quality of these unseen parts. So do the ultimate customers who might

AUCTION I, the Administrator, will sell 7 miles Northwest of Decatur, Indiana on the Winchester Road to the Friedheim Church Road then South-1 mile, or 10 miles Southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana on Winchester Road to the Friedheim Church Road then South 1 mile, on SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd 12 NOON REAL ESTATE SELLS AT 2:30 P.M. - 45 ACRE FARM - GOOD 35x50 foot hip-roof barn; 5 room house; other buildings. Fair line fences; 2/5 of all growing crops to go with farm, wheat, oats, corn, beans and hay. This farm is located in a good community with churches of different denominations nearby. To see make an appointment with auctioneers before sale day. HOUSEHOLD GOODS—ANTIQUES—FARM MACHINERY MISCELLANEOUS 150 BALES MIXED HAY; 150 BALES CLOVER HAY; 50 BALES OF STRAW; SOME LOOSE HAY & STRAW; 300 BUSHEL .CORN Daybed; 12x15 rug and pad; roll top desk; rocking chairs; round oak heating stove; oil stovesand oven; Eureka cook stove; odd chairs; commode; chest of drawers,; treadle sewing machine; kitchen extension table; drop-leaf extension table; kitchen chairs; copper kettle; wardrobe; and other articles.- ANTIQUES AS FOLLOWS: oil hanging lamp; 4 oil lamps; phonograph with horn; wall clocks; large commode; cupboard; walnut and cherry lumber; 2 rope beds; hand made wooden trays; old bottles; planing bench; rifle; spring wagon seats; hand washer. Horse Drawn Machinery: riding and walking plow; riding cultivator; . low wheel farm wagon and hay rack; 3 bar side rake; iron roller; hay tedder; windmill; platform scales; FairhanksMorse 35,000 lb. farm scales; hand corn shelter; Letz Burr mill; hand tools; garden tools; step ladder; post hole digger; anvil; shovels; gas engine and many other articles. TERMS—Personal Property is cash. Real Estate to be sold for not less than 2/3 of appraised value; 20% down day of sale, balance due when a merchantable abstract is delivered; sold subject to the approval of the Adams Circuit Cpurt; and to the 1962 taxes payable in 1963 and the tenant’s rights. Any statements made day of sate by auctioneers will take precedence over any contained in the advertisements. Not responsible for accidents. MARTHA WITTE ESTATE THEODORE H. WITTE, ADMUUSTIATOR Walter Wiegmann, Preble 56, Decatur. Ind. , i Orville Sturm, W. 1491, New Haven, Ind. — Auctioneers n . Robert S. Anderson, Lawyer,

never see them. Science is playing an increasingly important part in the production at Decatur Casting. Manufacturers need parts Wat will meet specifications of stress, machine easily, and wear well. Metallurgical science in the fields of alloying, annealing, and microscopic inspection are used more and more to give the customer the product that will best do the job for them. , Basically Simple The process of producing castings for a customer sounds quite simple. First is the process of making the mold. Then, the cores are sei, the metal melted and poured, the casting cleaned and inspected, and finally shipped. The simplicity leaves as a viewer follows one of the castings through the plant. The mold is the form that determines the final shape and sise of the product. While it might seem relatively simple to make a mold, there are many factors to consider. The main factor Is that metal contracts as it cools. Therefore, the mold must be made enough oversize that when the metal poured in cools, it will be the exact size. And different alloys contract differently, so the alloy used must also be considered. After the’ mold is designed, either entirely by the customer or with the help of the management of Decatur Casting, sand forms are made. A separate sand form is needed for each casting, so enough are made to produce the total order. And while it might look like plain dirty sand, these forms are also technical products. Gas Lining Mixtures of sand, earth and additives give off gases at different rates when heated suddenly by molten metal. It is these gases that actually form the mold for the casting. Each casting is separated from the sand mold by a minute layer of gas to keep the metal from sticking to the mold. If the mixture that makes the form is not exactly right, the metal will stick to the sand and the casting will be ruined. What was a trial and error for ancient casters for thousands of years is an exact scientific process at Decatur Casting. After the sand mold is broken away from the cooled castting, the piece is cleaned, inspected and shipped out to the buyer. Decatur Casting has two of its own trucks for delivering; some of the buyers Pick up their orders; but most of the delivering is done by commercial shipments. Besides the regular manufacturing process, Decatur Casting is always ready to assist a customer in research toward a better pro-

duct. This is where a plant that has craftsmen is more competitive. Decatur Casting has sacrificed a great deal of automation to remain flexible for the sake of those customers demanding quality. Not Too Specialized Specialization is the big thing in American industry, but Decatur Casting is making good by bucking the trend and gaining business because it is adaptable. They are competitive because they can handle the special metallurgical problems or the complicated castings that a specialized plant has to refuse. In fact, one large Midwestern manufacturer uses Decatur Casting as a branch of its research department. When new castings are needed, their engineers work with the management of the Decatur plant to develop the new design. Experiments in shape, strength and alloys are made until the precise part is produced- Then, this part is adopted by the mass-produetion foundry that the large manufacturer owns and turned out in huge numers. While the adaptability of “the foundry that makes castings others couldn’t,” as Decatur Casting is known in the business, will always remain, new things are in the offing. Recently, a shell core machine has been installed. This machine is the newest technique in the foundry industry, and very drastically reduces the time-con-suming operation of making the .various sand cores for the different molds. 50 Employes There are presently 50 employes in the local plant. Future business seems to indicate that in months ahead, this number will climb to about 75. Due to the skill involved in the various procedures, it is not too easy for the local industry tp obtain help. Each employe has to be trained and “get the feel” of his job. Active management of the firm is headed by George L. Mitsch, general manager. In addition to Mitsch, Clarence Fishbaugh, Glenn Mauller and Lynn McDougall comprise the top echelon. It Is up to these men to keep the plant producing and producing quality products. An extensive cost reduction program has been instituted and this program is showing results by gaining new customers. The workers in the production department, who have established a phenomenal safety record, are members of the United Steel Workers union. In addition to their regular renumeration and the accepted benefits of vacations' and insurance programs, the production employes of Decatur Casting have the satisfaction of knowing that they are practicing on art which can be mastered by only a few craftsmen. Midwest Product Unlike many manufacturing processes that merely assemble pieces made elsewhere, the casting industry is almost completely a natural industry. The raw materials are pig iron some scrap iron, coke, sand and clay. From these materials, mostly purchased right here in the midwest, Decatur Casting produces the highest quality fine gray iron castings. As would be expected, most of tite customers are also in the midwest. One of the newer customers for Decatur Casting, strange as it might seem, is the Detroit area, most of them have automated tothe point where they are no longer adaptable. In this respect, and in the field of constant high quality, the local foundry can easily compete with the big-

SOAP VS. SYNTHETIC y (Per Person Coonaptioe of Soap and Spltofc Detapnty 30 ' ■ 7 ■ ' | X~ Z< q o" o - ’o” tn “™ 3 io <3 K| jqap Ml __i_«. l-.s—V . - I i BO» . . W SUDSY STAHSTTCS—WhfIe Americans have maltttlhßd • fairly steady rate in their total use of seep and synthetic' detergents since World War n (about 27 pound? per person annually), the separate use of each has ■heuni a sciseorUke trend, übe of synthetic ‘detergent rose sharply from. 3 ins the same period soap consumption droDned'fiton 'SA

city brethren. Decatur Casting hag q»bm $ *»g way in the past nv. Tkca is. still room for improvement and plans are underway right now to bripg that improvement into realization. But, Decatur Casting has found that it is still possible to be competitive by being adaptable. And the craftsmen that daily practice their undent art ip Decatur like it that way. Scores Hiring Italian firm To Make Study By LYLE B. WILSON United Press International WASHINGTON (UPD-The Hon. Timothy Tugbutton stormed into the newsroom today in a fearsome rage, striking out with his cane and hollering, ‘“Taint’t right and I ain’t gonna stand for it” Whacking his stick on the desk, the old man shattered the tip. The ferrule flipped into the works of a news wire teletype, jamming the machine and delaying transmission of a red hot report that the U.S. Treasury still was id the red with no prospect of getting out. ‘Tn the red,” Tugbutton shouted. “Os course we’re in the red. That’s just what I’m talking about. We’re in the red and when we have a chance to save a few dimes or pennies, the government is looking the other way. ‘Taint’t right, that’s what it is.” Breathless for the moment, the old man produced a news clipping, slapped it on the desk in front of G. Dillman, the office drudge. U.S. Pays BUI “What about that?” he demanded. “Here is this Organization of American States laying out hearly $250,000 for an Italian firm to study agriculture in Ecuador, and who pays the bill?” “I*ll tell you who pays the bill. The U.S. taxpayer, that’s who.” Dillman examined the dipping. The study had, indeed, been ordered at a cost of $248,600 and it was to be conducted, the story said, under the Alliance for Progress program in which the United States is to invest billions of dollars in an effort to raise living standards in South and Central America. The study is to be carried out under the supervision of technicians representing the Organization of American States. “What’s wrong with that, Um?” Dillman inquired. “Seems like a good idea, a study like that.” “A’course it’s a good idea,” Tugbutton replied, getting red again in the face. “But, why an Italian firm? The U.S. handed this Organization of American States $6 million to help along the Alliance for Progress. That’s where that study money will come from, the study money that is being exported to Italy. Dollars Leave U.S. ' “That young fella in the White House, wasn’t he saying just the other day that our trouble in the U.S. wasn’t inflation or big government deficits or the like o’that? He said our trouble was too many dollars escaping from the U.S.A., like these study dollars are escaping to Italy. “What I want to know is who made the deal to jjive this $6 million to ttfs Organization of American States with no strings attached about spending the money in the U.S. if what was wanted was available here. That’s what I want to know. “We spend so much money on our Agriculture Department that we can’t raise it by taxes and the department has so many employes you can’t count ’em. And who does this farm study in Ecuador? The Italians, that’s who. “That don’t make no sense to me,” Tugbutton said angrily. “It ain't the only thing in Washington that don’t make no sense, either.” Mowing Hazards CHICAGO (UPI) — The National Safety Council estimates power lawn mower accidents cause 75,000 injuries a year. Seven out of 10 accidents result from direct contact with the motorized mowers. Three out of ten are caused by objects thrown by the mowers.

■KIVIMAKVA

decatvk,

Government Program To Retain Workers

EDITOR’S NOTE: What to a Worker to 4a when his job to replaced by * machine? Teo often ia the past, he ha* laand himself on the relief rolls. Now a new federal program is being launched to retrain workers and eliminate some of the nation’* "hard core** unemployed. The following dispatch teUs haw this will operate. • By LOUIS CASSELS United Tress International WASHINGTON (UPD—The nation** first large scale effort to solve the problem of hard core unemployment will get underway July 1. __ During the next three years, the federal government will spend $435 million on a nationwide program of vocational training. Its purpose is to provide marketable job ski}}* for about 500,000 technological misfits of modern society. They include industrial workers whose skills have been rendered obsolete by automation, farm hands no longer needed in mechanized agriculture, and youths who dropped out of school without learning a trade. The Labor Department estimates there are between 500,000 and 1 million of these people in America today. They are the "hard core” of the nation’s 4-5 million unemployed. Many of them have been out of work for periods ranging from six months to three or four years. Jobs Going Begging Meanwhile, good jobs are going begging because employers cannot find people who are trained to fill them. In many communities, for example, there are chronic shnrtagps of welders, machine tool operators, stenographers, nurse’s aides, skilled seamstresses, clerk-typists, and auto mechanics. The idea behind the training program is that the nation can kill two birds with one stone—increasing its reservoir of skilled manpower and .reducing the number of people dependent on unemployment compensation or public welfare) The law authorizing the threeyear program was enacted by Congress with strong bipartisan support. Signed by President Kennedy last March 15, it is to take effect with the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1. The Department of Health, Ed-

Wg are proud to present DUtifi .*1 QUALITY ICE CREAM < , in a newn •QUALITY CARTON |yi w** l*T t »i M m** J9L ' Iwß Ji i f. JB 11 11 A A A. 2. A A A A A AfW ' ;'Wffe' *" jOr itfej - ; ; ;'O ’/ / ,?-, \v- ,7 ’/ r STKO/VG MM7&4BU PORCBUIMZE9 CttTOM 1 Wt hrv. •. an tag cream made with th« fined ingrtdientt, ~ w, «C Cfufy B&i* ' believe yen, the public want a fine old fasdiioned ice cream, F« want you to hove i ! - ' ' ■ . ttQe » , , rs reasonable pncem auvn V‘ Flavor of the Montfi; 11CHERRIB^< ♦ -A- \ , , , „ *, , »■ ■ - \ z ‘ Equity Dairies, Ina - ■ • - "' • - L —

ucation and Welfare (HEW), which will administer the vocational training program, and the Labor Department, which will select the people to be trained, have spent recent weeks gearing up for a fast start. They hope to have training projects underway in thousands of American communities by the end mt the year. Program Underway James Clarke, director of the manpower training office of the HEW Department, said the program will be similar to one which the government is already conducting, on a relatively small scale, under the area redevelopment program. About 10,000 people are being re-trained under this program, which is restricted to "depressed areas’* with high chronic unemployment rates, thousands of AmericancommuniThe new program will be nationwide in scope. The training courses offered in any particular community will be determined by surveys of the job openings in that community. The objective is to be sure that each trainee will be readily absorbed into the community’s labor force when his course is completed. Applicants for training will be screened by the U.S. Employment Service. Priority will go to unemployed persons and to members

H ' Mt'; t .’»g. INMATES FIRE PRISON — Aerial photo shows extent of fires 'set by rioting prisoner* at St. Vincent de Paul federal penitentiary pear Montreal, Canada.

of farm families with annual Mt family income of lew than 11,200 a year. If they don’t fifi gfi the vacancies, training may also be provided to "under-employed” workers — that is, those who are working only part-time or at unskilled jobs. Government Foot* BiH The government will pay for the training courses, which will be given at public high schools, vocational training centers, junior colleges and similar existing facilities. It also will pay subsistence allowances to some of the trainee*. Heads of families who have spent at least three years In gainful employment but are now out of work may receive training allowances which will be approximately equal to the average weekly unemployment compensation in that state. Youths between the ages of 19 and 22 may receive training allowances of up to S2O a week. If it is necessary for a person to attend a training school which is beyond a reasonable commuting distance from his home, the government will provide extra allowances for transportation and subsistence. Special programs ot vocational training will be provided for boys and girls between the ages of 16 and 19 who are not enrolled in a regular school. The federal government will underwrite the entire cost of the program for the first two years of operation. Beginning in mid--1964, however, states will have to pick up half of the tab. Ward P. Beard, assistant direc-

PAGE THREE-A

torjl wcatlonal edwgnfor th* skilled job*” which can ba mastered in a few weeks or month*. Experience gained under the area redevelopment program, he said, indicates that a purse’s aide can be trained in four week*, aa auto mechanic or a key Mtoh operator in 16 weeks, * ifggMrapher to 26 weeks, and an Electronic mechanic in 26 weeks. Where highly specialised drills are needed to meet the employment demand of a particular community, longer courses, ranging up to a full year of training, may be offered. Training funds will be allocated among all states on the basis of a complex formula which takes into account the state’s population and unemployment rate. “Local initiative will be welcome,” Clarke said. He said communities desiring so get in on the program should pot wait for the government to com* to them, but should organise their own representative focal planning committees and get in touch with local or state offices of vocational education or employment security. Trash Caw When the bottom of a rubbish can has rusted through, use a disc of plywood to lengenthep the life of the can. Cut the plywood to the inside diameter et the cga, drill four holes through the bottom of the can, and screw the dtoc in place.