We are proud to announce that the Lawton Standard Company was featured in the October edition of Manufacturing in Focus. The article details the five generations of leadership at Lawton and how the company has grown and expanded through the years using innovation and a family-feel atmosphere. Lawton Standard article in Manufacturing in Focus A one-stop shopping experience with a family feel The article discusses Lawton’s expansion that has led us to meet more of the needs of our customer base. Lawton now offers a one-stop shopping experience for customers, as we boast 5 iron foundries, 1 steel foundry and...Continue Reading
We are so proud of our own Dan Bruins, who will be flown to Washington, D.C. in November to receive the prestigious General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award from the Army. Dan works as our accounting controller at Renaissance Manufacturing Group in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The General MacArthur Leadership Award The award has been presented to officers and warrant officers whose service has been recognized as among the finest in the Army, Reserves and National Guard. The award has been handed out since 1987. General MacArthur (courtesy: Britannica) MacArthur Leadership Awards (courtesy: army.mil) The award is named for General Douglas MacArthur...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Company had the pleasure of two of our casting engineers presenting their research at this year’s MAGMASOFT® UGM event. Lawton uses MAGMASOFT® solidification software to detect any issues in our castings before the pattern is built and before the first drop of molten metal is even poured. Casting engineer Lauren Innis during presentation at MAGMASOFT® UGM event What is the MAGMASOFT® UGM event? Each year, MAGMASOFT® holds a “User Group Meeting” (UGM) for companies and employees who use the software at their locations. The event involves presentations on research and advances with the software. Companies and employees present...Continue Reading
Lawton Standard is committed to quality and sustainability, as well as being a good steward to the environment and the communities our facilities are located in. Our family of companies boast ISO certifications, showing that very commitment. What is an ISO certification? ISO certification is a process manufacturers go through to show their management systems are in compliance with internationally recognized standards for quality and consistency. A third-party auditor reviews companies adherence to the standards set by the International Organization for Standardization. The auditor reviews the company for several days before ruling if it’s management systems are ISO certified or...Continue Reading
It’s not actually green, but it sure is alive. Green sand molding is used in two of our foundries at Lawton Standard. It helps to create smooth finishes on our high-quality castings and it’s very sustainable and environmentally friendly. We had the chance to catch up with Lawton Standard casting engineer Lauren Innis to discuss the green sand molding process. What is green sand molding? The process basically takes sand from a lake, cleans it and makes it into the size we need for an appropriate casting. “Then we’ll take that sand,” said Innis, “and we’ll add an additive called...Continue Reading
3D printing has come along way over the past few years and Lawton Standard is excited to start using the technology to help create even higher-quality steel and iron castings. The uses for 3D printing in a foundry can span from making complex cores to making quick replacement parts for certain equipment and tools. “3D printing technology has rapidly gone from something that was challenging, that was expensive, and turned it into something that really is possible for consumers to use very easily without a lot of cost or capital required,” said Lawton Standard casting engineer Lauren Innis. Casting engineer...Continue Reading
The foundry industry has a wide variety of interesting and intriguing careers. From engineering to metallurgy, melt deck operations to furnace maintenance, spectrometer operator to automated machines. The possibilities are great and the foundry industry needs more young people to get involved. We caught up with Lawton Standard casting engineer Lauren Innis and Lawton Standard industrial engineer Nick Knotts at this year’s AFS Metalcasting Congress in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They discussed the need for more young people to pursue a career in the foundry industry. Lawton Standard casting engineer Lauren Innis and Lawton Standard industrial engineer Nick Knotts at the 2024...Continue Reading
What a three days it was in Milwaukee for the annual American Foundry Society Metalcasting Congress. Lawton Standard was part of the three-day event which ran April 22nd -April 24th at the Baird Center. Lawton and its family of companies had a great time interacting with old friends and making new connections at the event. It was also great to see team members from our new partnership with Renaissance Manufacturing Group at the convention, as well as members from our other companies including Temperform, AIA, Northern Iron and Machine and The C.A. Lawton Company. Lawton leadership team enjoys time at...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. has recently combined with Renaissance Manufacturing Group (RMG) and its 160 team members as part of its expansion strategy. RMG has locations in Anniston, Ala., Grafton, Wis., and Menomonee Falls, Wis. The ductile iron foundry is at the Anniston location. Grafton is home to the machine shop. The sales office is in Menomonee Falls. Alex Lawton, CEO of Lawton Standard, says, “What started as two long-standing, independent, foundry-based companies in 2019 is evolving into a multi-location, multi-faceted supplier with the best cultural and process characteristics. With the addition of RMG and the shared long-term vision of...Continue Reading
Jack McPike joined Lawton Standard in November of 2023 as Director of Operations. This newly created position reports to Paul Suber, President of Lawton Standard, and has responsibility for the foundries under the Lawton umbrella. Jack comes to Lawton with 20+ years of foundry experience in cast iron waterworks, steel railroad components, and cast iron job shop work. For melt, he has experience with electric arc furnaces, cupolas, and induction furnaces. For molding, he has worked with green sand molding using Spomatic, Osborn, Hunter, Sinto, and manual slinger and jolt squeeze operations. Jack currently calls Pennsylvania home, but he is originally from Illinois...Continue Reading
A simple list of commonly used terms in a foundry setting (in order of use): Pattern – The wood, metal, foam or plastic shape used to form the cavity in the sand. A pattern may consist of one or many impressions and would normally be mounted on a board or plate complete with a runner system. Corebox – The wooden, metal or plastic tool used to produce cores. Mold – Normally consists of a top and bottom form, made of sand, metal or any other investment material. It contains the cavity into which molten metal is poured to produce a...Continue Reading
What is foundry sand? Where does foundry sand come from? Foundry sand is a high-quality silica sand that is used for casting and molding processes in the metal casting industry. The sand is typically made from high-quality silica and is specially designed for use in foundries. Foundry sand is produced by crushing and screening sand that is sourced from various locations around the world. The sand is then washed to remove impurities and dried to reduce moisture content. Once the sand has been prepared, it is then shipped to foundries where it is used to create molds for metal casting....Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co., a leader in the metals industry, is pleased to announce Paul Suber as President. Suber will be responsible for manufacturing operations (foundries and related services such as machining and pattern making), sales, engineering, purchasing, and project management. Suber, an innovative manufacturing and operations executive, brings a wealth of experience to The Lawton Standard family of companies. With a proven track record of improving safety, quality, and productivity within the automotive and heavy industry component manufacturing sectors and an extensive M&A background, Suber is poised to help Lawton continue to raise the standard for foundries. Alex Lawton,...Continue Reading
The key to success Computer aided flow and solidification modeling and simulation software is a key to success in the foundry industry today. There are several different programs on the market, but the industry leader is MAGMASOFT ®, which is the software that we use at The Lawton Standard Co. What is it? MAGMASOFT ® is the comprehensive and effective optimization tool for improving metal casting quality, optimizing process conditions and reducing production costs. Consequently, utilizing the methodology of virtual Design of Experiments and Autonomous Optimization, robust process parameters and optimized casting layouts can be established for all cast materials...Continue Reading
Investment proceeds used to help facilitate addition of AMSCO Wear Products to the Lawton family The Lawton Standard, Co. (“Lawton”), a diversified provider of specialty iron and steel castings and related products and services, today announced that NewSpring, a family of private equity strategies, has invested in the company through its dedicated private credit strategy, NewSpring Mezzanine. Wells Fargo supported the investment with senior debt financing, and Oakland Standard served as an independent sponsor. This investment will help facilitate the company’s acquisition of AMSCO Wear Products, Inc. (“AMSCO”), a specialty steel products and castings distributor to the scrap metal, recycling,...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added AMSCO Wear Products, Inc., located in Wilmington, Del., to the Lawton Standard family as part of its expansion strategy. AMSCO has been providing cost-effective, wear-resistant steel since 1915. They offer innovative design, world-class quality control, and superior customer service. AMSCO’s products include wear parts for steel recycling, mining, and waste-to-energy industries. Alex Lawton, CEO of Lawton Standard, says, “What impresses us about AMSCO is their customers’ loyalty. Armond and Sharon are well-known and respected in their fields. I know this will be a good fit because they embody many of the same values...Continue Reading
Don’t forget to subscribe! Today we will briefly go over one of the tools in my industrial engineering toolbox. That tool is Plant Simulation software, specifically the one we’ve utilized is Siemens Technomatix Plant Sim. What is PlantSim? PlantSim is a PLM software that allows us to simulate simple and complex production flows completely on a computer of virtually of any selected sites within the Lawton Standard Platform. It’s a tool that’s widely used by automotive manufacturers in the United States and abroad. It is not very widely used by foundries, but upon my graduation from Oakland University and being...Continue Reading
Our platform engineering manager RJ Hawkins explains that it’s typically best to involve foundries in your tooling design and go from there. This usually makes it much easier for foundries to help you optimize the design and process later. “Rely on the experts to get you there,” RJ said. It’s important to trust the experts from start to finish because they have a deep understanding of how various factors will work together to produce a quality casting. The foundry business is not what it used to be 20 years ago. The employees that are out on the floor doing the...Continue Reading
We asked RJ Hawkins, our Platform Engineering Manager, to weigh in on where our engineering team currently stands and what growth he would like to see. He explains that our team today has a vast amount of practical knowledge, which most of them acquired through years of experience in the foundry business. Overall, RJ believes that “Really what we kind of need to make this a well-rounded team is younger, technically savvy people who are willing to work with the more experienced folks and understand the aspects of the process…”.He explains that we could benefit greatly from bringing in people...Continue Reading
Bob Rupp is a close friend and mentor of The Lawton Standard Co. and is also the founder of Leadership Resources of Wisconsin. His guidance has been extremely helpful during this time of expansion of transitioning from one location to many. Rupp has a lot of insight and wisdom when it comes to the concept of culture. He believes that “Culture is not something that you name, culture is something that evolves from the work practices that you have and the common objectives that you work on… and the shared beliefs and the shared fate, and when that comes together,...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. is combining resources to better serve our customers and other stakeholders affected by our operations. One change we are currently making is the transition of all our facilities to a common business system, an ERP, or an Enterprise Resource Planning program. The new system, Odyssey, is being implemented at The C.A. Lawton Co. facility in De Pere, WI starting March 1, 2023. Part of the implementation of the new system involves combining many forms and processes. The first forms we’re updating will be order acknowledgments, packing lists, and invoices. Going forward, all system-generated documents will reflect The...Continue Reading
A lot has happened with the Lawton Standard family of foundries. In January 2020, The C.A. Lawton Company and Temperform were the first foundries to combine to serve our customers better. Since then, our family has continued to grow! (View our complete timeline here.) How we’re keeping customers informed New Lawton Standard customers sense that there’s something special or at least exciting going on at our foundries. They’re naturally curious. They want to know more about what we’re doing and how our expanded suite of products can help them solve more of their casting challenges. In the interest of transparency,...Continue Reading
Ashley Anderson is our Senior Staff Accountant for both our De Pere, WI, and Novi, MI locations. Ashley received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay because she felt as though it was a stable career path. We had the pleasure of having Ashley be a part of our team for four years before she, unfortunately, informed us that she accepted a position with another company. Although sad news for us, we were happy for Ashley. When asked about why she left, Ashley said “I think I was just eager for change. I wanted to pursue...Continue Reading
American Iron (AIA), a Lawton Standard company based in Waukesha, Wis., will begin stocking Versa-Bar continuous cast iron bar products and other alloy bars (including bronze) at their sister company, QESC, in Houston, Texas. Having another distribution point will reduce transit time and improve delivery dates. The Houston outlet will also offer tubing, milling, and plate-cutting services. Read the full announcement about Versa-Bar distribution here.Continue Reading
We want to thank everyone who contributed to our growing success this year. All of you have worked so hard, and we want to thank you for being such a great team. We hope that everyone has a fantastic holiday break with loved ones nearby. Watch your favorite movies, eat the best food, and most importantly, take some time for yourselves to relax. Have fun and stay safe. We will see you next year!Continue Reading
As The Lawton Standard family grows, closer coordination of casting orders becomes possible. We work with multiple locations and divisions of many global companies. This often eliminates scheduling conflicts and delays. For example, let’s say one division has ordered a set of castings to replenish its inventory – it’s not urgent. Yet, it’s first in the production queue, even though another division submits a rush order for a critical casting a day later. In a perfect world, casting orders should be harmonized between these divisions and the foundry so that we can make intelligent trade-offs in our production schedule. We’re...Continue Reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 11/10/22 Contact: Tim Flannery, CFO Lawton Standard, 312-622-5526, tflannery@lawtonstandard.com The Lawton Standard Co. announces that American Iron & Alloys joins the Lawton family De Pere, Wis. – The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added American Iron & Alloys, LLC (AIA), located in Waukesha, Wis., to the Lawton Standard family as part of its expansion strategy. American Iron & Alloys processes and distributes continuous cast iron, bronze bar, tubing, and other metal components. They also provide metal finishing and other services to the North American market. AIA primarily focuses on ductile and gray iron in round, square,...Continue Reading
Blake Albritton, CTO of The Lawton Standard Co. and industrial engineer gives us a quick lesson in metallurgy. Follow along as he explains what ductile iron is and how it is made. Transcript: On behalf of the Lawton family, welcome to “Four-minute metallurgy,” where we will attempt to explain metallurgical or foundry engineering concepts in four minutes or less. I’m Blake Allbritton, episode one. What is ductile? Ductile first emerged in the 1940s as an advancement in iron casting technology that provided improved strength, fatigue resistance, impact resistance, and of course, ductility over previously available iron castings. But, at the...Continue Reading
Tom Dominiczak, the Pattern Shop and Quality Manager at the C.A. Lawton Co. in De Pere, WI explains the importance of having quality tooling, how proper tooling should be designed for the foundry it plans to be used at, and how subpar tooling can affect the outcome of castings that the tooling was designed to manufacture. There are many issues we see with tooling that indicate that the tool is either worn out, reaching the end of its life cycle, or becoming unusable for production, including cracks, poor storage practices including water damage, and previous patchwork and repairs. Issues with...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. held its annual Leadership Summit on October 12-13 in Green Bay, WI. This event provided an opportunity to unite leaders of all foundry sites and functional support areas. The working session was time for managers who typically work “in the business” to direct efforts to work “on the business.” Barry Adamski (COO), Tim Flannery (CFO), Blake Albritton (CTO), Tierney Grutza (CAO), and Alex Lawton (CEO) Top management from Lawton was joined by site leaders representing all production locations, including Temperform, LLC (Novi, MI), The C.A. Lawton Co. (De Pere, WI and Minster, OH), Penn-Mar Castings, LLC...Continue Reading
There are many benefits to staying with the same company over a long period of time. Hear what some of C.A. Lawton’s most experienced employees had to say. Randy Thyrion is the onboarding and training manager at the De Pere, WI location and has worked with us for the past 38 years. He is now 57 years old, but he got his start here at a very young age thanks to his older brother Bob, who was working as a supervisor at C.A. Lawton at the time. “I didn’t plan all of this when I was young, but I wouldn’t...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added Northern Iron & Machine (NIM) located in St. Paul, Minn. to the Lawton Standard family as part of its expansion strategy. NIM produces and machines high-quality, cast gray, ductile, and austempered iron castings up to 250 pounds. This adds to The Lawton Standard Co. offerings by both size and method. This will benefit both Lawton and NIM customers with expanded sourcing options. Alex Lawton, CEO of Lawton Standard, says, “Northern Iron & Machine’s history goes back to 1906 when they first started serving the agricultural industries. They quickly advanced to serve more markets...Continue Reading
A serious accident occurred at our De Pere facility today. When one of us suffers, we all do. Our hearts go out to our De Pere family. For more information, view the press release.Continue Reading
When a customer moves to another source for products you once provided, how do you bring them back? Identifying the reasons why a customer has changed suppliers is critical. The Lawton Standard companies have been working hard to answer these questions and develop strategies to win these customers back. Recent returns of “former” customers to indicate that this initiative is working. Why do customers return? A review of several recent “boomerang customer” cases sheds light on the factors that influenced them to return. Quality Quality is the number one factor. All others are secondary. A low-cost part from a low-quality...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard family of companies focuses on serving our customers as value-added suppliers of iron and steel castings. We’re constantly looking for ways to save time and money and provide our customers with the highest quality castings. We work with multiple locations and divisions of growing global organizations. All of them communicate with Lawton, but almost none of them communicate with each other and this leads to conflict. We’re taking steps forward with the right technology to fix this issue. The new steps in technology have pushed new boundaries in the “smart factory” or Industry 4.0, which advances how...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard family actively engages in educational outreach programs with local schools. The goal is to inform students of career opportunities within manufacturing. For example, Lawton has introduced iron foundry practices to students as young as middle school by attending job fairs andhosting tours. Middle school programs include participation in career days where Lawton trainers employ the Foundry In A Box principle to show students how castings are made through a hands-on approach. High school job fairs allow students to talk with real-world practitioners about career paths available in a foundry. In addition, tours of local facilities enable students...Continue Reading
During times of increasing uncertainty and change, it appears that there is safety in numbers. Having a family of five foundries has enabled Lawton Standard to weather the pandemic, a major recession, labor shortages, and a war that has caused shortages and large swings in the prices of raw materials. As the Chief Technical Officer (CTO) at Lawton Standard, Blake Albritton has helped to confidently guide the company on a path toward greater growth and efficiency, despite these turbulent times. He’s in charge of several key areas of Lawton Standard, including engineering, maintenance, strategic sourcing, technical services, and research and...Continue Reading
Here at the C.A. Lawton Co., we like to take the time to recognize our employees. Today we’re visiting with Tierney Grutza to get a better understanding of her new job title, chief administrative officer. For a video version, check out Tierney on our Lawton Standard YouTube channel. Tierney, tell us a little bit about your professional background. I started in manufacturing in 1986 with General Motors (GM). I had started on the manufacturing line for about nine years while I went to school to get my bachelor’s and graduate degrees. Then I started my management career with GM as...Continue Reading
Lead times vary by product, industry, and material. Some Lawton foundries have found that their customers aren’t putting in orders soon enough to compensate for those longer lead times. And we know we’re not alone. Today, we’ll take a quick look at what lead times are, why they’re so long, and what we can do about it. How long are lead times? “Lead times at record highs and ‘still accelerating,'” said Timothy R. Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, in an article by Shefali Kapadia in Supply Chain Dive noted in July 2021. The...Continue Reading
At all The Lawton Standard Co. foundries, we thrive on safety, reliability, collaboration, integrity, and innovation. We value and encourage a healthy family culture at every location. Gloria Webber is all those things and more. Gloria Webber is one of our four general managers. She oversees our Temperform location located in Novi, Michigan. She has been with the company for over 24 years! We wanted to take the time to recognize our general managers and get to know them a little more. Gloria, what is the role of a general manager? As general managers, we oversee the daily operations of...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. says, “Bring it! We can fill your needs!” Since QESC – Houston joined our family, we have even more capacity to meet the needs of the industry. So here’s a quick look at what we can do for you. For more information, click on the foundry name. C.A. Lawton – De Pere, WI Large iron casting in the 500lb – 20,000lb range C.A. Lawton – Minster, OH Gray and ductile iron up to 45,000lbs Temperform – Novi, MI Stainless steel castings 2 pounds to 5,500 pounds Penn-Mar Castings – Hanover, PA Gray, and ductile iron castings...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. announces the (re)launch of QESC (Quality Electric Steel Castings) as its latest growth initiative in response to constrained capacity in the domestic metal casting industry. The Lawton Standard Co. has recently added the facilities and team members of QESC (Houston, TX) to its growing casting business to respond to constrained industry capacity and as part of its broader expansion strategy. The new site will operate as a sister operation to: The C.A. Lawton Co. – De Pere, WIThe C.A. Lawton Co. – Minster, OHTemperform, LLC (Novi, MI)Penn-Mar Castings, LLC (Hanover, PA) The addition will better position...Continue Reading
This week, we’re featuring the most popular blogs across our family of foundries. Enjoy learning about the history of PMC, the history of iron casting, and how we got our name. The C.A. Lawton Co.’s most popular blog is The history of iron casting part I. Have you ever wondered about the history of iron casting? When did ancient man first dream of making objects out of molten metal? Even the best historians, archeologists and scientists may never truly know. But perhaps that’s why history is so intriguing. The world’s first castings Some historians believe that iron casting began in...Continue Reading
Lawton Standard works with Terra L. Fletcher of Fletcher Consulting to ensure consistent imagery and messaging across their foundries. Here’s what she told us in a recent interview. Terra, please tell us what you do for the Lawton companies. I understand you started with The C.A. Lawton Co.? My first introduction to C.A. Lawton was in 2016 or 2017. The company had been in business for nearly 140 years yet had never done social media marketing. Together, we developed a robust social media presence: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. With help from Cultivate Communications, C.A. Lawton redesigned their website...Continue Reading
Do you know Tim? Here’s a little about our CFO. Tim joined The Lawton Standard Co. as Chief Financial Officer in March 2020, bringing more than a decade of experience working with middle-market industrial businesses. Tim oversees all finance, treasury, and accounting activities, is responsible for information technology activities of Lawton Standard and leads the Company’s merger and acquisition efforts. Tim joined Lawton from Oakland Standard Co., where he served as a Principal responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing, and managing investments on behalf of the firm. Tim was previously a Vice President with private equity firms Superior Capital Partners and...Continue Reading
Barry is the Chief Operating Officer and LEAN expert for the Lawton Standard Co. and the C.A. Lawton Co in De Pere, WI. Barry is a problem solver who ensures the pattern, casting, and machining operations run safely, smoothly, and productively. He takes care of employees and customers, ensuring that Lawton is profitable. Employees say Barry is firm but fair and knows how to get things done yesterday. Today, Barry focuses on promoting continuous improvement through improved process flow, safety, and quality. Barry’s belief in quality training to prepare confident and competent employees helps make Lawton remarkable. Barry says, “At...Continue Reading
Today, we’d like to introduce our CTO, Blake! Blake calls himself a “foundryperson, information enthusiast, problem solver, the voice of reason, and an enjoyer of bourbon.” As an industrial engineer with more than 14 years of experience in the mining, railroad, and foundry industries, Blake holds the position as the Chief Technology Officer at the Lawton Standard Co. Blake has a track record of driving growth and reducing cost through continuous improvement. Blake received his undergraduate in Industrial Management and Applied Engineering at Southern Illinois University and earned his MBA at Millikin University’s Tabor School of Business. Blake spent the first...Continue Reading
Alex Lawton is the CEO of The Lawton Standard Co. But do you know him? People who have worked with Alex have said, they appreciate that he regularly brings in fresh cheese curds and he takes the time to check in with everyone. Our new employees and interns remark that they’re touched by his genuine care for people. Alex and his family have been manufacturing goods and providing services from the Green Bay, Wisconsin area since 1879. His uncle, E.W. Arndt began manufacturing a bran dressing machine under the name Novelty Manufacturing Co. in De Pere, Wisconsin. During the industrial...Continue Reading
What is The Lawton Standard Co. doing to improve service for the future of the casting industry? First, as our foundries work together, we’re all learning how to communicate better. Next, we’re collaborating to find the best processes, vendors, materials, and equipment. Then we work to improve our consistency across the platform by rolling out the best practices with intention. Here are just a few examples of what we’re doing to raise the standard for foundries. Communication The Lawton Standard Co. has been working to develop a means and a distribution channel for content. First, we take the time to...Continue Reading
Damascus Steel has a rich history and a stellar reputation, especially in the seamless tube industry. Since April 2020, Damascus Steel has been operating as a part of The Lawton Standard Co.’s family of companies. They are conveniently located in Novi, Michigan with their sister company, Temperform. Damascus Steel capabilities Weight range: up to 4,000lbs Capacity: 150 tons/month 300,000lbs/month Alloys poured: Manganese steelHeat resistant stainless steelsNickel based alloysHigh alloy carbon steelsWhite ironsGrey irons The history of Damascus Steel Since its founding in 1906, the Damascus Steel Casting Company has been providing customers with high-quality castings for the most challenging wear-resistant...Continue Reading
Penn-Mar Castings provides quality ductile iron and gray iron castings to a wide variety of industries worldwide. The management staff at our PA office has more than 200 decades of combined foundry experience, giving you the confidence that they know how to meet or exceed your current expectations. PMC is a proud member of The Lawton Standard Co. family of companies. Penn-Mar Castings is “The Best Kept Secret,” with production lead times of 3-6 weeks. We have been casting parts in the 150-5000 pound range since the 1960s. Penn-Mar Castings is a complete no-bake flaskless facility that specializes in highly...Continue Reading
Temperform is an award-winning, specialty manufacturer of heat, corrosion, abrasion-resistant steel castings, and machined components. Temperform is located in Southeastern Michigan in the city of Novi, which is centrally located between the city of Detroit and The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1970 and with 700+ years of employee foundry experience, Temperform is one of the nation’s leading specialty manufacturers of heat, corrosion, abrasion-resistant castings, and machined components. High-quality, award-winning, high-touch service is our hallmark. Temperform has rapidly developed a reputation for exceeding customer expectations, as well as, excelling with customization, vertical integration, and industry innovation....Continue Reading
The C.A. Lawton Co. in Minster, Ohio specializes in gray and ductile iron castings up to 45,000lbs. Capabilities Up to 45,000lbs Gray and ductile castings up to 45,000 pounds. Two 45-ton vertical induction furnaces meet the molten metal requirements, having a combined melt rate of seven tons per hour. Grey and ductile iron capabilities Grey iron capabilities (ASTM A48 class 30, 40, 45, and 50) Ductile iron capabilities (ASTM A536 class 60-40 18 to 120-90-02) Pattern design and construction Our pattern makers are skilled craftsmen who utilize wood, polyurethane, and polystyrene to construct the highest quality patterns. When existing patterns...Continue Reading
The C.A. Lawton Co. in De Pere, Wisconsin, specializes in large iron casting in the 500lb – 20,000lb range. They have an on-site pattern shop and on-site machining. Who they are The C.A. Lawton Co. is a fifth-generation foundry-centered manufacturer run for the benefit of employees, customers, owners, and the community. C.A. Lawton provides casting-centric solutions in an environment of safety, growth, and continuous improvement (LEAN). With 140 years of history, they’ve learned a lot about what works – and that extends far beyond engineering and casting large components. What they do The C.A. Lawton Co. makes buying castings easier...Continue Reading
To build any team, members need to know and understand the capabilities of each member. Anyone who has been on a team, whether a sport, business organization, or even a volunteer group, understands that everyone has different strengths and skills to bring to the effort. The Lawton Standard Co. recognized that to join four distinctly different foundry organizations, the strengths, and skills of the managers need to be understood by the leadership team. This led The Lawton Standard Co. family of companies to their first Leadership Summit. This two-day event was designed as an open forum to share status and...Continue Reading
The Lawton Standard Co. is pleased to announce the next step in building a comprehensive casting offering in the iron and steel segments of the foundry industry. This step involves installing effective operational leadership for each of its sites to direct the overall strategies of delivering quality castings from the newly formed family of foundries. Tim Horner will continue as Operations Manager of The C.A. Lawton Co. facility in Minster, OH. Tim joined the operation as a grinder after serving an extended time in the US Marines. In his 34 years, he has held every job classification except furnace operator....Continue Reading
Specialty Metals HoldCo LLC, the parent company of The C.A. Lawton Co., Temperform, Damascus Steel Casting Company, and The C.A. Lawton Co. – Minster, OH (former foundry division of Nidec Minster), and the newly acquired Penn-Mar Castings is changing its name to The Lawton Standard Co. Alex Lawton, CEO of The Lawton Standard Co., says, “We knew the platform name was a placeholder for internal use. We needed time to define whom we wanted to be in the marketplace. The future of these foundries as a group has become more clear recently, and now is the perfect time for us...Continue Reading
The C.A. Lawton Co. welcomes Hanover, PA facility as a third iron foundry location Birmingham, MI – Private equity firm, Oakland Standard Co., is proud to announce the expansion of its specialty metals platform and specifically the iron foundry group. Penn-Mar Castings, a gray-and-ductile iron foundry located in Hanover, Pennsylvania, will operate as the third location of The C.A. Lawton Co. Alex Lawton, CEO of the now five-site specialty metals platform, said, “the addition of Penn-Mar Castings to our platform and especially the Iron Group creates a truly next-level offering. The combination with The C.A. Lawton Co. and its De...Continue Reading
Midwest Manufacturing & Logistics joins The C.A. Lawton Co. family The C.A. Lawton Co. welcomes Minster, OH facility as a second iron foundry location Birmingham, MI – Private equity firm, Oakland Standard Company, is proud to announce the expansion of their iron foundries. Midwest Manufacturing & Logistics, an iron foundry located in Minster, Ohio will operate under Oakland Standard’s specialty metals platform as a second location of The C.A. Lawton Co. Nidec Minster Corporation’s Executive Officer (present foundry operator), David Winch says, “Since our founding in 1896, our ability to locally source high-quality parts has been extremely important to both...Continue Reading
Damascus Steel Casting Company joins Temperform and The C.A. Lawton Co. New Brighton, PA – Private equity firm, Oakland Standard Company, announces the expansion of the specialty metals platform. Damascus Steel Casting Company joins Temperform and The C.A. Lawton Co. in the platform aimed at providing the joint customer base with a more comprehensive casting offering. Damascus Steel, founded in 1906, has been helping customers in a variety of industries by supplying high-performance steel castings. Their expertise in providing low to medium volume shell mold castings from concept to finished product aligns with the engineered castings approach of the platform. ...Continue Reading
The C.A. Lawton Company (De Pere, WI) has merged with Temperform (Novi, MI) as part of a long-term acquisition and expansion strategy. They are creating a new specialty metals platform that will better position both companies for growth in the industry. This merger will allow each company access to the other’s products and enhance value-added offerings across their customer bases. This new specialty metals platform will operate under the umbrella of Oakland Standard, a firm that specializes in helping organizations grow through mergers and acquisitions as well as facility and automation investments. Alex Lawton, CEO of the new platform’s holding...Continue Reading
