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There’s a local business to acknowledge, if you’ve ever had a ride on the “It’s a Small World”, Walt Disney World & didn’t get jammed.
Company president, Richard Singer stated Acra Cast, an investment-casting foundry, makes parts for the pumps that keep the attraction’s water & the boat, moving.
But that’s not the only thing the Bay City precision casting operation has done over the decades. The Bay City Times reported, from collector’s hood ornaments to football face masks projected to curb concussions, Acra Cast has developed quite good business.
The foundry is celebrating this year, its 50th year in industry. With winning a recent award for their face mask & plans for expansion, Singer said now is the perfect time to celebrate.
The American Foundry Society presented Acra Cast with the worthy mention for its stainless steel face mask all through the group’s 2016 casting competition. The mask can decrease head injuries in a sport that’s already under fire for concussions, but it is not yet adopted by the NFL or NCAA.
“The cast covers have more spring, more elasticity & they’re dispersing the energy all over the mask, not just on the person’s head,” according to him. “The energy spike examined is slower & lower. It’s resulting in a 25% – 35% lower severity index as compared to tests executed on masks that are fabricated, welded together.
“Anytime you can get 30% upgrading on anything, is a huge step forward.”
Singer said Acra Cast was originated in 1966, by two former-General Motors engineers. At that point, the foundry mostly cast automotive assembly parts in the region.
In 1997, after Singer & his father bought Acra Cast, they extended their parts production & customer base.
When many were turning to China for their foundry needs, the two modified the building & quality control systems, bought a new furnace & also established themselves among a niche market.
Richard “Dick” Singer, Singer’s father, worked at Acra Cast for over 40 years and died in 2010.
But like the football face masks, the thing that’s keeping Acra Cast afloat is its skill to cast small – medium orders of complex geometrical shapes with a short turnaround time.
Acra Cast’s yearly sales are around $2 million, according to Singer, up from nearly $1.25 million 15 years ago. Singer attributes the growth to technological investments.
Singer said they expect to break ground on a new expansion in Bay City by 2018.
