Meetings in Review

About CISA

MEETINGS IN REVIEW

The CISA Mission is to:

Support member companies in order to facilitate growth and prosperity by providing information, education and business opportunities, and by interfacing with other industry associations around the world to benefit the casting industry while fostering rewarding professional and business relationships.

MEETING IN REVIEW

2011 93rd CISA SPRING CONFERENCE

It is always amazing how much the world changes in the time between our meetings. The names that feature in the news today are not that familiar -Christchurch, Sendai, Cairo, Tunis, Fukushima and Benghazi. How many of us could find all of them on a map?

This highlights the need to keep learning because things are changing at a faster and faster rate. This is very apparent in the energy sector. With oil over $100 a barrel again and the current crisis with nuclear energy it is clear that the speed at which countries look for alternative forms of energy is increasing rapidly. We are getting close to a turning point in the US where there will be a stronger pull for cleaner energy. This pull will come from the need for energy independence and the effect on consumers' wallets from higher energy costs. It’s clear that dollars trump CO₂ emissions every time. The outcome will be a win for everyone. More energy independence, fewer emissions, and if we can get it right, a chance for North American manufacturers to participate in a growth industry that can produce jobs. With more manufacturing comes more casting usage.

Jim Bade, CISA 2nd VP, supported by the board, put together a great line-up of speakers for our 2011 Spring Conference. We had industry experts from across the energy sector including wind (Diane "Dee" Holody, Director of Operations, GLWN), solar ( A. Norton Archibald), and nuclear (John E. Marra, Associate Laboratory Director; Strategic Initiative Development). We also had two metal casting speakers. Joe Simko VP of Business Development for Hodge and Elyria Foundry has been a leading voice in the call for manufacturing wind castings in the US, and Tom Armstrong, President & Chief Operating Officer with Bradken Industries, a major supplier of steel castings to the oil and gas sector. The members' forums had an energy theme too; Lew Fish from Asbury Graphite discussed their growing presence in the lithium ion battery industry and Mark Ziegler from Unimin Corporation discussed the booming market in natural gas being drilled in the US. To add a local flavor, we had Dr. Donald Epley, a professor at the University of Southern Alabama, who provided an overview of the gulf economy since the spill in 2010. Since our members asked for an economist at least twice a year, we had James Russell, Regional Investment Manager & Senior Vice President of US Bank who helped us predict the economic future. Many of the presentations can be found in the "Members Only" section of the CISA website.

In all, a truly interesting and informative conference appreciated by all the attendees.