Press Releases

March 25, 2008 - Applied Process, Inc. Expands Sales Force
Livonia, Michigan – The Applied Process family of companies has expanded its sales force with the addition of a Regional Sales Engineer position and is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Vasko Popovski.

Mr. Popovski is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin. . He received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering and B.A. in Economics from The University of Pittsburgh and an M.A. in Technology from Kent State University. .

Vasko also brings over 15 years experience in Engineering, Management and Sales in the foundry industry. He has authored and published seven technical papers. As an instructor, Vasko has also conducted numerous technical seminars for clients, professional groups, and University students.

He is active with American Foundry Society as Chair of the 5L Committee on Molten Metal Processing. Vasko also serves on two other AFS Cast Iron Division committees.

AP’s COO, John Wagner, said “This combination of education, experience and active involvement in industry organizations will surely help us continue to achieve our Corporate Goals.”

May 18th 2007 – ADI Seed Boot Receives Prestigious Casting of the Year Award!
Smith Foundry Co., Minneapolis, MN. claimed the top prize in the annual Casting of the Year Competition hosted by Engineered Cast Solutions Magazine and the American Foundry Society for their Rangeland Planter Boot casting submission. Their conversion of a multiple piece steel weldment to an Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) one piece thin walled (0.25 in) casting achieved a 65% cost reduction, 15% weight reduction and a 50% reduction in lead time over its fabricated counterpart. Increased wear properties are also expected to be achieved and will be validated during field use. The previous weldment averaged only 500 acres of planting before it needed to be changed.

Applied Process, Inc. would like to congratulate Smith Foundry on a job well done!

For the full PDF version of the article please click here.

May 17, 2007
History and Properties of Grade 750 ADI
A paper titled “The History and Properties of Grade 750 ADI” was presented by Dr. Kathy L. Hayrynen at the AFS Casting Congress in Houston on May 17, 2007. This paper describes the development of Grade 750 ADI since the early 1970’s in addition to providing data from research in progress at Applied Process Technologies Division.

The paper is co-authored by John R. Keough, CEO of the Applied Process Companies. It is available as part of the 2007 Transactions of the American Foundry Society.

May 16, 2007
AFS Presents Best Paper Awards
The American Foundry Society presented the 2007 Best Paper Award for the Cast Iron Division to Dr. Kathy L. Hayrynen and co-authors Dennis Moore, Jason Parolini and Dr. Karl Rundman from Michigan Technological University for their paper titled ”On the Thermal Stability of Ausferrite in Austempered Gray Iron Components for Long Exposure High-Temperature Applications.”

Dr. Hayrynen presented this paper at the 2006 AFS Casting Congress. It summarizes the results of a thermal stability study on the material used to produce gray cast iron cylinder liners for diesel engines.

Best paper awards for the American Foundry Society are determined by peer review of papers submitted for publication in AFS Transactions. This is the fourth best paper award for Dr. Hayrynen, three of which were co-authored with Rundman and Moore.

December 20, 2006 - PDF version with photos
Applied Process commissions heat treat facility in China
Facility offers world-class Austemper services for the Chinese domestic market.

Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, December 20th, 2006 – In front of an Open House crowd of over 250 people, CEO John Keough commissioned AP Suzhou (pronounced sue∙joe), the newest member of the Applied Process family of companies. The AP Group, Worldwide leaders in Austempering technology, held the grand opening of their newest facility in conjunction with the ‘4th China Conference on ADI’. The event was attended by customers, suppliers, neighbors, friends, government officials, international guests, and even a few competitors. AP Suzhou, as with its sister facilities, will offer its customers the highest quality Austempering services available, on time and at competitive prices. AP Suzhou will have the support of Applied Process’ fully staffed R&D and technical marketing departments to aid its Chinese customers with the implementation of Austempering processes that make their components stronger, tougher, lighter, and more wear resistant. For more information on AP Suzhou please visit www.appliedprocess.com.

September 18, 2006
AP corporate Human Resources Manager
9-18-2006 - John Keough, CEO of Applied Process Inc., the leader in Austempering technology, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Ford as Human Resources Manager for the AP companies worldwide.

Steve has fourteen years of industrial experience in various roles ranging from production supervision to HR administration and management. His work experiences include operations that manufacture containers, glass manufacturing, commercial lending, electrogalvanizing and steel manufacturing.

In his new role, Steve will report to John Keough and will be responsible for administering the HR function for all of the plants, providing HR advice and counsel to all AP employees and the management team and aiding AP in our development plans so that, as we grow, we can take even better care of AP’s most important asset…..our people.

June 16, 2006
Applied Process is pleased to acknowledge the ASM International announcement that Kathy L. Hayrynen, PhD, has been elected a Fellow of ASM International. The ASM International announcement cited Dr. Hayrynen's "outstanding contributions to research, development and application of Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)".

Dr. Hayrynen will have this honor conferred upon her at the Convocation of Fellows to be held during the ASM International Awards Dinner (October 17th) at the 2006 MS&T held October 15-19th in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Applied Process team congratulates "Dr. Kathy" on this significant achievement.

May 22, 2006
John Keough, CEO of Applied Process Inc., the leader in Austempering technology, is pleased to announce the latest member of the AP family of companies. AP Suzhou, located in Suzhou , Jiangsu Province, China will commence commercial Austempering operations 01 November 2006. The Interim General Manager, Josh Keough, will report to AP’s Chief Operating Officer, John Wagner. AP Suzhou will be dedicated to growing the domestic market for Austempered steels and irons in China . The 4,250 square meter plant is located in the Weiting Town District of the SIP Industrial Park about 100km west of Shanghai . AP Suzhou will offer the full line of Austempering services including: Austempered Steel, Carbo-Austempered(tm) Steel, Austempered Gray Iron (AGI), Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) and Carbidic ADI (CADI). It will be supported by AP’s dedicated research, engineering, and technical marketing efforts, and its plants and affiliates worldwide.

March 1, 2006 ASM Detroit Chapter recognizes Dr. Kathy Hayrynen. PhD
The Chair of the ASM-Detroit Chapter uses its annual Chapter Service Award to recognize a member who has contributed an extraordinary effort to the chapter's programs and mission to educate its members and the public at-large about materials... Read more here (PDF)

December 1, 2005 Keough, Dotson and Farrar Present at Australian Foundry Conference
John Keough, CEO of Applied Process, co-authored and presented a paper with Dennis Dotson, (Dotson Company), and Joe Farrar (Farrar Corporation) at the 36th Australian Foundry Institute National Conference held in Penrith, New South Wales, Australia 23-26 October 2005. The paper entitled, “Growing the Pie for Ductile Iron-How Three US Producers are Competing in a Flat World”... Read more here (PDF)

December 1, 2005 SAE Excellence in Oral Presentation Award
Dr. Kathy Hayrynen has been selected as a recipient of a 2005 SAE Excellence in Oral Presentation Award. This award is presented to those who gave outstanding presentations during the 2005 SAE World Congress & Exhibition. Her presentation “Wear Properties of Austempered Ductile Iron” was cited for this award. Excellence in Oral Presentation Awards are based on the speaker evaluations of those in attendance at technical sessions. They are designed to maintain the high standards associated with SAE technical meetings.

November 11, 2005 Applied Process, Supplier of the Year
The FEF (Foundry Educational Foundation) is pleased to announce that Applied Process Inc. was chosen as this year’s “Supplier of the Year”. This award was presented to Applied Process’ “CEO”, “John Keough” on Friday, November 11, 2005. FEF initiated this award at the 1995 College Industry Conference held in Chicago, Illinois; Applied Process became the ninth company named as “Supplier of the Year”. Applied Process, along with all of the previous awardees, has shown an unwavering interest in providing support for the future leaders of the metalcasting industry. Applied Process was chosen as the 2005 recipient based not only on their financial support, but also their personal support. John Keough has been serving on the FEF Board of Trustees since 1995, helping to direct the foundation in its mission to “strengthen the metal casting industry by supporting unique partnerships among students, educators and industry, helping today’s students become tomorrow’s leaders.”

October 17, 2005 Steven Sumner appointed Plant Manager
Applied Process Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Steven Sumner as Plant Manager of the Applied Process Inc. facility in Livonia, Michigan. Steve is a Metallurgical Engineer with 18 years of heat treat experience. His prior roles have included R&D technician, ISO/QS Management representative, factory start-up engineer, and plant management. Steve is currently pursuing a graduate degree in industrial management. He will report to AP’s Chief Operating Officer, John Wagner. Steve is a welcome member to the AP Team and is ready to serve AP’s current and future customers in his new role.

April 19, 2005 Award of Scientific Merit - John R. Keough
John Keough received an Award of Scientific Merit from the American Foundry Society, which is one of the society's highest honors. This award was presented to John for pioneering efforts in the commercialization of austempered cast irons and the development of the databases to market these materials.