BROWNTOWN - Flying sparks, red hot molten iron and the huge Vulcan manipulator, dubbed T-Rex, will be part of the tours and demonstrations from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Grede foundry near Browntown.
The last time Grede Browntown opened its doors was 10 years ago to show employee families what was happening in the foundry, according to General Manager Dan Verschage.
This year, the open house is for the public to learn what the foundry does.
"We're proud to be part of Green County," Verschage said, "but we tend to get ignored out here in the corn field."
Grede Browntown foundry is indeed surrounded by the rolling hills and fields of the Green County countryside, but their products are known around the world.
Using sand molds, the foundry specializes in larger gray and ductile iron castings for heavy duty, industrial and agricultural markets, pouring 130 tons of molten iron a day, five to six days a week.
Castings average 350 pounds each, and some can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Parts leave the foundry in a "rough state" for other companies to do the finishing work and assembly, Verschage added.
The company is a large recycler of scrap metal, much of it coming from local recycling company Behr Green County Salvage.
The Browntown foundry employs 180 people and is actively growing, Verschage said. "We started the year with 140 (employees) and recently added 40 this year."
Verschage said the foundry is looking ahead to the second quarter of 2012, and expects to add 40 more workers, who will be trained for the specialized job positions.
Grede employees were busy earlier this week preparing Plexiglas viewing areas and children platforms for the Saturday tours of the facilities, which are an impressive 151,000 square feet and four stories tall.
Tours are scheduled for every 15 minutes, and live iron pouring demonstrations are at 1 and 3 p.m.
Some parts made at the foundry will be on display, along with images of the massive brand-name machinery and trucks they equip.
Parts are made for diesel and natural gas engines and stationary power supplies, off-road vehicles, municipal waterworks and heavy industries.
The foundry makes parts for the largest mining trucks in the world and defense parts for the British.
"We have some parts deployed to Afghanistan," Verschage said.
On the tour, visitors will see the Vulcan manipulator, a robotic bought in 2007, to handle glowing red parts right off the casting production lines.
Grede Browntown is one of 18 facilities in the Grede Holdings LLC family. In 2010, the former Citation Corporation combined with Grede Foundries Inc. and Blackhawk Foundry to form Grede Holdings LLC.
The last time Grede Browntown opened its doors was 10 years ago to show employee families what was happening in the foundry, according to General Manager Dan Verschage.
This year, the open house is for the public to learn what the foundry does.
"We're proud to be part of Green County," Verschage said, "but we tend to get ignored out here in the corn field."
Grede Browntown foundry is indeed surrounded by the rolling hills and fields of the Green County countryside, but their products are known around the world.
Using sand molds, the foundry specializes in larger gray and ductile iron castings for heavy duty, industrial and agricultural markets, pouring 130 tons of molten iron a day, five to six days a week.
Castings average 350 pounds each, and some can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. Parts leave the foundry in a "rough state" for other companies to do the finishing work and assembly, Verschage added.
The company is a large recycler of scrap metal, much of it coming from local recycling company Behr Green County Salvage.
The Browntown foundry employs 180 people and is actively growing, Verschage said. "We started the year with 140 (employees) and recently added 40 this year."
Verschage said the foundry is looking ahead to the second quarter of 2012, and expects to add 40 more workers, who will be trained for the specialized job positions.
Grede employees were busy earlier this week preparing Plexiglas viewing areas and children platforms for the Saturday tours of the facilities, which are an impressive 151,000 square feet and four stories tall.
Tours are scheduled for every 15 minutes, and live iron pouring demonstrations are at 1 and 3 p.m.
Some parts made at the foundry will be on display, along with images of the massive brand-name machinery and trucks they equip.
Parts are made for diesel and natural gas engines and stationary power supplies, off-road vehicles, municipal waterworks and heavy industries.
The foundry makes parts for the largest mining trucks in the world and defense parts for the British.
"We have some parts deployed to Afghanistan," Verschage said.
On the tour, visitors will see the Vulcan manipulator, a robotic bought in 2007, to handle glowing red parts right off the casting production lines.
Grede Browntown is one of 18 facilities in the Grede Holdings LLC family. In 2010, the former Citation Corporation combined with Grede Foundries Inc. and Blackhawk Foundry to form Grede Holdings LLC.