Happy Thanksgiving from your friends Anderson Shumaker! We’re thankful to have a few days off to celebrate with family and friends this holiday week. This year, we have a lot to be thankful for (not just a second – or third – helping of pumpkin pie). New Management We’re thankful to have been under new…
Customer satisfaction surveys are a big part of how we do business at Anderson Shumaker. We know our customers have options when it comes to forged products suppliers. Therefore, we regularly gather feedback about our services and products. This feedback gives us insight into what our customers need. Most importantly, it drives future decisions. At…
At Anderson Shumaker, we don’t just forge metals; we forge an excellent company culture. Culture is a critical and unique part to every business. Most importantly, it’s the core values that make employees want to join a team, and one of the biggest reasons why they stay – or leave – an organization. Therefore, crafting…
Forging aluminum grades is an important part of Anderson Shumaker’s production. Our skilled team knows their metals inside and out. But, not everyone is familiar with the many materials we forge. Each metal has its own unique properties and attributes. Therefore, not all metals are appropriate for all products. A few weeks back we discussed…
When you think “forging,” you probably don’t think “information technology.” While it seems like the two don’t go together, the truth is that information technology (IT) is a major part of modern forging. Without innovative IT, we’d be stuck in the dark ages. That wouldn’t be good for our customers or our employees. At Anderson…
This summer Chicago gained an unusual celebrity: Chance the Snapper. Chance is a 40 lb, 5+ foot alligator named after the city’s very own Chance the Rapper. For one whole July week, the rogue gator lived his best life swimming around the Humboldt Park Lagoon. We loved following our resident reptile’s Chicago adventures. We even…
Our team achieved record breaking sales in July 2019. We’re only 1 week into autumn, but we’re already beating those numbers. Each month keeps getting better! What’s our secret? First, Anderson Shumaker has a stellar sales team. From our top sales management to our customer service experts, each sales team member is industry knowledgeable and…
Anderson Shumaker is now AS9100D (aerospace) certified. This certification is based on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)‘s aerospace industry standards. This is an important achievement for an open die forging company if the company seeks to become an aerospace industry supplier. For example, all major aerospace regulators endorse and require the AS9100D certification: DoD…
Anderson Shumaker really had a blast this summer. While Chicago’s weather was thankfully mild, we kept things hot on the shop-floor. From hosting tasty company barbeques, celebrating our 1-year new management anniversary, and earning coveted company certifications, we really had a fantastic summer! This June we proudly celebrated our 1-year anniversary under new management. Over…
Happy Independence Day from Anderson Shumaker! It’s a fantastic weekend for a barbecue, fireworks, or a fun getaway. Most importantly, today Americans come together to celebrate our nation’s history and heritage. To help you celebrate, here are a few fun Independence Day facts: Did You Know…? While July 4th was not a federal holiday until…
Forging University: Lesson #5 – Open-Die Forging vs. Centrifugal Casting Welcome back to Forging University! The fifth and last topic in our 5-part discussion compares two popular types of forging: open-die and centrifugal casting. Before reading on, take a quick look back to: Lesson #1, Lesson #2, Lesson #3, and Lesson #4 to review what…
Forging carbon steel is an important part of Anderson Shumaker’s production. Our skilled team knows their metals inside and out. But, not everyone is familiar with the many materials we forge. Each metal has its own unique properties and attributes. Therefore, not all metals are appropriate for all products. A few weeks back we discussed alloys. Today…
Did you know that Anderson Shumaker offers in-house testing on our forgings? While our forgings and ring rolling represent the best in high quality products, they wouldn’t be the best if it wasn’t for our in-house testing services. Usually, testing is the final step in manufacturing. Consequently, it’s a critical for cost-savings. Most importantly, by…
Forging University: Open-Die Forging vs. Closed-Die Forging Welcome back to Forging University! This is the fourth topic in our 5-part discussion. Today, we’ll compare two popular types of forging: open die vs. closed die. To get started, take a quick look back to Lesson #1, Lesson #2, and Lesson #3 to review forging basics. You can…
Anderson Shumaker offers complete finishing services on our forged products. Because we’re one-stop shop, our in-house extras save our customers both time and money. Above all, we offer seamless traceability. This means that with one phone call, our customers can trace the exact status of an order from start to end. From a CAD drawing…
Spring has finally sprung in Chicago! We’re “rolling” in the season with an increased production of our forged round bars. Did you know that round bars are an Anderson Shumaker specialty? We really strive to raise the “bar” with both our materials inventory and production. Our custom round bars are suited for multiple applications and…
Forging alloy steel is an important part of Anderson Shumaker’s production. Our skilled team knows their metals inside and out. But, not everyone is familiar with the many materials we forge. Each metal has its own unique properties and attributes. Therefore, not all metals are appropriate for all products. Last week we discussed tool steel. Today we’ll…
Forging University: Lesson #3 – Open-Die Forging vs. Torch Cutting Welcome back to Forging University! This is the third topic in our 5-part discussion. Today we compare forging vs. torch cutting. Before continuing, take a look at Lesson #1 and Lesson #2 to review forging basics. You can also check out Anderson Shumaker’s forging page for…
Happy Valentine’s Day from your friends in Anderson Shumaker’s heat treatment department. We don’t know what your special plans are, but on the shop floor, we like to keep things burning hot all year round… at least when it comes to heat treatment! Did you know that heat treating plays a significant role in the forging process?…
Today we’ll take a deep into the metal tool steel. This material is more common than most people realize. Metals are the beating heart of our industry. The skilled team at Anderson Shumaker knows their metals inside and out. But, not everyone is familiar with the many metals we forge. Each metal has its own…
Today we’ll take an in-depth look at one of our favorites and most popular metals: stainless steel. At Anderson Shumaker, we know our metals. From alloys to carbon and tool steels, we forge them all. However, most people aren’t familiar with the different metals we use. Each material has its own properties, attributes, and special…
Forging University: Lesson #2 – Open Die Forging vs. Casting Welcome back to Forging University! The second topic in our 5-part discussion compares forging and casting. Before reading, take a quick look back to Lesson #1 and review forging basics. Additionally, you can check out the Anderson Shumaker forging page. What is Casting? Casting is the process…
Forging University: Open Die Forging vs. Fabrication Welcome to Forging University! The first topic in this 5-part discussion compares forging and fabrication. Therefore, let’s start with some basics: What is Forging? Forging is the shaping of metal by heating it in a fire or furnace and then beating or hammering it into a final shape.…
Welcome to Forging University! Welcome to Forging University, a new Anderson Shumaker blog mini-series. In 5 sessions, we’ll take a deep dive into the forging process. For example, we’ll see how it compares to other popular metalworking techniques. Today marks the first full week of 2019. Our doors are open, our furnaces are fired-up, and…
While most people ring in the New Year with fireworks and champagne, we prefer to ringing it in with a different type of “fireworks.” Our team is back in the shop, already forging and filling 2019 orders. Did you know that rolled rings are an Anderson Shumaker specialty? We forge rings 3” OD up to…
Happy New Year from your forging friends at Anderson Shumaker! 2018 has been quite a year for us, and it really shows. In January, we completed a 26,000 square foot, $15 million expansion. This included a lot of strategic upgrades. For example, we added: 2 charging furnaces, 1 heat treating furnace, a 2500-ton hydraulic forging…
But it’s not cold in our heat treatment department! Heat treating is a significant part of the forging process. Anderson Shumaker keeps heat treatment in-house, which saves our clients time and money. Our electronically controlled furnaces ensure both temperature and accuracy, giving us control on both variables and documentation. Heat treating uses heating or chilling to achieve desired…
Global Carbon Steel Forgings Industry 2018 – Anderson Shumaker….. TOPICS:Carbon Steel ForgingsCarbon Steel Forgings MarketCarbon Steel Forgings Market 2018 Global Carbon Steel Forgings Market, 2018 Research Report” is an extensive Carbon Steel ForgingsMarket research report contains an introduction on new trends that can guide the businesses performing in the Carbon Steel Forgings industry to understand the…
The holiday season has finally rolled in. As we reflect on this year’s holidays, we also reflect on those who’ve helped shape our business throughout 2018. It certainly has been quite a year for the Anderson Shumaker team. With brand new management, updated operations processes, talented expert consultants, and a team-wide can-do attitude, we’ve made…
It’s holiday ham tradition time at Anderson Shumaker! Each year we happily gift our hardworking employees tasty holiday dinners. For Thanksgiving, we gave turkeys; for Christmas, we’re giving smoked hams. Most importantly, it’s all super delicious! Did you know that only 12% of American businesses continue this holiday tradition today? Gifting these seasonal dinners used…
Anderson Shumaker is a leader in open die forging. We’ve been forging this way since 1902. Open die forging is the best method to meet tolerances. For example, it results in completely filled, finished parts and it creates the least amount of material waste. But what exactly is “open die forging”? Let’s break it down:…
While most people are watching their shape around the holidays, at Anderson Shumaker, we love all shapes and sizes. Subsequently, we forge round bars, flat bars, blocks, discs and gear blanks, rings, step downs, and more. We make all our open die forgings to match our customers’ exact specifications. We’re also proud of our reputation…
Forging metal is the heart of our industry. At Anderson Shumaker, our skilled team knows their metals inside and out. We’re masters at forging all metal grades – alloys, carbon, nickel, stainless steel, tool steel, and many more. We’re also located in Chicago, a city rich in forging history. But, not many people know the…