The American Foundry Society has an important three-part mission, centered around the pillars of advocacy, education, and innovation. AFS recently published an Annual Report that documents our work in advancing that mission. We encourage you to take some time to review the Annual Report, which can be found at www.afsinc.org/annualreport.
Much of the success AFS achieves in advancing that mission can be attributed to the commitment of an estimated 1,000 people who volunteer for AFS through committees, shared interest groups, chapters, and other forms of member involvement. The new year brings an opportunity for you, as a member of AFS, to be involved. The advantages of member involvement are many, including the following:
- Enhance your technical or management expertise.
- Deepen your professional network.
- Stay abreast of cutting-edge knowledge.
- Help plan programming for Metalcasting Congress
- Assist in vetting potential research projects.
- Enhance interaction between young professionals and industry veterans.
- Help strengthen the technical and economic status of our industry.
- Advance the mission of AFS at the local level (chapters) or in specific subject areas.
- Give back to the metalcasting industry
If you are not already involved in your regional chapter, we encourage you to do so. There are more than 40 industry chapters across North America. If you have questions about chapters, contact Ben Yates at 800-537-4237.
AFS also has several dozen committees, which are divided into various divisions. The divisions are listed below:
- Additive Manufacturing Division
- Aluminum & Light Metals Division
- Cast Iron Division
- Copper Alloy Division
- Engineeing Division
- Environmental Health & Safety Division
- Lost Foam Division
- Melting Methods & Materials Division
- Molding Methods & Materials Division
- Steel Division
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL
- Government Affairs Division
- Human Resources Division
- Marketing Division
- Future Leaders in Metalcasting
- Women in Metalcasting
Full committee descriptions can be found on the AFS website. Most committees have no limit on the number of members, and are now welcoming new members (note that Government Affairs and Human Resources have a limited number of seats). One does not need to be a metalcasting expert or industry veteran to serve on a committee. All that is needed is a strong interest in the subject matter, and company support for one’s participation. To join a committee, contact technicalassistant@afsinc. org or the AFS staff liaison for each committee.
All of us at AFS wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year, and we look forward to seeing you at an AFS event in the near future!