20th International Forgemasters Meeting - IFM 2017

There have been many changes in the North American open die forging industry since the 19th International Forgemasters Meeting (IFM) in Tokyo, Japan in 2014. By far, the most significant has been the severe decline in orders and shipments since 2014. On a shipped tonnage basis, shipments have declined each year since Tokyo and are projected to be at the lowest levels since the early 1990’s. The timing and extent of any improvement is unclear. Trends regarding raw material costs and utility costs will be reviewed. The decline in production and other problems faced by the open die forging industry along with technical developments and developments related to open die forging company facilities will also be addressed.