Being new to the industry and having recently joined the Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society (my first day was Dec 1st), I jumped on an opportunity to attend a workshop on the Casting and Forging industry held at MxD in Chicago.
These DoD sponsored in-person workshops brought industry, academia, government, and relevant trade associations together to develop a technology road map focused on how digital manufacturing technologies can benefit the Casting and Forging industry.
I had the opportunity to meet and learn from industry veterans from the Steel Founders Society of America, Lockheed Martin, US Air Force, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, ARM Institute, and many others.
Workshop #1 was held on November 4, 2025, and focused on identifying issues facing the C&F industry and developing a formalized series of problem statements.
I attended Workshop #2. Facilitated by EY, it focused on Defining the Future State of the C&F Industry to Support the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and built upon the findings in the first workshop with breakout groups focused on root causes and possible solutions to 13 problem statements.
The top 5 business challenges identified for the C&F industry included:
- Complex DoD Procurement Processes
- Skilled Workforce gaps/ Attracting and retaining a quality workforce
- Unreliable demand signals
- Significant capital and operational costs for expansion
- Lack of end-to-end digital files
The goal of the workshop was not to find the final “silver bullet” solution to these pressing issues. Many industry veterans in the group have been down this road before and no change has occurred. The goal, as explained by our EY facilitator, is to inform MxD of the needs, challenges, root causes, and possible solutions so they can come to a consensus on a smaller group of focus areas and begin the work of finding solutions.
There are, however, resources that are currently available that address some of these issues. Most notably issue #1 – the Complex DoD Procurement Processes is addressed by ICON, a web-based portal designed to connect the casting, machining and forging industries with opportunities to make critical parts for the Department of Defense.
ICON streamlines the procurement process for cast and forged metal parts needed for military applications. It acts as a marketplace connecting DLA's procurement needs with foundries, forgers and machine shops capable of producing these parts. ICON is funded by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program (IBAS) and developed and operated by the Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS).
The final Workshop #3 to be held January 21, 2026, will align on a road map to address C&F capacity. I will be attending and will share our findings.
I’d love to hear what’s working for you. I welcome an opportunity to learn from industry veterans. I can be reached at felipe@iconportal.com.