About Us
In 1988, Dekalb Forge was purchased by the owners of the company.
Sales at that time were near $1.7 million. Since then, the company
has grown through acquisition including:
| Company |
Date |
| Hellstrom Forge (Drop Forge Division) |
1991 |
| Blue Island Forge |
1992 |
| Ashland Forge |
1993 |
| Union Forge |
1994 |
| Remnants of various forge shops* |
1996-2001 |
| Butler Forge |
1997 |
| Rockford Drop Forge |
1999 |
| Cardinal Brass & Aluminum |
2001 |
| Endicott Forge |
2001 |
| Rhode Island Tool |
2002 |
| Conley Frog and Switch |
2005 |
| Kishwaukee Forge |
2006 |
| Illinois Forge |
2007 |
| Harvard Forge (AKA Buckeye Forge) & E.D. Clapp |
2008 |
| Automated Systems of Rockford |
2008 |
| * Berwick Forge, Allegheny Forge, Interstate Forge, Central Forge |
Sales are in excess of $50 million annually, making the company
a major provider of closed die forgings. The industries
currently served include aerospace, railroad, mining, oil & gas,
truck, off highway equipment, recreational vehicles, automotive
aftermarket, firearms, motorcycle, farm/agriculture, and ship building.
Manufacturing is performed in six different plant locations
including Ashland WI, Cortland IL, Dekalb IL, Rochelle IL, Rock
Falls IL, and Rockford
IL and parts are supplied throughout North America. The company
has the ability to forge a wide variety of materials including
carbon steel, stainless steel, brass-bronze-copper, aluminum,
microalloy, tool steel, and most grades of nickel based alloys.
Unlike many forge companies, we will manufacture small to medium
quantities thus allowing you to minimize inventory. With hammer,
press, and upset capabilities, we are able to make various complex
geometries. The plants have some redundancy in equipment allowing
us to shift production should the need arise (e.g. catastrophic
event).
Infrastructure reinvestment is ongoing within the company.
Recent infrastructure improvements include: three additional
bays at Cardinal Forge, two additional presses, a new roof at Rockford
Drop Forge, a new shipping and receiving building at Rockford Drop
Forge, additional die sinking and machining capabilities, and new forge equipment
at each location including induction furnaces. Reinvestment is
necessary to support our customers for decades into the future.
Continuous improvement is achieved with ongoing Six Sigma projects
and an active 5S program. These help improve profitability so
that we can continue to be a reliable supplier for our customer
base.
Sales, accounting, human resources, purchasing, and engineering
have been mostly centralized through the corporate headquarters
known as the Forge Resources Group. Centralizing resources lowers
cost, leverages buying power, and ultimately helps us offer forgings
at a competitive price. Our goal is to ultimately provide customers
with near net shape, high quality forgings delivered on time! |
