THE 2004 MARKET FOR HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS: With Market Forecasts Through 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Scope of the Report i

Definitions and Terms iii

Sources and Methodology iii

CHAPTER I: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The High-Pressure Die Casting Industry 1

Demand for Die-Cast Products 2

CHAPTER II: MARKET ENVIRONMENT FOR HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS

Overview 8

Factors Affecting Demand 8

Pricing Dynamics 10

Material Costs 12

Aluminum 13

Zinc 14

Magnesium 14

Industry Capacity 15

Regulatory Considerations 16

Foreign Trade 17

New Technologies 18

CHAPTER III: INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

Overview 20

Plant Population 20

Industry Stratification 23

Labor Productivity and Wages 23

Material Costs 25

Energy Costs 27

Manufacturing Requirements and Strategies 28

Vertical Integration 28

Changing Ownership and Consolidation 30

Marketing Strategies 31

Channels of Distribution 32

CHAPTER IV: HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTING INDUSTRY

Background 33

The High-Pressure Die Casting Process 34

Hot Chamber Die Casting 35

Cold Chamber Die Casting 35

Maintaining Quality in Die Casting 36

Squeeze Casting 37

Vacuum Die Casting 37

Types of Dies 38

Metal Melting Processes 38

Reverberatory Furnaces 39

Electric Induction Furnaces 40

Other Furnace Types 41

Secondary Operations 42

Automation and Control Processes 44

Metal Types 45

Die Casting Plants 46

End-Use Markets 48

CHAPTER V: THE ALUMINUM HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS MARKET

Overview 62

End-Use Market Summary 63

Motor Vehicles 69

Office and Computing Machinery 72

Other Transportation 73

Household Appliances 74

Electrical Equipment and Hardware 75

Internal Combustion Engines 77

Instruments 79

Powered Hand Tools 80

Toys and Sporting Goods 81

Refrigeration and Air Conditioning 82

Other End-Uses 83

CHAPTER VI: THE ZINC HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS MARKET

Overview 85

End-Use Market Summary 87

Motor Vehicles 91

Office and Computing Machinery 92

Builders'  Hardware 93

Household Appliances 95

Electrical Equipment and Hardware 96

Instruments 97

Powered Hand Tools 97

CHAPTER VI: THE ZINC HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS MARKET (cont' d.)

Toys and Sporting Goods 98

Other End-Uses 99

CHAPTER VII: THE MAGNESIUM HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS MARKET

Overview 101

End-Use Market Summary 103

Motor Vehicles 107

Office and Computing Machinery 108

Internal Combustion Engines 109

Instruments 110

Powered Hand Tools 111

Toys and Sporting Goods 112

Other End-Uses 113

CHAPTER VIII: OTHER HIGH-PRESSURE DIE CASTINGS MARKETS

Overview 115

Copper-Based Alloy Die Castings 115

Lead and Lead Alloy Die Castings 116

CHAPTER IX: COMPANY PROFILES

Overview 118

Captive Operations 120

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. 120

Bodine Aluminum, Inc. 121

Briggs & Stratton Corp. 121

Brunswick Corp. 122

DaimlerChrysler Corp. 123

Ford Motor Co. 124

General Motors Corp. 124

Noncaptive Operations 125

Atchison Casting Corp. 125

Cascade DieCasting Group, Inc. 126

Chicago White Metal Casting, Inc. 127

Citation Corp. 128

Dynacast, Inc. 128

Gibbs Die Casting Corp. 129

Heick Die Casting Corp. 130

Intermet Corp. 130

J.L. French Automotive Castings, Inc. 131

Leggett & Platt, Inc. 132

Madison-Kipp Corp. 133

Meridian Technologies, Inc. 134

CHAPTER IX: COMPANY PROFILES (cont' d.)

Noncaptive Operations (cont' d.)

Metaldyne Corp. 135

Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. 136

PHB, Inc. 136

RCM Industries, Inc. 137

Ryobi Die Castings (USA), Inc. 137

SPX Corp. 138

APPENDIX: DIRECTORY OF SELECTED U.S. DIE CASTING COMPANIES

Introduction 140

Directory 141

LIST OF TABLES

Table I-1 U.S. High-Pressure Die Castings Market 4

Table I-2 Average Annual Growth in Die Castings Shipments: Dollars 7

Table I-3 Average Annual Growth in Die Castings Shipments: Pounds 7

Table II-1 Selected Production Indexes 10

Table II-2 Selected Price Indexes 11

Table II-3 Average Annual Growth in Prices 12

Table II-4 High-Pressure Die Casting Industry Capacity and Utilization 16

Table II-5 High-Pressure Die Castings Foreign Trade 18

Table III-1 Die Casting Plant Population 21

Table III-2 Die Casting Industry Labor Productivity 24

Table III-3 Die Casting Industry Production Wages 25

Table III-4 Die Casting Material Costs 27

Table III-5 Die Casting Energy Costs 28

Table IV-1 Die Castings Shipments, by Die Casting Process 36

Table IV-2 Die Castings Shipments, by Metal Type 46

Table IV-3 Die Castings Shipments, All Metals, Custom vs. Captive 48

Table IV-4 Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use Market, All Metals:

Dollars 50

Table IV-5 Market Shares of Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use Market,

All Metals: Dollars 51

Table IV-6 Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use Market, All Metals:

Pounds 52

Table IV-7 Market Shares of Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use Market,

All Metals: Pounds 53

Table IV-8 Motor Vehicles: Die Castings Shipments, by Metal 54

Table IV-9 Office and Computing Machinery: Die Castings Shipments, by

Metal 55

Table IV-10 Internal Combustion Engines: Die Castings Shipments, by

Metal 56

Table IV-11 Household Appliances: Die Castings Shipments, by Metal 57

Table IV-12 Powered Hand Tools: Die Castings Shipments, by Metal 58

Table IV-13 Electrical Equipment and Hardware: Die Castings Shipments,

by Metal 59

Table IV-14 Instruments: Die Castings Shipments, by Metal 60

Table IV-15 Toys and Sporting Goods: Die Castings Shipments, by Metal 61

Table V-1 Aluminum Die Castings Summary 63

Table V-2 Summary of Aluminum Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use

Market: Dollars 66

Table V-3 Summary of Aluminum Die Castings Market Shares, by End-Use

Market: Dollars 67

Table V-4 Summary of Aluminum Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use

Market: Pounds 68

Table V-5 Summary of Aluminum Die Castings Market Shares, by End-Use

Market: Pounds 69

Table V-6 Aluminum Die Castings: Motor Vehicles 71

Table V-7 Aluminum Die Castings: Office and Computing Machinery 73

Table V-8 Aluminum Die Castings: Other Transportation 74

Table V-9 Aluminum Die Castings: Household Appliances 75

Table V-10 Aluminum Die Castings: Electrical Equipment and Hardware 77

Table V-11 Aluminum Die Castings: Internal Combustion Engines 78

Table V-12 Aluminum Die Castings: Instruments 80

Table V-13 Aluminum Die Castings: Powered Hand Tools 81

Table V-14 Aluminum Die Castings: Toys and Sporting Goods 82

Table V-15 Aluminum Die Castings: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning 83

Table V-16 Aluminum Die Castings: Other End-Uses 84

Table VI-1 Zinc Die Castings Summary 86

Table VI-2 Summary of Zinc Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use Market:

Dollars 89

Table VI-3 Summary of Zinc Die Castings Market Shares, by End-Use

Market: Dollars 89

Table VI-4 Summary of Zinc Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use Market:

Pounds 90

Table VI-5 Summary of Zinc Die Castings Market Shares, by End-Use

Market: Pounds 90

Table VI-6 Zinc Die Castings: Motor Vehicles 92

Table VI-7 Zinc Die Castings: Office and Computing Machinery 93

Table VI-8 Zinc Die Castings: Builders'  Hardware 94

Table VI-9 Zinc Die Castings: Household Appliances 95

Table VI-10 Zinc Die Castings: Electrical Equipment and Hardware 96

Table VI-11 Zinc Die Castings: Instruments 97

Table VI-12 Zinc Die Castings: Powered Hand Tools 98

Table VI-13 Zinc Die Castings: Toys and Sporting Goods 99

Table VI-14 Zinc Die Castings: Other End-Uses 100

Table VII-1 Magnesium Die Castings Summary 102

Table VII-2 Summary of Magnesium Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use

Market: Dollars 105

Table VII-3 Summary of Magnesium Die Castings Market Shares, by

End-Use Market: Dollars 105

Table VII-4 Summary of Magnesium Die Castings Shipments, by End-Use

Market: Pounds 106

Table VII-5 Summary of Magnesium Die Castings Market Shares, by

End-Use Market: Pounds 106

Table VII-6 Magnesium Die Castings: Motor Vehicles 108

Table VII-7 Magnesium Die Castings: Office and Computing Machinery 109

Table VII-8 Magnesium Die Castings: Internal Combustion Engines 110

Table VII-9 Magnesium Die Castings: Instruments 111

Table VII-10 Magnesium Die Castings: Powered Hand Tools 112

Table VII-11 Magnesium Die Castings: Toys and Sporting Goods 113

Table VII-12 Magnesium Die Castings: Other End-Uses 114

Table VIII-1 Other Die Castings Summary 117

Table IX-1 Dollar Market Shares of Major U.S. Die Casting Companies 119

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure I-1 Dollar Market Shares of Die Castings Shipments, by Metal Cast 5

Figure I-2 Unit Market Shares of Die Castings Shipments, by Metal Cast 6

Figure III-1 Total Number of Die Casting Plants 22

Figure V-1 Dollar Shipments of Aluminum Die Castings, by End-Use

Market 65

Figure VI-1 Dollar Shipments of Zinc Die Castings, by End-Use Market 88

Figure VII-1 Dollar Shipments of Magnesium Die Castings, by End-Use

Market 104