Meadville Forging Company

Forging ahead with a centuries-old industrial tradition while harnessing the technologies of the new economy, Meadville Forging Company provides engineering and design, die-making, forging, heat treating, and machining. It started as a hammer company in the 1940s, but today is part of the MFC Group, along with sister companies Virginia Forge Company and Carolina Forge. The MFC Group is a major supplier of wheel hubs and transmission gears to the automotive industry. It also makes forgings for trucks, trailers, and rail and mining equipment, as well as a range of commercial bearing components and specialty forgings.

In late 2008 the company had to furlough 20% of its workforce companywide due to the automotive manufacturing slump. It has taken steps to reduce costs by reorganizing shifts to minimize the use of electricity during peak hours and organizing teams to reduce scrap and set-up time.

Meadville Forging makes more than 25 million wheel hubs a year, which represents more than half of the US domestic auto market for automobiles and light trucks. It does not supply directly to the auto industry, rather works with first-level suppliers like Delphi and Timken.

Meadville Forging Company operates 13 forging press systems from 1,000 to 4,000 tons. It uses electric induction heating to ensure uniform controlled temperature to reduce scale formation, improve surface quality, and extend die life. The company offers in-house services from start to finish, and uses the latest technology including pulse-plasma ion-nitriding, heat treating with oil quench capabilities, and robotics in machining. It conducts spectrometry testing on all shipments of raw steel to ensure the quality of the metal.