SeaCast foresees offshoots

By Holly Michels, of The Montana Standard - 12/15/2007

SeaCast, a precision parts casting company moving to a facility west of Butte, may bring more than a foundry company to the Mining City.

Bert Robins, vice president, said there’s potential for several support businesses to locate near SeaCast in the Tax Increment Financing Industrial District, located about 10 miles west of Butte. In a TIFID, a portion of property taxes is diverted into a special account for economic development. The TIFID is adjacent to the Port of Montana, southwest of Butte.

Auxiliary operations could include a machine shop or different metals and raw materials suppliers.

“Our machine shop in Washington is booked,” Robins said Friday. “There’s plenty of potential there for other operations.” Charlie O’Leary, TIFID board chairman, said the district always hoped support businesses would flock to TIFID anchor REC Silicone. “We’d always hoped for offshoots,” he said.

Attracting other businesses is still a question mark, but it’s guaranteed people from larger companies like General Electric will visit the plant for quality checks, Robins said.

“People from (companies SeaCast contracts with) will be coming here for quality audits,” he said.

SeaCast operates plants in Seattle, Marysville, Wash. and East Greenwich, R.I., and contracts with several major companies including Ingersoll Rand and Kenworth Truck Company to cast precision parts. The company also cast torches for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

SeaCast planned to open its foundry earlier this year, but the addition of a titanium process pushed the plant back. Robins said he hopes to pour metal by the end of 2008. Robins said he knows the delay has made some question SeaCast’s commitment to Butte.

“I know some are frustrated and bewildered at seeing the facility out there where the service it is providing is protection for antelope and deer ... But we spent over $1.5 million in equipment so far, and trucks (carrying the equipment) will start coming to town the second week in January.” Robins said the titanium process puts SeaCast 10 years ahead of his projections and into an elite group of foundries.

“There’s a barrier to people getting into it; it’s too expensive and too involved,” he said. “But it’s much better we go in this direction.” Reporter Holly Michels may be reached via e-mail at holly.michels@lee.net.