The Shapemakers by The Aluminum Extruders Council

The AEC Student Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition is a yearly scholarship opportunity for university, technical college and high school students. It provides an opportunity for students to earn money for school while also learning about a manufacturing process that is universal yet widely under-represented in school curriculum. Duncan Crowdis, AEC's Academic Engagement Team Chair, interviews competition judges Craig Werner of Werner Extrusion Solutions and Todd Boyer of Mid-States Aluminum to discuss how the competition can be used as a teaching tool by instructors, the qualities of a good competition entry, and what resources are available from AEC to assist students and instructors. Design Competition two-time past winner Emma Jacobs, a student at California Polytechnic State University, talks about her award-winning designs, her design process and what students should know about entering the Aluminum Extrusion Design Competition.

As students and parents look at choices for desirable career paths, this podcast focuses on the changes in the work environment and attractive career opportunities within today's aluminum extrusion manufacturing industry. This includes broad opportunities that come from the adoption of advanced technologies, a variety of educational qualification levels required for different positions within the manufacturing business, excellent earning potential at various skill levels, available training and development support and upward mobility within these type of operations. Duncan Crowdis, President-retired of Bonnell Aluminum discusses this topic with Chuck Stout, President of Pennex Aluminum and Jessica Borza, Executive Director of Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition.

In this first in a series of podcasts that cover the various components of a trade case, we will explore Scope Challenges. Since our case was won in 2011, the AEC has had over 125 scope challenges. Each challenge has the potential to exclude large portions of our customer base from the protection afforded to us by the duties. We will discuss the process by which one will file a case, how it is handled, and what products a decision will possibly cover.

In this episode we will discuss the latest developments in the Reflections Scope Challenge to our case. Reflections has introduced a hybrid window wall/curtain wall product that is high disputed as being subject merchandise by the AEC. Many AEC members participate in this market and several of them have come forward to assist us in winning this case. Get the latest update from our lead attorney, Robert DeFrancesco.

In 2021 and 2022 the AEC and its members will be filing for another 5-year extension of its historic Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty cases. In this episode, Robert DeFrancesco, Partner at Wiley Law and lead attorney of our case, will discuss the process, timeline, and expectations for this important task.

In this introductory episode of The Shapemakers, AEC President Jeff Henderson joins Guy Charpentier of Bonnell Aluminum and AEC Industry Promotion Steering Committee Chair, and Jason Weber of Taber Extrusions and AEC's Marketing Team Chair, to discuss what this new podcast from the Aluminum Extruders Council will cover. The episodes will strive to generate more awareness about the aluminum extrusion industry, applications, trade issues and a whole lot more.