For almost 30 years, West Feliciana’s Howell Foundry has been a leader in producing quality castings for the paper, energy, mining, and petrochemical industries. Specializing in fabricating niche replacements parts, this local employer keeps the engines of Gulf Coast manufacturers running.
A decades-long relationship with Bank of St. Francisville has helped the local business grow and innovate, said Howell Foundry founder and managing member Zed Howell. A few years back, the bank’s support enabled it to add 3D printing technology, used to create casts out of fine silica sand for casting machine components. Some of the most common replacement parts the foundry makes are pump impellers, vital components within centrifugal pumps that keep liquid moving through a system.
But no matter the component, time is of the essence when sourcing a hard-to-find replacement, since downtime means lost revenue for a manufacturer. When Howell Foundry saw an opportunity to increase its speed and efficiency by implementing a sophisticated sand recycling system, Bank of St. Francisville was there to help.
The bank extended Howell Foundry a loan to build out a new sand reclamation facility, which enables the company to recycle the fine silica sand required by the 3D printing process. Howell Foundry is one of only two companies in the United States to deploy this type of system, Zed said.
1 of 2
Zed Howell, left, with BSF's Executive Vice President for Commercial Lending, Ricky Sparks, right
2 of 2
Howell Foundry uses fine-grade silica sand in the casting process
“The sand reclamation system is sophisticated enough to recycle the sand to the quality standards demanded by the printer. The process goes a lot deeper than anything we’ve done before. It breaks the sand in single grain size. Then it goes through an oven to burn off the glue. It returns the sand to like-new quality.”
Zed Howell, founder
Howell Foundry used a BSF construction loan to build the new facility on an undeveloped portion of its site in southern West Feliciana parish. Supporting the company’s continued growth makes good sense, says BSF Executive Vice President of Commercial Lending Ricky Sparks.
“We’ve built a long-standing customer relationship with this local employer,” Ricky said. “It’s another example of how the bank grows with its customers, and meets customers’ needs as they grow. Howell Foundry is an economic driver for West Feliciana Parish.”
The sand reclamation system is game changer for Howell Foundry, Zed said.
Recycling sand cuts down on expensive silica sand costs. It also eliminates delays in sand delivery, which had long been a pain point for the company.
“There were times when we were sitting on our hands because we didn’t have sand,” Zed said. “Now we have consistency with our inventory. It’s really helped us achieve our goals of quick, high-quality turnaround.”
Zed says Howell Foundry’s relationship with Bank of St. Francisville has helped the company deploy best-in-class solutions as it continues to serve one of the Gulf South’s key sectors. Most importantly, the bank has delivered support in a simple, seamless manner.
Zed sums it up in an anecdote.
“A very well-known, well-respected businessman up here saw what we were doing, and asked me if we’d had trouble getting a loan. He wondered if we had to beg for it and jump through the hoops,” Zed recalls.
“I said, ‘No. I went to the Bank of St Francisville.’
And he said, ‘Now, that’s a real bank.”
To learn how a business or construction loan from Bank of St. Francisville can help build your business, visit bsf.net/service/business-lending
