In September of 1964, my Navy career came to an abrupt end when I was medically discharged and sent home.  Now I was married, we were living with my parents, and I had no job. 

Out of the blue a few days after arriving home, however, I received a call from a friend letting me know the company he was working for was hiring. So I immediately drove to the plant and after a brief interview I was hired. What a break. I was employee number 13 in a company that eventually grew to several US locations and about 2,000 employees, and is presently owned by Daimler-Benz.

The company was a brand-new aluminum foundry named Consolidated Metco Corporation and which was owned by Consolidated Freightways Holding Company. Con Met, as it was called, was a permanent mold aluminum foundry established to produce parts for Freightliner Corporation, a sister company. Later, as Con Met grew, it produced castings for Kenworth, Peterbilt, and White Western Star trucks. In ensuing years sales were expanded to include castings for many other industries.

The first 20 employees were hired and trained to be supervisors for future plant expansion.  We all had to learn how to set up, repair, and operate all equipment and machines in the plant. We also had to load 30-pound aluminum ingots into open-top gas-fired melting pots to liquify at 1,250 degrees. We then could dip a hand-held ladle into the molten metal and pour it into a cast iron mold. Before use, the mold had to be heated with gas torches and then sprayed with a ceramic protective coating that also helped the aluminum solidify in the proper sequence to produce a sound product.

The mold was mounted in a horizontally operating machine that allowed the mold to be opened at a pre-set time for the hot casting to be removed, and then closed again for another pour. This became a sort of dance… pour the mold full, pace another ingot to preheat before putting it into the pot, remove a hot casting and place it on a pallet, inspect the mold and repair the ceramic coating if necessary, close the mold and fill it again. This went on for an 8 hour shift with only two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch. It was hot, tiring, and boring, but earned a much needed pay check.

When we reached the number of that particular casting to make, we would let the mold cool, remove it from the machine, install a new one, and start the process all over again. To insure the castings were sound we would periodically x-ray one. Fortunately, we found few problems.

The man that provided our original training was probably 60 years old and had spent his entire working life in aluminum foundries. I don’t remember his name but we called him a “banty rooster” because he was short, wiry, and was always strutting around. He had an “old time” work ethic, much like my grandfather, and always kept us hopping. His favorite saying was: “Eat before you come to work and s#%* when you get home.” All things considered, however, he did get results.

After some time, a few more employees were hired and my friend was promoted to supervisor. A few weeks later, I was promoted to swing shift supervisor and shortly a third shift was added and another supervisor was added.

All went well for awhile but it began to seem like my friend was unfairly dumping work and criticism on me and the other supervisor, so we asked for a meeting with the production manager. That was a big mistake. My friend immediately got very defensive and hostile and a few days later I and the third shift supervisor were fired. No more job, and the end of a longtime friendship as well. As luck would have it, however, someone in management apparently saw some value in what I had been doing and a couple of days later I was asked to come back to work in the engineering department. 

The rest they say was history.

Read Part 2 of this story here.

Ken Kaiyala