Aluminium die-casting manufacturer DyCast celebrates 25 years of operation

DyCast Specialties Corporation, a custom job shop manufacturing company offering aluminium and zinc high-pressure die castings, is celebrating 25 years of operations and its association Starbuck community. The company opened its doors in Starbuck in 1990.

Die casting is a metal forming process in which molten metal is put under high pressure and injected into a die. The molten alloy enters the die through a shot sleeve or sprue nozzle that is connected to the “A” half of the die. The alloy is then directed to the cavity by way of runners (passageways) and gates (inlets and outlets) in the ejector half. Aluminum type die casting molds can produce up to 100,000 casting shots in the life of the mold.

DyCast with its pool of competent personnel has succesfully mastered this technique over the years. Tom Haavig and son Jon Haavig started DyCast, incorporating it in 1983 in the Twin Cities. In 1990, the business relocated to Starbuck. Upon opening in Starbuck, DyCast started with about six employees. By 2008 they had 40 employees. Today, the company employs 48 full-time employees and four temps.

In 1998, they added 18,000 square feet onto the current building to increase the facility size to 30,000 square feet. DyCast had financing to complete construction but needed assistance hiring employees. West Central Initiative (WCI) Fund helped with gap financing, and assisted in paying for the employee training provided by Enterprise Minnesota.

President Jon Haavig credits the success of DyCast over the 25 years to the long-term dedication of DyCast’s employees, customers, banking partnerships, the city of Starbuck and WCI.