This is already the second issue of the Foundry Journal in the current year. We did not expect that it would be issued under so unusual conditions. The whole world is affected by the crown-virus COVID-19 epidemic, which started in China at the end of the previous year.

This epidemic has affected the majority of the most highly developed countries of the world, including USA, Japan, South Korea, as well as nearly all European Union countries. Thus, it  has caused a very negative influence on the economy, forcing the necessity of limiting interpersonal contacts at all levels of their activities.

This situation affects also Poland. Drastic limitations introduced by the Polish Government, aimed at limiting this virus spreading across the society, disorganised operations of several economic branches, including industry, tourism and transport, disturbed all school levels and generally the whole social-political life.

The COVID-19 epidemic forced several institutions to cancel conferences, meetings and fairs. Also the Polish Foundrymen’s Technical Association, having in mind the safety of the conference participants, decided to cancel the XIII International Scientific Conference „Innovations in the Pressure Die Casting” as well as to postpone the date of the XVII Reporting Conference of the Committee of Metallurgy of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) „Metallurgy 2020”, until November 2020.

This Crown-virus has affected also the industry. The epidemic effects are already felt distinctly by Polish foundries. Disruptions of supply chains, disturbances of transfer ways as well as difficulties with availability of employees and limitations of contacts with business partners are causing disturbances of the production processes. In consequence, drops in orders and lower turnovers are observed. The automotive concern Toyota stopped – until recalling – the production in Polish factories of engines and transmissions in Wałbrzych and in Jelcz-Laskowice. The production of cars in the Volkswagen Poznań Plant as well as the production in the foundry plant, belonging to this concern, was also stopped.

It is worth to underline that – on the request of the Faculty of Industrial Policy of the Department of Innovation of the Ministry of Economy – the Polish Foundrymen’s Technical Association monitors currently all disturbances in operations of casting and foundry enterprises.

Information concerning the new ‘Catalogue of the Polish Foundries and Suppliers for the Foundry Industry 2019’ being at the preparation stage for the next issue of the Foundry Journal, you will find in the actual issue. This Catalogue will constitute the helpful tool for persons looking for producers of castings, machines, devices and materials, especially when the industry will be activating its operations after the suppressed epidemic in the world. I would like to encourage warmly to perform inscriptions into the Catalogue, thus creating a potential of the Polish foundry industry.

Simultaneously the Central Board of the Polish Foundrymen’s Technical Association – in cooperation with the Foundry Economic Chamber – undertook operations aimed at collecting basic statistic data illustrating the current situation of the Polish Foundry Sector. These data are not collected presently, because studies of the Central Statistical Office are not adequate to the reality. This initiative will be applied for the preparation of a reliable and actual information concerning the Polish foundry industry and its possibilities. In the current issue of the Foundry Journal our Readers will find  information concerning this action and the questionnaire. Thus, I am appealing to Presidents and Directors of Polish Foundries, both large and small, to consider favourably our request.

For the first time this issue of the Foundry Journal was prepared remotely, however in cooperation with the whole Editorial Team. This constituted a challenge for us and quite a new experience. We hope that Our Readers as well as Authors and Advertisers  will not feel any changes.

I am convinced that the universal mobilisation of societies in adherence to strict disciplines, will allow to defeat the crown-virus epidemic, which is destroying achievements of several economies.

Handing over this issue to Our Readers I would like to wish You a nice reading, health and a fast returning to normality.