Ladies and Gentlemen,Dear Readers!

We are having holidays still disturbed by the Covid-19 pandemic and by brutal war in Ukraine. More than 5 million of Ukrainians passed through Poland looking for a possibility of settling either in our country or in another European country.

Slackening of epidemic restrictions allowed to organise ITM Fairs in Poznań and Focast, as well as to prepare planned in September 2022 International Metal Fairs in Kielce.  Simultaneously, we are preparing international scientific conferences.

Unfortunately war actions discontinued ‘supply chain’,  which seriously complicated supplying of materials and limited productions. Serious difficulties constitute also  significant price rises of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels as well as perspectives of their further rising.

For sure, these perspectives are not optimistic. Regardless of that, our Association fulfils its obligations and realizes them under such difficult conditions.

In the current issue of the Foundry Journal You will find several interesting articles and reports. The special attention deserves the paper dedicated to the analysis of the foundry market in 2021 and in the present situation i.e. the war in Ukraine and its influence on foundries operations in Poland.

In addition, You will find in this issue:

•      Peri-metal casting aspects on a background of the actual economic and political situation  Anno Domini 2022, authored by Jerzy
  J. Sobczak, Piotr Dudek, Konrad Wrzała, Wiesław Walczak,
• Comprehensive process of the casting production preparations – from simulation, via thermal analysis up to the casting prototype, authored by Łukasz Dyrlaga, Błażej Siodmok, Józef Dorula,
• Technical Conference FOSECO,
• Fairs full of  inspiration,
• EUROGUSS 2022: Great reunion joy of the die casting industry,
• MECSPE and METEF 2022,
• Eco-friendly bentonite mixtures – new additions to the Zębiec Minerals range
• The 10^th Forum of Presidents and Directors of Foundry Plants in Poland, authored by Witold Dobosz,
•   XVIII Champioships of Polish Foundrymen in Lawn Tennis, authored by Witold Dobosz,
• XXVII Congress of Polish Technicians, 23–25 ​​June 2022. Gliwice – Silesian University of Technology.

All of You are cordially invited to the reading. We are hoping that each successive issue of the Foundry Journal brings us closer to normality, which will end this difficult for Europe and its industry period.

Tadeusz Franaszek – Editor-in-Chief