Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers!

Holidays are over. Universities begun the academic year. Normal, full-time classes have started in schools. We finally reached normality, although authorities still warn us of a fourth wave of the pandemic. At the same time, over 5% inflation is recorded, which, according to economic analysts, has an upward trend.

In this situation, the ITM Industry Europe International Fair and the FOCAST Foundry Forum held at the turn of August and September in Poznań should be considered an undisputed success. This event proved that both the exhibitors and the visitors eagerly awaited the return to the “normal” conditions of participation. The event created a field for mutual contacts, showing technical innovations that were missing for over a year and a half due to the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Polish Foundrymen’s Association participated in the FOCAST Forum accompanying the fair, presenting the castings of several Polish foundries recognized in the global industry. You can find reports on this event in this issue of Przegląd Odlewnictwa.

The loosening of epidemiological restrictions also resulted in the activation of our organizational activities related to the preparations for several technical and scientific conferences, planned for the fourth quarter of this year. The planned industry events include: Metallurgy 2020 Report Conference, International Conference of Casting and Materials Engineering ICCME 2021, XIII International Scientific Conference “Innovations in pressure die casting”, National Foundrymen’s Day with the accompanying technical conference “Foundry of the Future”. In October, the foundry industry representatives will also have the opportunity to meet during the long-awaited International Fair of Technologies for Foundry METAL. We hope that all these events will take place, giving a new impulse to organize further meeting and will stimulate the so far limited business contacts.

The atmosphere connected to the works of the central authorities, who are focused on creation of legal acts related to the implementation of the so-called New Deal, which is intended to bring a number of new solutions, is hanging in the air. These solutions are to cause visible and perceptible, positive reforms aimed at stimulating entrepreneurship after the epidemic, investing in development and innovation, and increasing competitiveness.

It is hoped that it will not be thwarted by the lack of a constructive and competent discussion on the proposed solutions and the announced fourth wave of the coronavirus epidemic.

In addition to the above considerations, in this issue you will find the following articles:

• Characteristics of the production resources of foundry plants and the assessment of their readiness to implement the principles of Industry 4.0, by Zbigniew Ronduda, Adam Nowak,
• New Foseco sleeves, FEEDEX * FEF ensure no fluoride emissions to bentonite on high pressure molding lines by Błażej Siodmok,
• Cast iron – an unusual roofing material at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, by Marek Skowron,
• Zakład Metalurgiczny WSK Rzeszów – a producer of castings for the most demanding sectors of the global industry. Interview with the President of the Management Board, Władysław Jasiczek,
• Use of virtual measurement to predict and control the final shape of the casting, by Badarinath Kalkunt, Lorenzo Valente, Cristian Viscardi, Vlastimil Kolda,
• ZGM ZĘBIEC SA – minerals of the highest quality.

I invite you to read these publications.

I wish you a return to normality in health and an environment free from unforeseeable negative events.

Tadeusz Franaszek – editor-in-chief