Zollern invests in new factory

After its takeover of the English casting specialist Sim-Cast on 1 September 2012, ZOLLERN has wrapped up its investment in a new manufacturing facility for high-tech castings and has produced its first monocrystalline castings for the aerospace industry.

With the takeover of the English technology specialist for “high added value castings” in 2012, ZOLLERN achieved 
a milestone in the strategic expansion of its Precision Casting division. In the past business year, this division for the first time achieved sales of more than EUR 120 million from independent growth.

Now ZOLLERN has completed its investment in a new development and manufacturing facility at the original Sim-Cast location in Derby, 60 km north-east of Birmingham. The overall investment totalling several million euros ensures development and manufacture of products with complex geometries, ultra-high strength and light weight are produced for the aerospace and energy industries.

Dr. Klaus F. Erkes, CEO of the ZOLLERN Group, says, “Our company is already a world leader in the high-tech casting field. In our strategic planning, we have decided to enter more fully into applications for aeronautics, flight turbines and industrial gas turbines. After completing our investment in technology and manufacturing know-how as well as the associated production capacities, we will now fully integrate Sim-Cast into the ZOLLERN Group and include it under the ZOLLERN brand roof.

The market for monocrystalline and directionally solidified castings is dominated by American competitors and there is a clear lack of European alternatives. We have therefore for some time been working together with Sim-Cast and some of our customers on this matter. Having Sim-Cast under the ZOLLERN roof now represents the next milestone in our development. Our efforts were rewarded recently with the release for volume production of the first monocrystalline turbine blades for the aeronautics industry.”