AMAFOND

Pioneer and diecasting specialist Frech will take over operations of the insolvent ZPF GmbH located in Siegelsbach as of January, 2022. With the newly founded Frech ZPF GmbH, headquartered in Schorndorf, the corporate group will expand its business in thermal processing technology and develop new fields of business for the foundry industry. In addition to classical products for production and processing of aluminium melt, the new subsidiary will also focus on systems for environmental technology.

The Oskar Frech GmbH + Co. KG corporate group is a pioneer in diecasting technology and has decisively shaped the industry with numerous patents for more than seven decades. Today, the global market leader has a complete, high-tech portfolio of modern diecasting technology for non-ferrous metals, from hot and cold chamber technology to peripherals, die construction, consulting and services to innovative process technologies. Diecasting technology from Frech is used all around the globe. Examples of typical industry branches and fields of application are the automotive industry, for the production of lightweight components for the electrical drive train in electric vehicles, and structural components for vehicle bodies. Diecasting technology with the Frech brand is also used in the fittings, fastenings and electronics industry to produce door handles, hinges, fastening systems, plug-in connections and line elements.

In addition to modern lightweight construction, topics such as energy and resource efficiency have increasingly become the focus of the industry for a considerable period of time. The process technologies normally used in a conventional foundry operation today for preparing and processing common metal melts are comparably energy-intensive, resulting in a need for processes and products to be found which are more efficient over the medium and long term. The industrial environment of the foundry industry is already confronting great upheaval and challenges which will continue to apply pressure in the future as a result of socio-political discourse and resulting new environmental policies (e.g. “Green Deal”). Sustainable economies and trade will also become the guiding principles in all industrial fields in the future.

In accordance with these maxims, the Frech Group is entering the green environmental sector with this new subsidiary, as has been planned for some time. While priorities such as CO2 neutrality and energy efficiency have long since been on Frech’s agenda and have been successfully implemented at its own production locations (keyword: “green factory”), the new subsidiary will target the development of completely independent “green” products and services for the foundry industry for the first time. As a result, product development will focus first of all on energy efficiency and the circular economy (recycling) in order to make a significant contribution toward the “green foundry” over the short to medium term. Over the long term, the new company will also be oriented toward environmental and thermal processing technology to a broad extent. Consulting services in the fields of industrial energy and processing technology, as well as software development, e.g. for Industry 4.0 applications, will also be offered.