Two exciting launches

The momentous occasion was the perfect backdrop for two exciting announcements: the launch of the DISA China Foundry Institute and of our first ever e-shop for spare parts. Both reflect our firm commitment to China – as an innovative marketplace open to new ideas and as an advanced industrial nation with great foundry talent that we are looking to nurture.

Unveiling the Foundry Institute, Senior Vice President Sales & Service Europe East at Norican Group, Mr Flemming Juel Jensen, said the foundry industry is in global competition against other industries to get the best talent. With the new initiative, we seek to help raise the next generation of home-grown foundry talent, sharing the very latest in foundry technology and thinking through this dedicated training facility. It will be managed by Mr Hu (Vice President DISA Foundry Training Institute) together with Dr Li (Vice GM DISA Application) and Mr Zhang (DISA Foundry Operation Specialist), three seasoned experts with nearly hundred years of joint foundry experience.

Looking back - and ahead

Mr Wen Ping, executive president of the China Foundry Association, looked at the new phase China has entered, its development towards high-end equipment manufacturing and the partners it will be looking to in order to achieve its ambitions. He praised Norican’s role in the transformation of China’s foundry industry, stressing the need for ongoing collaboration and knowledge transfer (particularly in terms of technological and environmental innovation), before kindly summarizing Norican China as a business “full of passion and creativity”.

President and Chief Operating Officer of Wheelabrator Technology, Mr Erich Brunner, started his career with the company when the Changzhou facility was first established and remembers its beginnings well. Comparing his fond relationship with Norican China with watching a child grow up, he recalls an organization that grew steadily and learned a lot to quickly become a very talented and trustworthy business partner for customers. He concluded: “When I walk through the workshop today, it fills me with joy and pride to see how professional we have become as a company.”

While Mr Brunner recapped past achievements, Mr Baohua Wei, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific at DISA and Wheelabrator, talked about the future, providing a glimpse at the exciting potential of an expanded Norican family, with its new members, international brands ItalPresseGauss and StrikoWestofen. He put the acquisition (completed in April this year) in the context of global technological trends: “This strategic decision is our answer to the automobile industry’s pursuit of lightweight solutions, as well as to the rapid growth of the nonferrous metal industry.”

Thank you!

A big thank you to all our customers, employees and friends who made this event so special. We are looking forward to celebrating many more milestones together in future. Thank you again to everyone who attended – it was an honour to welcome you all in Changzhou.