Seit 2017 gehört die Giesserei in Piteşti (Rumänien) zu GF Casting Solutions.
GF in the heart of Romania’s car industry
Since its acquisition by GF, a family business in Piteşti (Romania) has become a successful and continually developing site – not least thanks to a motivated team with high quality standards.
When a company is acquired by an international corporation, it often sows uncertainty among employees. And it was like that in 2017, when GF Casting Solutions took over Eucasting’s foundry in Piteşti (Romania). “Even I was concerned. We were facing a huge change – going from a family-run business to a multinational company,” recalls Production Manager Robert Popescu, who is in charge of coordinating and planning the entire production process at the site. The foundry produces aluminum cast components for kitchen appliances or the automotive industry, for example. “Our advantage over our market competitors is that we can cover all processes within the company. This includes casting, trimming, precision machining, deburring, coating, and final inspection.” In the process, customers can cut costs and save valuable time because everything is delivered from a single source.
Further development of the site
In 2019, GF Casting Solutions opened in a tool shop and a new administration building in Piteşti, with modern workplaces and conference rooms. The opening of the tool shop was an especially important move in terms of acquiring new customers. Piteşti is considered a hub of the automotive industry in Romania, as companies such as Renault and Ford are located in the immediate vicinity. These companies rely heavily on important components for body and structure and powertrains, produced using die-casting tools, and cannot wait for them for weeks. Previously, the team in Piteşti had sent away their molds and tools to be repaired. It could often take up to three weeks for the repair work to be completed. With its own tool shop, repairs can now be carried out on-site and in just a few hours – affording the GF team and customers extra time and giving them a decisive edge. For example, about three out of 600 molds for lightweight aluminum vehicle parts need to be reworked every day. “Production of components for electric vehicles started this year, and we’re already in talks with Renault and Ford regarding other upcoming products,” says Popescu. There are plans to soon start casting even larger components on- site – engine mounts for vehicles, for example – using larger die-casting machines.
© Alex GalmeanuRobert Popescu
Position: Production Manager
Division: GF Casting Solutions
Location: Piteşti (Romania)
Joined GF in: 2017
“It’s my obligation to support GF and keep it moving forward.”
Robert Popescu, Production Manager
The company has also invested in new technologies at the site, in line with the Strategy 2025, which aims to make GF a leader in sustainability and innovation. Each month nearly 250 cubic meters of water are required to meet the needs of the production facilities – for example, in cooling the installations. For this reason, a 150-meter well was drilled in February 2021 “Now we have our own water. We clean the wastewater ourselves, which means we can reuse it,” says Popescu.
© Alex GalmeanuNew opportunities for employees
GF took over all employees in 2017, and more than 150 new employees have been added in the meantime. Being part of a large international corporation delivered numerous benefits to existing employees. These quickly outshone initial concerns. According to Popescu, in addition to more planning security, access to continuing education opportunities is something his colleagues greatly appreciate. These include professional development for specific job groups, language courses, and training sessions on collaborative culture and values, among other topics. There is even the opportunity to visit other GF sites, for example in Austria or Germany, to share expertise and learn about new production technologies. Popescu gained a lot of new insights about die-casting and work processes from his colleagues in Altenmarkt (Austria) in December 2019.
employees currently work at the Pitesti and Scorniceşti plants.
© Alex GalmeanuSafety at work is particularly important to Popescu as production manager. He says that this area has improved significantly since the site became part of GF. For example, the amount of particulate matter produced during metal processing has been greatly reduced. “Since we installed aluminum dust filtration systems in the finishing area, we have had 0% aluminum particles in the air. Before, the figure was as high as three micrograms,” says Popescu. According to Romanian health regulations, there must be no particles of any kind in the air, because this particulate matter can cause lung disease.
These positive changes meant it wasn’t difficult for Popescu to feel like he belonged to a big family at GF. “I am happy that we have such an important company as GF in our region. It’s my obligation to support the company and keep it moving forward.” Currently, for example, he is helping his colleagues, in his capacity as an internal trainer for “7 Habits for Highly Effective People”, to understand the GF values even better and to fully unleash their own potential – just as GF once recognized and promoted the potential of the foundry in Piteşti.
Further impressions:
© Alex Galmeanu
© Alex Galmeanu
© Alex Galmeanu
© Alex Galmeanu
© Alex Galmeanu
© Alex Galmeanu