What Proferro does

Proferro NV is a Belgian foundry and precision machining company based in Ieper, operating as a wholly-owned business unit of Picanol Group within the listed Tessenderlo Group (Euronext: TESB). The company produces machined cast iron components — both lamellar (EN-GJL 150–300) and nodular (EN-GJS 400–700) grades — in the 50–500 kg weight band, primarily for original equipment manufacturers in agricultural machinery (e.g., Kubota), construction and earth-moving equipment, compressors, textile machinery (sister company Picanol), railroad (Deutsche Bahn-certified since 2017), mining equipment, and industrial engines/powertrains. Its offering is organized around three operational pillars — casting, machining, and assembly — plus a co-engineering service that engages customers from part design through production using Magmasoft solidification simulation, tooling development, and 3D laser scanning against customer specifications.

Production is anchored by a hot-air cupola furnace with 15 tons/hour melting capacity, two 40-ton holding furnaces (plus a 25-ton cupola, ~80 tons of molten iron in circuit), and an automated HWS (Seiatsu EFA-SD7) molding line that produced its 1,000,000th molded case in 2020. More than 100 CNC machines (Starrag Heckert, Mazak, DMG, Hessap, Nakamura) handle in-house mechanical finishing — CNC milling, gear cutting, grinding, heat treatment — followed by assembly, testing, and just-in-time delivery. The site has been progressively automated: Obélix robotic core placement (2019), seven Mabo AGV reach trucks and loading/finishing robots (2023), a 1.73 MW solar array, a 136-borehole BTES geothermal field, and a 32-meter automated high-bay warehouse (10,000+ pallets, four cranes) opened in 2021, all consolidated under a new 20,000 sqm Picanol Group headquarters opened in Ieper in April 2025.

Commercially, Proferro runs a B2B direct-sales model to OEMs through regional sales managers covering Benelux, France, Germany, the UK, and the United States, supplemented by trade-show presence (CastForge 2026 in Stuttgart) and corporate digital channels. Revenue is generated one-off per production series — no SaaS, licensing, or subscription model — with pricing not publicly disclosed. The company is differentiated by full vertical integration (casting through assembly in one site), circular production (80% recycled material, 65% energy savings via scrap recycling), and a credential stack including ISO 9001 (since 1994), ISO 14001, ISO 27001, Deutsche Bahn approval, and an EcoVadis Silver Medal (72/100, top 15%). Strategic narrative centers on 'Every ending is a new beginning,' positioning the company as a sustainable, one-stop-shop supplier of high-tech cast iron parts for medium-volume series (500–20,000 units).

Name

Proferro

Legal name

Proferro nv

Website

https://proferro.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Proferro is a Belgian foundry and machining company producing machined cast iron components (50–500 kg) for OEMs in agricultural, construction, textile, rail, and industrial machinery sectors. It operates an integrated casting–machining–assembly service from Ieper as part of Tessenderlo Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ieper

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Casting Production: Production and sale of machined castings for OEMs, including high-tech parts in lamellar and nodular cast iron. One-time purchase model based on customer specifications and volumes.
2. Machining Services: In-house mechanical finishing services including CNC milling, gear cutting, grinding, and heat treatment for both prototypes and series production.
3. Co-Engineering Services: Technical cooperation and development services with customers, from early design through production, providing engineered casting solutions.
4. Assembly Services: Assembly and testing of cast iron parts with optimized logistic chain for just-in-time delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Proferro produces machined cast iron components and provides integrated co-engineering, casting, machining, assembly, and testing services for original equipment manufacturers. Using a 15 ton/hour cupola furnace and an automated HWS molding line, it makes lamellar (EN-GJL 150-300) and ductile (EN-GJS 400-700) cast iron parts weighing 50-500 kg in series of 500 to 20,000 units. More than 100 in-house CNC machines handle milling, gear cutting, grinding, and heat treatment, with finished sub-assemblies delivered just-in-time to customers in agricultural, construction, compressor, textile, and railroad industries.

Product overview

Proferro is a manufacturing company offering an integrated portfolio of foundry and precision machining services organized around three core pillars: Casting, Machining, and Assembly. The company provides engineered casting solutions for medium-sized series of 500 to 20,000 pieces, producing high-tech cast iron parts (lamellar EN-GJL and nodular EN-GJS grades) weighing 50-500 kg using automated HWS molding lines. Beyond casting, Proferro offers in-house machining with over 100 CNC machines (including Starrag Heckert, Mazak, DMG, Hessap, Nakamura equipment), assembly services, and co-engineering partnerships from early design through production. The company operates advanced foundry equipment including a 15-ton/hour cupola furnace, holding furnaces, Laempe core shooters, Obélix robotic systems, and modern finishing robots. Proferro also provides comprehensive logistics infrastructure including automated high-bay warehousing (32m, 10,000+ pallets) and AGV systems, positioning itself as a one-stop-shop for OEMs in agricultural machinery, construction equipment, compressors, textile machinery, and general engineering sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Casting Production of machined castings for original equipment manufacturers, including high-tech parts in lamellar (EN-GJL 150-300) and nodular (EN-GJS 400-700) cast iron weighing 50 to 500 kg, with box dimensions of 1600x1200x(2x400), for medium-sized series of 500 to 20,000 units.
• Machining In-house mechanical finishing with more than 100 CNC machines for both prototypes and series production, utilizing CNC milling, gear cutting, grinding, and heat treatment technologies (Starrag Heckert, Mazak, DMG, Hessap, Nakamura equipment).
• Assembly Assembly and testing of cast iron parts, providing one-stop-shop solutions with optimized logistic chain for just-in-time delivery to OEM customers.
• Co-engineering Technical partnership from early design stage through production, combining customer product needs with Proferro's foundry and machining engineering expertise, including tooling development for production and prototype programs and solidification simulations using Magmasoft for optimal process settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% energy savings achieved through steel scrap recycling
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, moderate and core.

• AlheembouwminorOthers · 13 September 2021Local construction partner involved in building the 32-meter high high-bay warehouse facility. Partnered with Proferro for this infrastructure project.
• CeratecminorOthers · 13 September 2021Local partner involved in high-bay warehouse construction project. Provided technical expertise for warehouse automation systems.
• StowminorOthers · 13 September 2021Storage solutions partner for high-bay warehouse project. Provided racking and storage systems for the automated warehouse.
• MabomoderateTechnology or Integration · 13 September 2021Supplier of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and driverless reach trucks for internal logistics optimization. Proferro invested in seven Mabo AGVs for automated container transport between departments and high-bay warehouse.
• Picanol GroupcoreOthers · 13 September 2021Parent company of Proferro; Proferro is a business unit of Picanol Group which is part of Tessenderlo Group (Euronext: TESB). Proferro shares a company site with Picanol enabling vertical integration.
• Tessenderlo GroupcoreOthers · 13 September 2021Parent holding company of Picanol Group, listed on Euronext Brussels (TESB). Proferro operates as part of this diversified industrial group focused on agriculture, bio-residue valorization, energy, and industrial solutions.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GF Casting Solutions (Georg Fischer): Swiss-based casting division of Georg Fischer, producing iron and aluminum castings for automotive and industrial customers globally. Comparable because it operates an integrated casting-and-machining model with engineering services for OEM customers, similar to Proferro's three-pillar approach.
• Voestalpine Foundry Division: Austrian steel and technology group whose foundry operations produce iron castings for industrial and automotive customers across Europe. Comparable as a much larger European integrated metalcaster; serves as a benchmark for capex, automation, and ESG positioning in the foundry sector.
• CIE Automotive: Spanish-listed multinational supplier of automotive and industrial components, including casting and machined parts, with global operations. Comparable as a diversified industrial component supplier with casting capabilities serving OEM customers in Europe.

Direct peers

• Waupaca Foundry: One of the largest iron foundries in the United States, producing gray and ductile iron castings for automotive, agricultural, and industrial machinery OEMs. Directly comparable as an iron foundry serving agricultural machinery and heavy industrial customers with similar part-weight ranges.
• Grede Holdings: US-based iron and steel foundry producing ductile, gray, and compacted graphite iron castings with in-house machining for automotive, commercial vehicle, and industrial customers. Comparable to Proferro's ductile/lamellar iron focus and integrated machining capabilities.
• Handtmann Group (Albert Handtmann Holding): German family-owned industrial group with a Light Metal Casting division producing aluminum and iron castings for automotive and industrial OEMs. Comparable as a European mid-sized foundry with engineering partnerships and a similar integrated-customer model.
• Le Bélier: French specialist in aluminum and iron foundry products for the automotive industry with integrated machining and assembly. Comparable as a French/European foundry supplying OEMs with cast-machined components, with overlap in target verticals like industrial powertrains.

Regional players

• Nemak: Mexican-headquartered global supplier of aluminum castings and components for the automotive industry, with integrated machining. Comparable as a casting-machining supplier to large OEMs, though focused on aluminum and serving different geographies than Proferro's European base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/proferronv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proferro
• Instagraminstagram.com/proferronv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Proferro