Siempelkamp Giesserei

What Siempelkamp Giesserei does

Siempelkamp Giesserei GmbH is a German hand-form foundry specializing in ultra-large ductile cast iron (spheroidal graphite iron / Gusseisen mit Kugelgrafit) components weighing from approximately 3 to 320 tonnes per piece. Founded in 1902 in Krefeld and operating as part of the family-owned Siempelkamp Group (G. Siempelkamp GmbH & Co. KG), the company employs roughly 400 people and runs six induction crucible furnaces producing approximately 60,000 tonnes of liquid iron per year, yielding about 2,000 castings annually. It holds the world record for the largest single-piece hand-formed casting (320 tonnes, set in September 2013 for China's Nanshan Group) and has progressively broken its own records since 1983, making it one of only a handful of foundries globally capable of hand-forming castings above 200 tonnes.

Core technology combines traditional sand moulding, melting, casting, mechanical machining, and casting welding (DIN EN ISO 3834-2 certified) with a digitally integrated quality stack: the world's largest non-contact robotic measurement cell developed with ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions and a3Ds (sub-0.6 mm accuracy, up to 12 million 3D measurement points per component) and the ZORC Foundry Cloud platform built with ABP Induction Systems and Zorc Technology, which applies AI-based optimization suggestions to each pour and feeds a holistic digital twin in the Digital Foundry Center. The engineering team performs material selection, casting simulation (form filling, solidification, residual stress, distortion), and design optimization as integrated upstream services.

Revenue is generated through project-based, one-off manufacture of bespoke cast components sold directly to enterprise customers across four primary verticals: energy conversion (wind, nuclear, fossil, including CASTOR® container bodies and Hinkley Point C core catchers), mining and grinding (mill components up to 220 tonnes), press technology (metal-forming presses up to 12,500 tonnes and injection moulding/die-casting machines for automotive/EV OEMs), and general mechanical engineering. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with long, qualification-driven sales cycles; pricing is negotiated per project with no public rate card. Customers include Wärtsilä, Hinkley Point C, Nanshan Group, P. van der Wegen Gears, and major automotive OEMs (Volvo, Audi, BMW, Tesla). Distribution leverages the Rhine waterway for oversized logistics. The company is privately held, family-owned, and consolidated within the broader Siempelkamp Group; it does not publicly disclose revenue.

Name

Siempelkamp Giesserei

Legal name

Siempelkamp Giesserei GmbH

Website

https://siempelkamp-giesserei.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Siempelkamp Giesserei is a German hand-form foundry, founded 1902 in Krefeld, producing ultra-large ductile cast iron components (3–320 tonnes) for enterprise customers in energy, mining, press technology, and mechanical engineering. It holds the world record for the largest single-piece hand-formed casting and serves projects such as Hinkley Point C, Wärtsilä, and EV manufacturing machinery OEMs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Krefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom large-scale cast iron component manufacturing: Siempelkamp Giesserei generates revenue through the one-time project-based manufacture of bespoke hand-formed large-scale cast iron components (Gusseisen mit Kugelgrafit) ranging from approximately 3 tonnes to a world-record 320 tonnes. Revenue is derived from individual cast orders with services encompassing the full value chain: engineering, pattern making, moulding, casting, mechanical machining, welding, and logistics/transport. The company produces approximately 2,000 castings per year across industries including energy conversion, mining, press technology, and mechanical engineering.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Siempelkamp Giesserei is the world's largest hand-form foundry, producing large and extra-heavy ductile cast iron (nodular graphite iron) components weighing between 3 and 320 tonnes. The company serves demanding industrial sectors including energy, mining, press technology, and mechanical engineering, with annual production of approximately 60,000 tonnes. It is part of the family-owned Siempelkamp Group and operates from Krefeld, Germany.

Product overview

Siempelkamp Giesserei's core offering is the production of hand-formed large cast iron components with nodular graphite (Sphäroguss/Gusseisen mit Kugelgrafit), ranging from 3 to 320 tonnes per piece — making the company the world record holder for the largest single-piece hand-formed casting. The company operates as a full-service foundry, delivering the complete production chain from engineering (material selection, simulation, design, and stress analysis), through mechanical machining, casting welding, and quality inspection (including the proprietary robot measurement cell), to logistics and transport — all from a single source at the Krefeld site. The portfolio spans components for energy conversion, raw material processing, press technology, and general mechanical engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Large Ductile Cast Iron Components Hand-formed nodular graphite iron castings weighing between 3 and 320 tonnes for industrial applications in energy, mining, press manufacturing, and mechanical engineering sectors.
• Custom Cast Iron Solutions Bespoke engineering, simulation, and casting services for one-off and small-series heavy iron components tailored to specific industrial customer requirements.
• Spare Parts and Replacement Castings Production of replacement cast components for existing industrial machinery and equipment in heavy industry applications.
• Engineering and Casting Simulation Services Engineering consultancy and metallurgical simulation services supporting customers in designing and validating large cast components before manufacture.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% reduction in energy consumption compared to industry standard despite energy-intensive operations
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• WärtsiläcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Strategic partnership formed in December 2025 to secure the supply of large cast components for Wärtsilä engines, supporting Wärtsilä's continued growth in the marine and energy sectors. The collaboration aims to optimize supply flow, increase production capacity, and promote sustainability through low-carbon manufacturing. The partnership is central to Wärtsilä's industrial supply chain strategy.
• ABP Induction Systems GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for the full digitalization of Siempelkamp's melting operations. ABP supplied control hardware and interfaces to the foundry's operating system, installing state-of-the-art induction crucible furnace controls. The myABP Portal provides overview of all relevant plant and process data, enabling cross-manufacturer integration of furnaces, scales, and lances. ABP also provides the ABP Virtual Academy for employee training.
• Zorc Technology GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for the ZORC Foundry Cloud software platform, which monitors metallurgical control and documentation of casting processes. The software stores operating parameters and delivers AI/ML-based optimization suggestions to operators with each casting. The growing dataset improves process quality continuously. Data remains entirely within the company, preventing industrial espionage.
• ZEISS Industrial Quality SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for the world's largest non-contact robotic measurement cell. ZEISS developed a high-end scanner with a measurement field of 2,000 × 1,600 mm and breakthrough depth of field for capturing complex components. The system achieves accuracy under 0.6mm using up to 12 million 3D measurement points, creating digital twins of large castings for quality verification. ZEISS Quality Suite software enables lifestream tracking of component production.
• a3Ds GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with the Braunschweig-based automation startup for the robotic measurement cell. a3Ds provided automation technology enabling robot-guided sensor movement for fully automated, non-contact inspection of castings up to 240 tonnes. The system offers highest flexibility and efficiency through two measurement rooms and state-of-the-art robot technology.
• RWTH Aachen UniversitysupportingTechnology or IntegrationAcademic R&D partnership contributing to Siempelkamp Giesserei's foundry expertise through collaborative research projects in metallurgy, materials science, and manufacturing processes.
• University of Duisburg-EssensupportingTechnology or IntegrationAcademic R&D partnership in materials engineering and foundry technology research.
• Freiberg University of Mining and Technology (TU Bergakademie Freiberg)supportingTechnology or IntegrationAcademic R&D partnership particularly relevant for mining and grinding applications, leveraging specialized expertise in raw material processing and metallurgy.
• Leibniz University HannoversupportingTechnology or IntegrationAcademic R&D partnership contributing to research in casting technology and materials science.
• Bauhaus-Universität WeimarsupportingTechnology or IntegrationAcademic R&D partnership contributing specialized expertise in architectural and structural design aspects relevant to large casting applications.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF), DarmstadtsupportingTechnology or IntegrationResearch partnership with Fraunhofer LBF focused on structural durability and reliability of cast components under dynamic loading conditions.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing (IZFP), SaarbrückensupportingTechnology or IntegrationResearch partnership with Fraunhofer IZFP for advanced nondestructive testing techniques, particularly ultrasonic methods for comprehensive material characterization.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology (IWES), BremerhavensupportingTechnology or IntegrationResearch partnership with Fraunhofer IWES supporting Siempelkamp's wind energy casting component development, including materials and structural solutions for wind turbines up to 12 MW.
• Institut für Eignungsprüfung GmbH (IfEP), MarlsupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnical testing and qualification partnership for quality assurance and acceptance testing of cast components.
• P. van der Wegen Gears BVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic co-marketing and co-development partnership for large gear manufacturing from spheroidal graphite iron. Together, Siempelkamp Giesserei and P. van der Wegen Gears form the current global benchmark for gears with outer diameters up to 16m, raw cast weights up to 200 tonnes, and tempered hardness up to HB 320. The companies co-exhibit at international trade fairs (SIM, Kazakhstan) to serve the global mining sector jointly.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FLSmidth: Danish mining and cement equipment manufacturer producing large cast and forged components for mills and pyro processes. Comparable in serving the same mining/grinding OEMs with large cast iron supplies, though it operates as a broader OEM rather than a pure foundry.
• Metso: Finnish global leader in mining and aggregates processing equipment. Comparable because it sources and produces large cast iron components for grinding mills and crushers, directly competing with Siempelkamp's mining segment as a supply chain integrator.
• SMS group: German metallurgical plant and equipment manufacturer that produces and integrates large cast and forged components for steel, aluminum, and forging press industries. Comparable in press-technology and metallurgy, including close relationship with Nanshan Group on large forging presses.
• voestalpine Foundry Group: Austrian steel and casting conglomerate with large iron foundry operations serving rail, industrial, and energy customers. Comparable in metallurgy, customer verticals, and European industrial heritage, though at significantly larger group scale.
• ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe: German steel heavyweight with adjacent casting/foundry capabilities. Comparable in iron metallurgy and German industrial base, but operates at vastly larger scale and focuses on flat steel rather than bespoke large castings.

Regional players

• Eisenwerk Erla GmbH: German iron and steel foundry producing heavy cast components for industrial machinery, automotive, and aerospace. Comparable in iron foundry process and customer base, with regional German presence serving similar industrial OEMs.

Direct peers

• Magotteaux: Belgian-headquartered specialist in wear-resistant castings and grinding media for mining and cement industries. Comparable to Siempelkamp's mining/grinding segment in terms of ductile iron metallurgy, vertical integration, and global mining customer base.
• ME Elecmetal: Chilean-founded global supplier of large cast iron/steel components for mining, SAG and ball mills, and crushing equipment. Directly comparable as another large-tonnage iron foundry serving the same mining and grinding customers as Siempelkamp, with similar casting-weight capabilities.
• Düker GmbH: German iron foundry producing large cast iron pipe fittings, valves, and engineered cast components. Closest geographic and process peer — same country, similar heritage-era iron foundry operations, overlapping industrial customers.
• Lehigh Heavy Forge / Ellwood Group: US-based producer of large iron and steel castings and heavy forgings for capital equipment, defense, and energy. Comparable in ultra-large casting capabilities, vertical integration (casting + machining), and serving press/energy/mining end markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/siempelkampgiesserei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/siempelkamp-giesserei
• Instagraminstagram.com/siempelkamp_giesserei

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Siempelkamp Giesserei