Associacao Portuguesa de Fundicao

What Associacao Portuguesa de Fundicao does

Associação Portuguesa de Fundição (APF) is a private, non-profit national industry association founded on February 25, 1964, headquartered in Porto, Portugal. It represents approximately 90% of all castings manufactured in Portugal, bringing together 58 associate companies comprising 40 foundries (17 ferrous, 24 non-ferrous) and 18 suppliers. APF operates as the official trade body for the Portuguese foundry sector, which generates roughly €609 million in annual turnover, employs more than 5,500 people, and exports over 80% of production with Germany, France, and Italy as primary markets. Internationally, APF represents Portugal within the European Foundry Federation (EFF), which connects associations from 22 European countries.

APF's core offerings center on industry representation, training, and technical support. Its wholly-owned training arm, CINFU (Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria de Fundição, established April 1981), delivers technology training, customized corporate training, laboratory support, environmental characterizations, prototype parts manufacturing, and CAD/CAM services. APF publishes monthly newsletters (Boletins Informativos) and a technical journal (Revista Fundição), and organizes recurring national congresses (XXI edition held May 6, 2026) along with international events. The association also pursues EU-funded projects including SIAC (SME qualification), INNORESOLVE (Foundry 4.0 digitalization), and CASTWOMAN (gender diversity).

Revenue is generated primarily through membership fees (with monthly, bimonthly, semi-annual, and annual billing options for its 58 associates) and CINFU's professional training and laboratory services. Supplemental funding comes from EU/ERDF grants (e.g., €173,909.96 for SIAC in 2016) and conference registration fees. APF partners with public entities, educational institutions, technological centers, and the ACT (Authority for Working Conditions) on regulatory and safety initiatives, while also collaborating with foreign associations on cross-border Erasmus+ projects.

Name

Associacao Portuguesa de Fundicao

Legal name

Associação Portuguesa de Fundição

Website

https://apf.com.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

APF is a Portuguese non-profit industry association, founded 1964, representing approximately 90% of national foundry production through 58 member foundries and suppliers, and operating the CINFU training center to deliver technical education, laboratory services, and sector representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Foundry industry association
• Metal casting services
• Industrial training services
• Foundry technology development
• Industry representation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: APF generates revenue through membership fees from associated companies (58 associates including foundries, suppliers, and other companies in the foundry ecosystem). Membership options include monthly, bimonthly, semi-annual, and annual billing cycles.
2. Training Services (CINFU): CINFU provides professional training services including financed training, customized training in foundry, environment, IT, maintenance, quality, occupational health and safety, and languages. Also offers staff specialization programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Associação Portuguesa de Fundição (APF) is a nationwide industry association representing approximately 90% of castings produced in Portugal, grouping ferrous and non-ferrous foundries, suppliers, and related companies. It delivers professional training and technical support through its CINFU training center (founded 1981), publishes technical journals and monthly newsletters, organizes the National Foundry Congress, and represents the Portuguese foundry sector nationally and internationally through the European Foundry Federation (EFF).

Product overview

The Associacao Portuguesa de Fundicao (APF) is a national technical-cultural association for the Portuguese foundry industry, representing approximately 90% of foundry production in Portugal. Its primary offerings include CINFU - a professional training center providing technology training, technical assistance, laboratory support, and prototype manufacturing services. The association also publishes monthly newsletters (Boletins Informativos) and a technical journal (Revista Fundição), organizes national foundry congresses, and delivers business support services including prototype development and material testing. Through European-funded projects like SIAC, INNORESOLVE (Foundry 4.0), and CASTWOMAN (gender equality), APF supports innovation and competitiveness among its member foundries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CINFU - Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria de Fundição
• Boletins Informativos (Monthly Newsletters)
• Revista Fundição (Technical Journal)
• Congressos Nacionais de Fundição (National Foundry Congresses)
• Technical and Laboratory Support Services

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CINFU - Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria de FundiçãocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 1981CINFU was created in April 1981 as the Foundry Industry Professional Training Center. It provides training in foundry technology and related areas, technical assistance to companies including local technical advice, laboratory support, environmental characterizations, and prototype parts manufacturing. CINFU was a pioneer in CAD/CAM training in Portugal.
• EFF - European Foundry FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 1964APF represents the Portuguese foundry industry at the European level through EFF, which brings together foundry associations from 22 European countries. This international representation is a key function of the association.
• Companies, Technological Centres, and Knowledge CentresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPF partners with companies, Technological Centres, and other Knowledge Centres to promote applications to programmes supporting technological development and innovation aimed at increasing competitiveness of sector companies.
• AFV - Asociación de Fundidores del País Vasco y NavarraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCINFU and APF partnered in the INNORESOLVE Project (Erasmus+, October 2019 to September 2021) with AFV as promoter, FFE (Fondo Formación Euskadi), UNINETUNNO, and Cluj Chamber of Commerce and Industry to address Foundry 4.0 challenges.
• Public Entities and Educational/Training InstitutionsminorOthersAPF maintains representation and defense of foundry industry interests at national level alongside public entities and educational/training institutions.
• ACT - Authority for Working ConditionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPF participated in the Iberian Campaign for the Prevention of Accidents at Work in partnership with ACT and ITSS (Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social de España) launched in May 2016, focusing on reducing occupational accidents in small, medium and micro-enterprises.
• CASTWOMAN Consortium PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCINFU and APF were partners in the CASTWOMAN Project (Erasmus+, October 2019 to September 2021) along with Inthecity Project Development, AHBV University (Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University), and POINT to reduce gender gap in the foundry industry.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Foundry Society (AFS): Largest US-based foundry industry association providing advocacy, technical training, and industry intelligence. Highly comparable mission (industry representation, training, publications, congresses).
• Assofond (Italian Foundry Association): Confindustria's Italian foundry industry association. Directly comparable as a national trade body representing Italian foundries within Confindustria and at the European level via EFF.
• Fédération Française de la Fonderie (FFF): French federation representing the French foundry industry; analogous role to APF in training, representation, and standards at the national level and through the European Foundry Federation.
• AFV – Asociación de Fundidores del País Vasco y Navarra: Spanish regional foundry association; partnered with APF/CINFU on the INNORESOLVE Erasmus+ project. Directly comparable national-level industry body for foundries, sharing Iberian market dynamics with APF.
• Cast Metals Federation (UK): UK trade association for the cast metals sector. Directly comparable as a national industry body promoting foundry interests, training, and competitiveness in its home market.
• BDG – Bundesverband der Deutschen Gießerei-Industrie: The German foundry industry association, representing Germany's foundry sector. Directly comparable to APF: same role, same industry, larger scale and headquartered in the market that absorbs over 80% of Portuguese casting exports.

Others

• AIMEN – Centro Tecnológico: Spanish private R&D/technology center serving metalworking and manufacturing industries; comparable to APF's CINFU offering (technical assistance, lab testing, prototype manufacturing) for adjacent industries, with potential partnership overlap.
• European Foundry Federation (EFF): Umbrella federation of European national foundry associations (22 countries), of which APF is a member. Provides the supra-national layer that complements APF's national role rather than competing with it directly.
• World Foundry Organization (WFO): Global industry body for the casting industry. Comparable as an international trade/coordination body serving national foundry associations like APF, but not a direct competitor for members.
• CATIM – Centro de Apoio Tecnológico à Indústria Metalomecânica: Portuguese metalworking industry technology center based in Porto. Operates in an adjacent ecosystem and overlaps with APF's members and CINFU's industrial training and certification footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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