Global leaders in tube forming Voestalpine Rotec

GLOBAL LEADERS IN TUBE FORMING

Voestalpine Rotec GmbH & Co KG specialises in the production, further processing and sale of precision steel tubes. Industry Europe looks at its operations.

Headquartered in Krieglach, Austria, the Voestalpine Rotec Group altogether comprises seven companies and three sales locations in Europe and the US. Voestalpine Rotec is part of Voestalpine, a steelmaking, processing, and technology group that operates worldwide and manufactures, processes and develops high-quality steel products. As a part of the group, Rotec’s customers can benefit from its extensive know-how and global outreach.

In his time at Voestalpine Rotec GmbH & Co KG, Dr Rolf Weiel, director of research and development at the group, has seen it leap from an annual turnover of €6 million to one of almost €32 million. Now, he says, the operation, which specialises in tube forming and machining technologies, has ambitions of reaching €50 million by 2020.

“We have seen an average growth of 14 per cent every year and, although it will be a challenge, I believe we can reach our target by that time,” he says. “We always follow the options of both organic growth and acquisition – and will definitely be looking for acquisitions that fit our portfolio. However, in the past we have been much more successful with organic growth and we see good opportunities for that in the future.

“This may be achieved by strong growth in our main business field, but we also plan to implement further services for our customers.”

High precision operation

With 500 production and sales companies in more than 50 countries on five continents, the mother group is one of the leading partners to the automotive and domesticappliance industries in Europe and to the oil and gas industries worldwide.

Voestalpine Rotec itself specialises in the production, further processing and sales of precision steel tubes. It has a focus on the automotive industry and on segments of mechanical engineering and hydraulic or pneumatic applications.

The group supports its customers in the development of product and production solutions with cutting-edge technologies, an expertise in materials and perfected logistic concepts.

Industry leading technologies

“Our main specialties are temperature supported metal forming, such as hot spinning, round forging or hot radial press

forming,” explains Dr Weiel. “We have transfer line based processes for the highest productivity and robot equipped cells for high level process integration.

“We concentrate on the development of highly efficient and productive integrated tube forming and machining processes in house and have our own design and engineering of complex production lines for high volume production.”

For the automotive sector, which accounts for 70 per cent of production, the group produces airbag cylinders and combustion chambers. It also manufactures components for air suspension systems, including aluminium pressure vessels, spin formed pistons and bellow support housings, silencer and seat frame tubes.

In non automotive, it supplies housings for electro motors, such as blind shutter drives, as well as stainless steel pressure vessels, construction struts for electrical power plants and high pressure gas transport bottles for special applications, for example, avalanche airbag systems.

Proud of its technologies, Voestalpine Rotec is also at the forefront when it comes to developing new products. Working closely with its customers, it is able to design, build and deliver equipment from under one roof.

International growth

In total, Voestalpine Rotec already has eight companies – seven of these are in Europe and one is in the US. There are two manufacturing sites in Germany; at Annealed, there is production, as well as management, administration and research and development, while at Sülzfeld, the company has an airbag pressure vessel facility.

While central Europe, Poland and the US will remain key markets for the group, Dr Weiel is in no doubt Voestalpine Rotec will be expanding in China where the parent company already has 22 product sites, one of which was opened in May this year. By 2020 it is expected that the group will be establishing a further 15 new plants in this country and no doubt this will enable Rotec to reach new customers in this market in the coming years. n