metal masters Omco Metals

metal masters

As a technology-driven specialist in cast iron and bronze, Belgium’s Omco Metals is active across the world. Growing, expanding and heavily investing, Omco is continuously developing new products alongside its customers. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to managing director Jan De Mey to learn more.

Founded in 1964 as a European business for the US-based Overmeyer Mould Corporation, a leading American producer of glass moulds, OMCO’s market position in Europe has continued to go from strength to strength. Creating specially alloyed cast iron and bronze, OMCO established its own European foundry in Hamme, Belgium in 1971, where castings for both the glass industry and general engineering are produced.

In 1984, OMCO became a wholly Belgian company and enjoyed rapid investment and progression. A completely new foundry equipped with the very latest machines opened in 1990 and second foundry was added to the OMCO family in 2000 when it bought a state-of-the-art plant in Slovenia, where glass moulds are produced for the company’s Croatian and Romanian divisions.

Today, OMCO employs around 77 people and pours approximately 3800 tonnes each year, with a turnover of EUR16.5 Mio. Managing director Jan De Mey said, “The last few years have seen OMCO Metals investing heavily to optimise both the plant and the outcome of the processes. These investments include a cooling drum installation at the end of the moulding line in order to get a stabilised temperature of the sand. We have also installed a new sand preparation centre with the very latest controlling devices. On the engineering side, we’ve invested in a 3D scanning device as well as new engineering buildings and offices.”

Green to be believed

Both of the OMCO foundries embrace environmentally friendly practices wherever possible. Mr De Mey said, “Both of our foundries are similar in that they use green technology to operate, with clay bounded sand technology used to produce castings. Our Slovenia foundry also offers hand mould castings, with this process running on chemical bounded sand. The combined capacity for the two plants is over 10,000 tonnes each year. We take the environmental

impact of our business very seriously and are continually looking at ways in which we can deliver ever-more responsible solutions.”

The OMCO Metals product portfolio includes small and mediumsized series and prototypes, various types of cast iron (ex. NiResist), aluminium bronze and machining. Everything produced is created following close cooperation with the customer. As Mr De Mey explains, “We mostly take the design brief from the customer and work together to create the ideal solution. Over the last few years this way of working has been particularly successful for us; designing together with the customer is proving rewarding for us all, allowing us to work as a true partner to our customers. This way, our input is given at a very early stage and we can incorporate our expertise at the start of the project.”

Ready to serve

OMCO Metals works with many of the leading players in the engine and compressor markets including the internationally known Cummins Engine Company. With around 50 per cent of its turnover coming from Europe, 40 per cent from its domestic market and the remaining 10 per cent from the US, OMCO enjoys a solid global

footing. The company works to the strictest European quality standards, with ISO certificates, high standard CAD capabilities and extensive digital transfer provision. With technology designed to offer maximum flexibility to its customers, OMCO delivers a wide range of materials and applications including glass moulds, diesel engines, compressors, agricultural machines, incinerators and pumps.

Mr De Mey said, “We are able to serve customers wherever they are located. We are continuing to enjoy organic expansion and expect this to continue, with more specialised products joining our portfolio. We do not aim to produce more volume but rather to serve more complex and fully machines parts. We will continue to draw on our extensive knowledge in metals to give excellent added value service to our customers. Our new OMCO Machining department in Romania will play a key role in the realisation of this ambition.”