Special Report N°4/2003

(Statement Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Hans-Dieter Honsel, Chairman of the Board Honsel International Technologies, Meschede, Germany)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

before outlining briefly some statements concerning the national and international development of the foundry industry, I would first like to welcome the opportunity to thank the IKB. To thank you for your never ceasing efforts to support the middle-class industrial enterprises, which are still the predominant players of our trade become obvious once more at this largest and highly reputed foundry trade fair. So thank you to the IKB for examining again thoroughly the development of our line of business and reflecting it competently and convincingly in the study just presented this year.

The shown empathy and commitment for the middle-class is of an especially high ranking in the current difficult economic and political environment. Nearly everybody comes to the conclusion that strengthening of the middle-class is particularly important. Only if inhibitive factors restraining it are eliminated can it remain the constitutive backbone of our national economy.
Ultimately this will lead to the release of urgently needed growth-promoting impulses, which could become the foundation of a recovered and sound economic situation.

It is the only way to ensure a lasting effect regarding economy, national budget, employment politics and, last but not least, social peace, even after urgently needed adjustments will have been made in the near future.

Often our talk about Sustainable Development doesnŽt reflect our deeds, acting solely for the present.

All of us, whether foundrymen, subcontractors or equipment and facility producers, feel, we are well prepared for the challenges of the future in this environment of impending change.

We are convinced and prove it daily that casting products in particular are the most economic way to a perfect end product. We guarantee this by using the material best suited for the respective demand and manufacture procedure, leading eventually to the most efficient product possible.

This applies more or less to all customer markets of our foundry products, but especially, among others, to the car industry as well as to constructional and electrical engineering.

Worldwide, the technical trends in the car industry are extremely important., not only for the Non-Ferrous-foundrymen, but also for a considerable number of the Ferrous-, Steel- and Temperfoundrymen. The ongoing tendency described in detail in the comprehensive IKB-study demonstrates that new developments of economic production are made possible only by the casting production.

This fact is impressively substantiated at the NEWCAST, taking place for the first time this year. There you can see components which couldnŽt have been created without the procedures of casting. This is also reflected in the economic figures of our branch of industry. They clearly prove that casting products cause or at least promote a major part of the positive changes we are experiencing.

Bearing this information in mind IŽd like to present briefly a few statistical figures of our trade:

Chart 1 Production of Ferrous-, Steel- and Tempercasting in Germany

Chart 2 Production of NF-Metalcasting in Germany

Both charts illustrate emphatically the excellent development of the foundry industry in Germany. This is remarkable when realising that the important market players, the car industry and constructional engineering, couldnŽt achieve a distinct upward tendency in the past couple of years. The strong points of casting along with the increasing compatibility of our major market players in the foundry industry cause the positive development of our trade. All this is guaranteed by the excellent technical and economic know-how of everybody involved. Assisted by another strength of German industrial middle-class, namely the exceptional customer service, we neednŽt be worried about international competition, as demonstrated convincingly at the GIFA and the NEWCAST.

The successful work with castings is best illustrated when regarding the economic figures of our main competitors and their respective home countries. All countries with a highly-reputed and efficient foundry industry have undergone a similar, sometimes even more stimulating and positive development, as we have in Germany during the past 5 years.

Chart 3 Development of the production of Ferrous-, Steel- and Temperfoundries from 1998 until 2002

Chart 4 Development of the production of NF-Metalfoundries from 1998 to 2002

The figures above ultimately prove, that the versatility of castings increase worldwide. It is no exaggeration to conclude that a modern and innovative market would be unthinkable without casting products.

It is the VDGŽs objective to increase and strengthen this position. With pride we present the GIFA and the NEWCAST in our home country, two extensive shows of the worldwide successful casting trade. We are glad to be a part of this impressive competition.

download of charts 1-4