GF Automotive, a division of Georg Fischer, and the Japanese-based iron casting supplier Riken Corporation have signed a license and partnership agreement in which GF Automotive grants Riken a license to use its successful SiboDur® alloy in Japan and South-East Asia. Both parties have also agreed on a mutually beneficial coverage of each other’s customer needs. Riken will manufacture on behalf of GF Automotive in Japan and South-East Asia, and GF Automotive on behalf of Riken in Europe.
SiboDur® is an innovative iron alloy developed by GF Automotive and already in use at key customers. It allows a much lighter construction of chassis parts in iron and competes successfully with aluminum and steel forgings in terms of performance and weight at a lower cost.
Josef Edbauer, Head of GF Automotive, stated: “The agreement increases the penetration of our SiboDur® alloy in the Asian region and enables both our companies to better serve the global needs of our respective customers.” The President of the Riken Corporation, Noritada Okano, said: “GF Automotive’s SiboDur® enhances Riken’s technical capabilities and gives us the possibility to propose light and cost-effective solutions to our customers. Furthermore, the agreement allows each of us to serve our customers wherever they are.”
Riken Corporation is a publicly traded company with its headquarters in Tokyo. The company produces a broad spectrum of products, with an emphasis on engine and vehicle components. Riken Corporation has about 3 900 employees worldwide. Casting activities are concentrated in Japan and Indonesia. The corporation’s annual revenue is approximately YPY 71 billion (CHF 700 million).
GF Automotive is one of the leading automotive suppliers worldwide and a technologically pioneering development partner and manufacturer for the automotive industry. It manufactures some 600 000 tons of iron, aluminum and magnesium at ten production plants in Germany, Austria and China. Sales in 2012 amounted to CHF 1,461 million.
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