Interview with: Federico Montini (Sales Director and BOD member); Valentina Montini (Purchasing Director and BOD member)
FOMA recently installed a 4600-ton die-casting cell from Italpresse – a so-called gigacasting system.
How significant is this step for your company, and what kind of components will be produced on this machine?
The installation of a gigapress is a very important step for Foma for two main reasons: the first one is that with the acquisition of this machine Foma is making a definitive entry in the structural components business We will produce different types of doorframes on this machine. The second one is that currently in Europe there are only few gigapresses and most of them are owned by the OEMs. The scarcity of this type of machines will give us a competitive and technological advantage, which represents Foma's DNA since its foundation.
Our technical department worked together with the supplier developing the machine to allow us the most flexible solution for casting different type of components.
The automotive industry is undergoing a transformation, and production in Europe is declining
How is the die-casting business developing for FOMA in this environment, and what strategies are you pursuing to ensure future growth?
In 2025 Foma will get a 20% increase in the turnover and we will have another +20% in the next 2 years. This is particularly important, considering that the sales of automobiles in Europe are shrinking. We are able to achieve these numbers because we are technology neutral so we got projects for EV, but also for ICE. On top of this we have started some projects for structural components and we have entered in the truck business, pursuing the differentiation strategy outlined in our five-year growth plan.
With the new Italpresse installation, FOMA has entered the era of gigacasting.
Are there already plans for additional large-scale presses or further investments in this field. Are there natural limits to gigacasting? In China, we are already talking about machines with a clamping force of 18,000 tons.
We are aware about the big race that is happening in China, but we do not see it coming here in Europe and we are also doubtful about the future of these huge gigapresses even in China. For sure there is a trend to increasing the size of the die casting machines, but we think that above a certain tonnage (roughly 6.000Tons) it makes sense only for OEMs: the investments are huge and the market is volatile. Here in Foma we are starting with one and we will scout the market to understand the real potential and the sustainability of this size of machine. We are open to install additional gigapresses, but now we are not planning to go above 5.000 Tons.
Producing large structural components poses special challenges in terms of precision and process stability.
How do you ensure FOMA’s high quality standards in gigacasting — or are certain compromises inevitable at such dimensions?
To assure the expected quality standards on our giga castings, we have spent a lot of energies in the early phase. We have done additional simulation loops to develop the die casting mold, we have installed an advanced vacuum system and we have put thermoregulations with very precise parameters. In addition to these points and to get the best results we have bought a new tomography system.
With our quality department we have developed a robust system to double check density and deformation, as both are highly critical in the structural components.
Our giga press, as also all other die casting isles in Foma, is fully automatized to improve productivity and to guarantee repetitiveness of each cycle.
FOMA covers a wide range of processes, including in-house toolmaking and mechanical finishing of cast parts.
How important is this high level of vertical integration for the company’s competitiveness and product quality?
In the last ten years we have invested more than 100millions euro to develop our machining department, as nowadays it is paramount to deliver finished goods to our customers, whether they are OEMs or Tier1. Currently we see it as difficult to survive in the automotive industry without a machining department that can fully support the output from the casting.
The tool shop is where Foma started in the ‘50s as at the early beginning and where Foma developed the know-how of die casting process; the development of dies plays a fundamental role in the die-casting process. Today the tool shop is the key for the efficiency of our die casting department: we can do important maintenance tools, and we can also produce some tools for our medium size presses.
Europe’s automotive industry is currently in a period of uncertainty, and discussions about the strict rules on combustion engines from 2035.
Many suppliers are calling for more technological openness — what are your expectations or demands towards policymakers and OEMs in this context.
We started our first pure EV project back in 2018 and since then we got several projects related to EV with different OEMs and Tier1. Unfortunately, today we see that most of the EV projects are running below the expected volumes. We think that in the long run the future will be EV, but it is difficult to predict the exact timing: for sure in Europe the EV adoption is going much slower than expected as the customers are not willing to shift the technology. We think that the ICE ban set by the EU for 2035 is creating even more confusion on the market and we hope that the EU will leave the market decide which technology has to be adopted.
