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Investment casting: Sustainability as a competitive factor

32nd EICF 2024 Conference & Exhibition in Naples

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Thomas Fritsch, Chief Editor

The current EICF 2024 conference took place in Naples this time with participants from 23 countries and 40 exhibitors.

Carlos Olabe (Executive Director EICF AISBL) and his team had organised a brilliant program that included interesting presentations, glamorous evening events and a site visit to the Italian company Europea Microfusioni Aerospazili (EMA).

During the event, there were honours, a change in the Executive Board and plenty of opportunities for networking.

Investment casting on the road to sustainability

José Antonio Calvo Maguregui's opening keynote speech on "Sustainability as a Key Competitive Factor" set the tone for the event.

It quickly became clear to all participants that the investment casting sector must also achieve climate neutrality by 2050, as this is expected not only by politicians, but also by customers, banks and shareholders. In his brilliant speech, the Basque business expert made an impressive plea to the participants to recognise sustainability as a key factor in competitiveness and to urgently incorporate it into the DNA of their companies. It is not about appearing as an angel with moral integrity or as a "good man", but about the attractiveness of the industry, investments, people, politics, quality and employees.

This is summarised in the principles of the so-called ESG criteria (Environmental, Social, Governance) and the investment casting sector worldwide will ultimately also benefit from this.

New EICF Chairman and honours

During the program, outgoing Chairman Philippe Hoste handed over the office to his successor Dr Julio Aguilar:

Dr Julio Aguilar

The new EICF Chairman Dr Julio Aguilar is Senior Casting Expert at Safran and responsible for the evaluation and validation of new casting technologies and materials. He is assigned to the Safran Advanced Turbine Airfoils platform, which is working on the development of a new generation of single-crystal high-pressure turbine airfoils.

After completing his bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering at the National University of Mexico (UNAM), he worked for eight years as a foundry manager in Guatemala. He then moved to Germany, where he obtained his Master of Science and doctorate at the Foundry Institute of RWTH Aachen University. Before joining Safran, he was head of the TechCentre of Access e.V. in Germany, where he mainly worked on investment casting technologies.

Robert Smart Award - 2024

The Robert Smart Award is presented by the EICF to Prof. Dr Andreas Bührig-Polaczek (RWTH Aachen University) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the progress of the European investment casting industry.

EICF Lifetime Award 2024

The Lifetime Award 2024 goes to Mr Jean Claude Ackerman for his vision, dedication and commitment to the European Investment Casting Industry.

Next events:

EICF Conference & Exhibition 2025 will take place in Liverpool, UK 05. – 08.05.2025

WCIC will be in Kobe, Japan from 09. - 12.09.2025


 

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