With great pride Cranfield Foundry celebrated its Grand Opening on the 11th of December 2019 in its newly built facility in the city of Probishtip, in the Republic of North Macedonia. It is the largest cast iron foundry that has been built in this country.
Previously, Cranfield had successfully conducted its first test casting of iron at the all-new 8,000 square metres foundry to ensure all systems function properly. During this time, the furnaces were charged, and the molten raw material was poured into a mould for the first time. All systems at Cranfield Foundry performed as expected.
The facility produces grey and ductile iron castings using green sand technology and operates:
- A horizontal line by DISA with mould size of 810x810x700 mm
- Two ABP induction furnaces with melting capacity of 5 tons each.
The total melting capacity of Cranfield Foundry is approximately 13,000 tons per year.
Beside the foundry facility, Cranfield Foundry built a 110/20 kV substation and a transmission line of 1.7 km.
"The first pour and grand opening of Cranfield Foundry are the result of a combination of efforts by our strong local team in North Macedonia, global foundry experts, our suppliers, as well as local and national government officials supporting this investment", said Mr. Dariusz Dziuba, Chief Executive Officer at Cranfield Foundry.
"Getting the Probishtip facility up and running will enable us to produce the best quality grey and ductile iron castings for our customers well into the future. With this foundry located in the Central Balkans, we are now in the best position to serve our customers in fast growing European and Middle East markers in the most efficient way possible", adds Mr. Dziuba.
Link to video of First Pour
Link to video of Grand Opening Ceremony