Germany’s SMS group acquired Italian companies Hydromec S.R.L. and OMAV S.p.A. to further expand its product range in the forging-press and extrusion-plant markets. Hydromec manufactures forging presses and ring-rolling mills, and OMAV supplies aluminum extrusion lines. With its extended product portfolio, SMS group is now able to supply complete extrusion lines and forging plants with all upstream and downstream equipment and process technology from a single source. The two new SMS group companies, located in Brescia, will continue to operate on the market under their own names as subsidiaries of SMS. 

A fire set by an arsonist severely damaged the production halls at Mühlhoff Umformtechnik’s plant in Uedem, Germany, at the border with the Netherlands. Among the damaged components were four large presses. Six months after the fire, the company, which manufactures complex components for the automotive industry, is ready to restart some of its production with the help of Schuler Service. Schuler has already repaired two of the four damaged presses, and a new 2,000-ton press with ServoDirect technology from the TSD series is scheduled to go into operation in early 2021.

When forges need to expand production to meet increased demand for existing parts or to add new product lines, selecting from available options to bring new equipment online can be challenging.

The Schuler Group acquired Farina Presse of Suello, Italy, a manufacturer of presses and forging lines. With its acquisition of the northern Italian engineering specialist, Schuler rounds out its own product portfolio in the field of forging and single-stroke presses. Farina Presse will gain access to Schuler’s global distribution network for its products and will continue to operate under its own brand name. With press forces between 750 and 8,000 metric tons, the machines produced by Farina Presse cover a wide performance spectrum. The company mostly supplies automotive customers in Italy, Spain and Germany.

Saudi Aramco signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with GE and Italy’s Cividale SpA to build a high-end forging and casting manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia.

We are privileged to bring you three exclusive essays written by the secretary general of the Confederation of Chinese Metalforming Industry (CCMI).