Iron foundry for castings such as cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, brake discs, brake drums and flywheels in GJL, GJV and GJS.
Fritz Winter Eisengießerei GmbH & Co. KG
Stadtallendorf · Laubach · Darmstadt · Jinan (CN) · Franklin, KY (US)New on Amplifa
About Fritz Winter
Fritz Winter Eisengießerei GmbH & Co. KG, based in Stadtallendorf (Hesse), is a medium-sized family business and one of the largest independent foundries in Europe. The company develops and produces raw and finished components as well as complex system parts made of iron castings, including more than 650 castings such as cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, brake discs, brake drums, flywheels and hydraulic housings. Production is carried out in the materials GJL (lamellar graphite iron), GJV/CGI (compacted graphite iron), GJS (spheroidal graphite iron) and the in-house heat-resistant alloy VARIFER, with component weights from 1 kg to 3 tonnes (special applications up to 3.5 t). Since 1953, the material basis has been 100 percent recycled steel scrap. The portfolio includes full-service engineering with simulation, CAD and FEM, materials research, pattern making, machining, coating and assembly of ready-to-install products. Customers come from the automotive and commercial vehicle industry, hydraulics, shipbuilding, generator manufacturing and tractor manufacturing. In 2021, around 19 million raw and finished parts were produced; annual tonnage is stated as 324,000 t per year.
- Site
- Stadtallendorf
- Processes
- Iron casting / production of castings (raw and finished parts), ecoCasting process (in-house foundry technology), Machining of castings (raw parts, pre-machined and fully machined finished parts), Finishing/surface coating of castings (e.g. brake discs), LMD coating (concept development), Assembling of castings, Pattern making (patterns for moulds and core boxes), Full-service engineering for castings (simultaneous engineering, simulation, CAD, FEM,
- Materials
- Grey cast iron / lamellar graphite iron, Compacted graphite iron / vermicular graphite iron, Spheroidal graphite cast iron / ductile iron, VARIFER (in-house, heat-resistant alloy), Recycled steel scrap (100 % raw material basis), VARIFER (in-house alloy), 100 % recycled steel scrap, ecoCasting process
- Founded
- 1951
- Employees
- 3300
- Industries
- Automotive industry (passenger cars), Commercial vehicle industry, Hydraulics industry, Shipbuilding/Marine, Generators/Energy systems, Tractor manufacturing
- 01
Full-service engineering (simulation, CAD, FEM)
- 02
Materials development and pattern making
- 03
Core making (fully automatic)
- 04
Casting (ecoCasting / conventional iron casting)
- 05
Machining (raw parts, pre-machined, finished parts)
- 06
Coating/finishing
- 07
Assembly of ready-to-install products
- 08
Testing (brake dynamometer, flywheel test rigs)
Materials & Processes
Grey cast iron / lamellar graphite iron
Base material for brake discs, brake drums, cylinder blocks and flywheels.
Compacted graphite iron / vermicular graphite iron
Higher-strength material for highly stressed engine components such as cylinder blocks.
Spheroidal graphite cast iron / ductile iron
Tough cast material for a wide variety of raw and finished parts.
VARIFER (in-house alloy)
Self-developed, heat-resistant alloy for highly stressed flywheels.
100 % recycled steel scrap
Since 1953, the exclusive raw material basis for all castings.
ecoCasting process
In-house developed foundry process for thin-walled cylinder blocks (passenger car 2.5 mm wall thickness, ±0.5 mm; commercial vehicle 4.0 mm, ±0.7 mm).
LMD coating
Concept development within the framework of funded research projects.
Locations
Stadtallendorf
DECompany headquarters and production
- Part weight / size
- 1 kg – 3 t (special applications up to 3.5 t)
- Lot size
- High-volume and small-batch production
- Materials
- GJL, GJV, GJS, VARIFER
- Largest connected crucible furnace facility in Europe (2024)
- Fully automatic core making for cylinder blocks (2001)
- Fully automated core making for commercial vehicle cylinder heads (2007)
- 3 flywheel test rigs
- Brake dynamometer
Laubach
DEProduction site
- Materials
- GJL, GJV, GJS
Darmstadt
DESite
Jinan
CNProduction (Fritz Winter Automotive Components (Jinan) Co., Ltd.)
- Materials
- GJL, GJV, GJS
Franklin (KY)
USFoundry (since 2017)
- Materials
- GJL, GJV, GJS
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron casting / production of castings (raw and finished parts)Casting | – | – | 1 kg – 3 t | – | GJL, GJV (CGI), GJS, VARIFER |
| ecoCasting process (in-house foundry technology)Casting | Passenger car cylinder blocks +/-0.5 mm; commercial vehicle | – | – | – | GJL, GJV, GJS |
| Machining of castings (raw parts, pre-machined and fully machined finished parts)Machining | – | – | – | – | GJL, GJV, GJS |
| Finishing/surface coating of castings (e.g. brake discs)Surface | – | – | – | – | GJL, GJV, GJS |
| LMD coating (concept development)Surface | – | – | – | – | Iron materials |
| Assembling of castingsAssembly | – | – | – | – | GJL, GJV, GJS |
| Pattern making (patterns for moulds and core boxes)Casting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Full-service engineering for castings (simultaneous engineering, simulation, CAD, FEM,Engineering | – | – | – | – | GJL, GJV, GJS, VARIFER |
| Testing on flywheel test rigs / brake dynamometer / natural frequency testingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Materials research (metallography, thermal analyses, alloy development)Testing | – | – | – | – | Iron materials |
| Core making (fully automatic, among others for cylinder blocks and commercial vehicle cylinderCasting | – | – | – | – | GJL, GJV, GJS |
| Casting of heavy castings in high-volume and small-batch series up to 3.5 t (special applications)Casting | – | – | 3.5 t | Small-batch series | GJL, GJV, GJS |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crucible furnace facility (largest connected crucible furnace facility in Europe) | – | – | – | 2024 | Stadtallendorf |
| Flywheel test rig | – | 3 | – | – | Stadtallendorf |
| Brake dynamometer (brake test rig) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Test furnace for materials development | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| Fully automatic core making facility (for cylinder blocks / commercial vehicle cylinder heads) | – | 2 | – | 2001/2007 | Stadtallendorf |
| Iron casting production lines (foundry sites) | – | – | – | – | Stadtallendorf, Laubach, Jinan (China), Franklin (KY, USA) |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1932
Fritz Winter founds his first foundry (later lost through expropriation)
- 1951
Founding of Fritz Winter Eisengießerei oHG on 8 January
- 1953
Conversion of the raw material basis to 100 % recycled steel scrap
- 1959
Casting of the first cylinder block
- 1966
First delivery to the USA
- 1975
First ventilated brake disc
- 1988
First delivery to Asia
- 1989
Start of brake disc production for commercial vehicles
- 2001
World's first fully automatic core making facility for cylinder blocks
- 2007
First fully automated core making facility for commercial vehicle cylinder heads
- 2014
First ecoCasting foundry
- 2015
Company founded in China (Jinan)
- 2017
Opening of the foundry in Franklin (KY, USA)
- 2018
New Brake Technology Center
- 2019
New training center; Daimler Supplier Award
- 2021
Second ecoCasting foundry for commercial vehicle cylinder blocks
- 2023
Start of the largest investment program in the company's history
- 2024
Commissioning of the largest connected crucible furnace facility in Europe
- 2025
Thomas Giese interim Managing Director
- 2026
Klaus J. Rudolph new Managing Director and CFO (from 08.07.2026)