ZOLLERN manufactures castings, forgings, steel profiles as well as gearboxes, winches and drive systems for demanding applications.
Zollern GmbH & Co. KG
Laucherthal (Sigmaringendorf) · Herbertingen · Winterlingen · Portugal · Tianjin (CN) · Romania · Slovenia · USANew on Amplifa
About ZOLLERN
Zollern GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Laucherthal (Sigmaringendorf), develops and manufactures customised drive, material and component solutions. The main plant in Laucherthal produces steel profiles, investment castings, sand castings and forged parts; the Herbertingen site forms the centre of drive technology with gearboxes, winches, direct drives, hydrostatic bearing systems and rotary table systems. The casting processes include vacuum investment casting (EQX as well as DS/SX technology), aluminium investment casting, open investment casting, sand casting, Croning/shell moulding, ceramic casting, continuous casting and centrifugal casting. In the forging sector, open-die and die forging as well as ring rolling are offered; steel profiles are produced by hot and cold rolling, cold drawing and induction hardening. Materials include steel, aluminium, pure copper and copper alloys as well as superalloys and cobalt-chromium alloys. ZOLLERN supplies industries such as aerospace, shipbuilding and engine building, energy and information technology, automotive and mechanical engineering as well as offshore wind and medical technology. The company is part of the House of Fürst von Hohenzollern group and is represented with production sites in Europe, Asia and the USA.
- Site
- Sigmaringendorf-Laucherthal
- Processes
- Investment casting, Vacuum investment casting EQX & DS/SX technology, Aluminium investment casting, Sand casting, Croning casting/shell moulding (mask casting), Ceramic casting, Centrifugal casting, Continuous casting
- Materials
- Superalloys, Cobalt-chromium alloys, Aluminium, Pure copper and copper alloys (forged parts), Iron/steel (steel profiles, forgings, foundry), Investment casting, Aluminium investment casting, Sand casting, Croning/shell moulding, ceramic casting
- Founded
- 1708
- Industries
- Aerospace engineering, Shipbuilding and engine building, Energy technology, Information technology, Automotive manufacturing, Mechanical engineering
- 01
Engineering and design
- 02
Foundry (investment casting, sand casting)
- 03
Forge and rolling mill
- 04
Heat treatment
- 05
Post-processing and machining
- 06
Assembly of gearboxes and drive systems
- 07
Test and load testing
- 08
Service and maintenance
Materials & Processes
Investment casting
Precision castings, also as vacuum investment casting with EQX and DS/SX technology for superalloys and cobalt-chromium alloys.
Aluminium investment casting
Lightweight castings primarily for aerospace as well as automotive and mechanical engineering.
Sand casting, Croning/shell moulding, ceramic casting
Castings for medium to large quantities and component sizes, supplemented by centrifugal and continuous casting.
Steel (profiles, forgings, castings)
Base material for steel profiles, forged parts and cast components.
Aluminium
Material for investment castings and structural components.
Pure copper and copper alloys
Open-die forged parts and semi-finished products made of copper materials.
Superalloys and cobalt-chromium alloys
For turbine components and highly stressed parts in vacuum investment casting.
Locations
Laucherthal (Sigmaringendorf)
DEMain plant: steel profiles, investment casting, sand casting and forging
- Materials
- Steel, aluminium, copper, superalloys
- Investment casting
- Sand casting
- Forging
- Rolling mill
Herbertingen
DEDrive technology: gearboxes and winches, automation, direct drives, hydrostatic bearing systems, rotary table systems
- Materials
- Steel
- Gearbox manufacturing
- Winch construction
- Assembly
- Test benches
Winterlingen
DEPlant (Friedrich Blickle & Co. GmbH)
Portugal
PTFoundry technology (Zollern & Comandita)
- Materials
- Casting
- Foundry
Tianjin
CNDrive technology, gearboxes and winches (Zollern (Tianjin) Machinery Co., Ltd.)
Romania
ROPost-processing of castings (S.C. Zollern S.R.L.)
- Materials
- Casting
Slovenia
SIPlant (Treibacher Auermet d.o.o., Ravne)
USA
USPlant (Zollern North America L.P.)
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investment castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Vacuum investment casting EQX & DS/SX technologyCasting | – | – | – | – | Superalloys, Cobalt-chromium alloys |
| Aluminium investment castingCasting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Sand castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Croning casting/shell moulding (mask casting)Casting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ceramic castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Centrifugal castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Continuous castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Open investment castingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Open-die forgingForming | – | – | – | – | Pure copper, Copper alloys |
| Die forgingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ring rollingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hot rollingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cold rollingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cold drawingForming | – | – | – | – | – |
| Induction hardeningHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| MIM process (Metal Injection Molding)Casting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gearbox manufacturing (planetary gears, slewing gears, travel drives, winch gearboxes, industrialAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Drive systems (electric drives, torque synchronous motors)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hydrostatic bearing systems (spindle units, hydrostatic/aerostatic round andAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rotary table systems (milling, turning, grinding, swivel and measuring tables, pallet changers)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Automation solutions and complete systems (linear units, gantry axes, grippers)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Winch construction (lifting, pulling, freefall, lifeboat and special winches)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Engineering/development partnerships, service and maintenanceEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Condition monitoring and predictive maintenance (ZOLLERN Drive Guard)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Test benches including load tests for gearboxesTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
History
- 1708
Founded as an iron smeltery by Prince Meinrad II of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in Laucherthal
- 1715
The Princely Hohenzollern Ironworks rated as the "best ironworks in Swabia"
- 1879
Shutdown of the blast furnace operation; focus on metal processing
- 1906
Stahlwerk Annahütte belongs to the company until 1924
- 1989
Adolf Merckle acquires 50% of the Zollern works
- 2003
Acquisition of Federal Mogul TLC (France)
- 2004
Acquisition of the plain bearing factory and metal foundry Herzberg as well as Mimtec AG (MIM process)
- 2008
Revenue exceeds €500 million for the first time
- 2011
Acquisition of the investment casting manufacturer Eurocast B.V.; opening of a plant for post-processing of castings in Romania
- 2014
Establishment of a subsidiary in India
- 2015
Acquisition of the rotary table manufacturer Rückle and of Treibacher Auermet d.o.o. in Ravne (Slovenia)
- 2019
Ministerial approval for joint venture with Miba AG (plain bearing business)
- 2021
Sale of Zollern Maschinenbauelemente GmbH & Co. KG, Aulendorf, to Audita Consult
- 2024
Termination of the joint venture with Miba AG
- 2026
50 years of the Herbertingen site; ZOLLERN Steel Profiles becomes ZOLLERN Special Profiles