Sponsors


Hertwich Engineering GmbH, Austria


As a global innovation leader in recycling technology for aluminium scrap and systems in the aluminium industry, quality and innovation is in our DNA. Hertwich Engineering, a company of SMS group, regularly presents new developments and improvements to existing applications and products.

Hertwich Engineering the sole full-range supplier in the field of aluminium casting systems and sustainable recycling technology delivers individually tailored solutions for clients. Starting with charging of scrap to finishing with consistently high quality, homogenized billets, ready for extruding or forging.

The state-of-the-art MELTING TECHNOLOGY developed by Hertwich has revolutionized the industry and convinces customers around the world. Hertwich furnaces stand for

For many years, Hertwich maintains its market share of 90% worldwide with CONTINIOUS HOMOGENIZING PLANTS for extrusion billet and BATCH HOMOGENIZING PLANTS.

Both providing

As leading partner in the world of Aluminium, Hertwich constantly strives to provide even better services and products to make its contribution to environmental protection, conservation of resources and cost efficiency.

For more information please visit the Hertwich Engineering GmbH Website



Foundry Ecocer s.r.l, Milan, Italy


Born in 2000, FOUNDRY ECOCER is a highly regarded major company in Italy, involved in the production of products and consumables to non-ferrous and Aluminium foundries worldwide. Led by Maurizio Sala (President) and his son Fulvio Sala (CEO), over the years, Foundry Ecocer has constantly expanded its business and skills.

In its factories nearby Milan, Italy – it produces:

In Foundry Ecocer qualified personnel uses the most sophisticated equipment to test the quality of raw materials and final products, in accordance with the rigorous procedures of its Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015. The production plants have been innovated to obtain the maximum constancy and homogeneity of the production batches and they have been continuously improved to provide full respect of the environment.

Since 2018, after the acquisition of an a historic Italian furnaces building company based nearby Milan, Foundry Ecocer Group can design and build all types of furnaces for melting and heat treatment of non-ferrous metals, including single-chamber and double-chamber melting furnaces, holding furnaces, homogenization ovens, rotary furnaces. The Group includes a company specialized in the supply and installation of refractory linings too. Therefore, Foundry Ecocer group is the only one in the world that can satisfy every demand required by foundries, from a technical and commercial point of view.

Our mission

Affirming our economic and market growth characterized by an exceptional attention to environmental sustainability. Our aim is to bring value to the foundry world, thanks to our consolidated position as solutions provider in the large segment of Aluminium and non-ferrous metals. This can be achieved thanks to our production capacity and our know-how in terms of products, equipment and specialized consultancy.

FOUNDRY ECOCER is active in business sector associations: the President Maurizio Sala is the former President of AMAFOND, the Italian national association of foundry suppliers.

For more information please visit the Foundry Ecocer s.r.l. Website



HOESCH Metallurgie GmbH, Germany


HOESCH is the leading partner for the aluminum cast house industry worldwide; providing solutions for alloying and melt treatment as well as metallurgical consulting of highest quality. With its great variety of products and services HOESCH is your partner for tailor made solutions including:

Due to HOESCH-own production facilities, representative offices and partners all over the world, operating as a reliable partner in the aluminium industry on five continents, the HOESCH footprint stands for appropriate solutions, customers satisfaction, quality leadership, flexibility and innovation.

For more information please visit the HOESCH Metallurgie GmbH Website



MQP Ltd, UK


MQP, formed in 2000, is based in the UK and operates on a global basis through a network of consultants and distributors.

The company's thinking from the beginning has been to develop and introduce innovative technology for casthouses with the overall aim of improving quality and reducing operating costs. Close partnerships with suppliers and key customers have been fundamental to the success of this objective. In 2016, MQP entered into a key partnership with grain refiner and master alloy producer STNM, the latter taking a 70% shareholding in the company. This provides MQP with access to STNM’s state- of- the art manufacturing facility in Boading, China, which now has the capacity to produce over 39,000 tonnes of grain refiners, including up to 16,000 tonnes of Optifine, annually, on a new dedicated casting line which started operating in 2021. To support this, STNM is jointly funding a major R&D programme with BCAST Brunel University London to investigate the fundamental mechanism of nucleation with the objective of optimising the production of high efficiency grain refiners.

Today, MQP is entirely focused on the field of grain refinement of aluminium and its alloys.

Other well established products being supplied to casthouses by MQP for several years are now available from an associated company, Aluminium Casthouse Technology(ACT). These products include:

For more information please visit the MQP Ltd Website



MAST Europe OU, Estonia


MAST has been supplying specialty Aluminium master alloys to the industry leaders since 1988. Being based in Estonia, our production facility spans 75,000 m2 with the current annual production capacity of 18 000 mt and operates with the state-of-the-art in-house modified equipment & unique technologies.

MAST is well known for the quality of its master alloys and competitive cost structure, which ensures the low cost of final alloys. Our unique metallurgical expertise provides improved performance master alloys with:

MAST Europe produces a wide variety of master alloys and is currently in the process of qualifications with the following higher concentration alloys:

We also specialize in:

For more information, please visit the MAST Europe Website



Precimeter Control AB, Sweden


The Precimeter Group is continuously growing, developing new solutions and serving customers in the molten metal industry. With more than 25 years of experience within the industry and the highest level of knowledge about molten metal level control - Precimeter is the brand that can be trusted to deliver the solutions you need.

Precimeter specializes in automated level control solutions for molten metal casting processes. All our products are specially designed for the harsh conditions in a cast house environment. We offer our expertise to assist you with system design as well as commissioning.

The Precimeter Group includes offices and production in Sweden (HQ), Germany and USA and a local sales office in China. With representation in more than 35 countries as well, the Precimeter Group offers excellent service and support to its customers worldwide.

For more information please visit the Precimeter Website



Sistem Teknik Industrial Furnaces Ltd., Turkey and Bulgaria.

Aluminium needs to close the loop, and more scrap means more complex processes. At Sistem Teknik, we offer turnkey solutions from scrap treatment to dross processing while granting the flexibility of in-house manufacturing. We automize production lines for maximum performance and make sure that our products require minimum care. In a nutshell, we deliver simplicity.

As a team of 300 engineers and technicians, we have commissioned more than 1,500 projects in 36 countries. We design tailor-made products while offering a wide portfolio of equipment for melting, alloying, casting, homogenising, and heat treatment. In addition to design and commissioning, we provide after-sales services that prolong equipment lifetime and maximize efficiency.

Towards our goal of reducing the environmental impact of the aluminium industry, we have completed numerous projects ranging from fully automated dross skimmers, low NOx regenerative burners, filtering mechanisms to smart heat recuperation systems and IoT solutions. Having already developed several new equipment for the recycling process with partners from the Horizon EU platform, Sistem Teknik R&D centre will continue to engineer the future of the aluminium industry.

For more information please visit the Sistem Teknik website



ALTEK Ltd, UK


ALTEK is a technology-based company with specialist expertise and experience in the design, manufacture and installation of equipment and systems for the aluminium cast house. Their innovative technologies focus on environmentally friendly, profitable solutions for the Aluminium Industry. Their engineers have a wealth of international experience in developing and refining solutions to dross and scrap recycling and are a unique process-based skill resource for our worldwide customers.

ALTEK aim to provide the best technology and knowledge, to meet customer needs through a deep understanding of their production processes, operation, equipment and operational cost and profitability requirements.

ALTEK embarked on an ambitious project in 2010, culminating to what is now the most efficient, on-site salt slag recovery plant technology available in the industry. AluSalt™ is ALTEK’s economically viable solution to the global issue of salt slag (salt cake) processing and can be set up locally within a company’s curtilage. The benefits this can provide, operationally and financially, are significant and is a welcomed addition to the aluminium industry.

For more information please visit the ALTEK Website

Wagstaff Inc, USA


Custom DC Casting Systems from Wagstaff

Wagstaff Inc. is a 73-year-old industrial manufacturing company that provides customized, advanced aluminium direct-chill solidification technology to rolling ingot and extrusion billet producers worldwide.

Wagstaff offers:

Wagstaff has delivered more than 1,200 billet systems, 400 ingot casting systems, 250 ShurCast™ Casting Machines and 350 AutoCast™ Automated Casting Control Systems in 58 countries.

Beyond the hardware delivery, first-class customer service is included with every purchase of genuine Wagstaff casting equipment. From on-site start up and refresher training, to workshops held in convenient locations around the world, we are committed to delivering to the right tools at the right time.

For more information please visit the Wagstaff Inc. Website



Drache Umwelttechnik GmbH, Germany


Since its founding in 1984, Drache offers a wide range of innovative products and equipment for cast houses around the globe.

Drache's product range includes:

All Drache products are "Made in Germany".

The production capacities at Drache's sites in Diez, Germany, have increased continuously since the company was founded. As a global company with subsidiaries in North Carolina, USA and Sharjah, UAE, Drache satisfies customers in more than 50 countries world-wide.

Drache's focus is providing reliable, sustainable solutions in line with the customers' requirements as well as long-term partnerships in order to meet all criteria needed for quality that is made by Drache.

For more information please visit the Drache GmbH Website



CETAG – Casthouse Engineering and Technology AG, Switzerland


CETAG - Casthouse Engineering and Technology AG of Switzerland is a well established supplier of casthouse process know-how and equipment servicing the worldwide aluminum industry. Our employees gained their in-depth knowledge over decades of being members of the aluminum industry community and offering their services to global customers to improve their processes and equipment. Our focus is not only on a single activity or piece of equipment but on the evaluation and improvement of complex cast house operations.

Casthouse Engineering and Consulting
CETAG provides studies, equipment evaluation reports and services to optimize existing production processes or plants. Examples of our services include preparing a feasibility study for a new casthouse or identifying measures for optimizing operations (e.g. to increase energy efficiency of a melting furnace, dross handling and processing, ...).

Equipment Supply
CETAG supplies various types of melting, holding furnaces and associated equipment. These furnaces are optimized for operator friendly operation, ease of maintenance, low metal losses and to minimize energy consumption.

CETAG is a supplier of the well-established dross cooling technology. This allows for cooling of dross to temperatures around 100ºC within 15 minutes. This quick and gentle process assures that a large portion of the "free" aluminum contained within the dross will be saved from oxidation and available for further recovery. Simultaneously the dross is reduced to a granulate and can be classified into aluminum granulate and fines, allowing for easy handling during further processing.

CETAG offers more than dross cooling technology. Part of our evaluation process involves examining existing equipment and preparing recommendations on how production processes and equipment can be improved to minimize metal loss and the amount of dross created during the melting process.

For more information please visit the CETAG AG Website



Pyrotek Scandinavia AB, Sweden


Integrated systems and consumables, from the smelter to the foundry.

Pyrotek is a global engineering leader and innovator of performance-improving technical solutions, integrated systems design, and consulting services for customers in the aluminium industry. Pyrotek supports the highest quality aluminium production while reducing overall operating costs and maximizing aluminium producers' profitability.

What Pyrotek offers:

For the Smelter
Pyrotek products can improve plant performance throughout the anode bake furnace to help operators successfully support pot room demand, produce high-quality anodes, minimize fuel consumption, maximize refractory life and maintain a safe work environment.

For the Casthouse
For cleaner metal and more efficient processing, Pyrotek's manufactures engineered systems, equipment, and consumables, from scrap charging to the melting furnace to the casting station. Pyrotek's global network of application engineers and manufacturing plants work with customers to determine the equipment and products that best suit their needs, many of which can be custom designed.

Pyrotek Celebrates 60+ Years of Innovation
When Pyrotek® was founded in 1956 in Spokane, Washington, USA, it manufactured one product: high quality, low cost sewn fibreglass bags for molten aluminium filtration. At the time, the aluminium industry within the USA's Pacific Northwest was robust, with Kaiser Aluminum Corp., Alcoa Inc. and Reynolds Metals Co. plants taking advantage of the region's inexpensive hydroelectric power. Pyrotek soon found it had a niche, expanding its product offerings and strategically opening branches near aluminium plants around the USA.

By the end of the 1960s, Pyrotek had crossed the ocean, entering Australian, Scandinavian, African and other international markets. Today, the company operates more than 80 sales offices, research centres, and manufacturing plants in 35 countries.

For more information please visit the Pyrotek Website



Hycast AS, Norway


"Game changer within casthouse solutions"

Hycast products are technology and processes for melt treatment and casting of aluminium alloys.

Hycast differentiate themselves from competitors by offering not only separate products, but the whole integrated casting line.

Hycast is a wholly-owned subsidiary by Hydro Aluminium AS, and was started as a spin-off from Hydro's research center at Sunndalsøra. Hycast develop, produce and market casthouse technology for the aluminium industry.

For more information please visit the Hycast AS Website



RIA Cast House Engineering GmbH


Innovative Charging & Skimming

Efficient furnace practices with low-cost production standards, start with automated charging and skimming. Using the right technology enables a significant reduction of energy consumption, minimum cycle times, reduced furnace maintenance and most importantly a safer environment for the operators. RiA has been focusing on the development and manufacturing of charging and skimming equipment since 1997 and in particular, is now focused on innovative automation and process optimization solutions and the safest and most efficient systems possible. RiA charging and skimming machines utilize full artificial intelligence (AI) to make charging and skimming cutting-edge technology, without operator interaction. The latest innovation in skimming is In-Furnace Dross Processing (IFDP), squeezing the dross whilst still in the furnace, releasing liquid aluminium which remains with the bath, increasing recoveries. Recent additions to the product portfolio include Fioscope air-cooled smart In-Furnace cameras and laser bath height measurement systems.

Initially established as a local maintenance service and special equipment supplier for the German aluminium industry, over the last two decades RiA became an important International partner for aluminium remelt cast houses worldwide, now with more than 75 charging and skimming machines supplied to major aluminium companies around the globe. Building on high quality standards and continuous improvement has resulted in the most reliable, robust, maintenance friendly and custom-made furnace tending equipment on the market.

RiA charging machines can charge up to 30 tonnes of material in one push in under two minutes, deep into the furnace and evenly distributed to ensure maximum melt rates. RiA skimming machines can skim, stir, mix and clean the furnace with precise position-controlled contact, hence minimal refractory wear. RiA/Fioscope air cooled cameras allow a view into the furnace 24/7 from a safe location with the door closed. RiA bath height measurement systems allow accurate determination of liquid heels ensuring on spec alloying first time and also prevent short cast rejects. RiA systems achieve the lowest possible operational cost and the safest operating environment for all important stages of the cast house process.

For more information please visit the RIA Cast House Engineering Website



ALEASTUR – Asturiana de Aleaciones S.A.


Excellence in Aluminium grain refiners and master alloys.

Aleastur Group is specialized in the manufacture of complex, value-added aluminium alloys that are used for different purposes and applications within the transformation chain of the proper aluminium industry. In all segments of the value chain to which our products are directed, Aleastur is considered one of the most relevant and technically advanced operators worldwide..

Within our Aluminium Business Unit, the group currently counts with two production facilities in Spain and a third one in Bahrain.

Aleastur has a consolidated international reputation and is considered one of the leading companies in the production of grain refiners and master alloys for the aluminium industry. We supply our products to more than 800 clients in 75 countries around the world, satisfying the most demanding requirements and technical standards.

Our Aluminium grain refiners and master alloys are manufactured in diverse physical formats and dimensions complying the required technical specs, depending on the needs of our customers or the targeted ending applications. Thanks to our deep metallurgical knowledge and high-quality standards applied to the very exigent and responsible products demanded by our customers, we are considered one of the world's leading operators within the aluminium industry. For more information please visit the Aleastur Website



Storvik AS, Norway


Storvik is a global supplier of business-critical equipment & services for the process industry since 1913. Storvik delivers innovative, reliable, and flexible solutions for more sustainable operations through our four main business areas; project and engineering, cast products and consumables, machine building and fabrication and mechanical operations and workshops.

Through Storviks focused business areas they can deliver multidisciplinary solutions, services, and products targeted towards the international aluminium-, ferrosilicon-, hydropower- and oil and gas industry. Through close collaboration with the process industry, the company has built a substantial level of knowledge within maintenance, modification, and EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction), as well as supply of cast iron and steel consumables.

Storvik’s head office is located in Sunndalsøra, Norway with immediate vicinity to Hydro Aluminium Sunndal. Today the company has approximately 140 employees. Having worked closely with the aluminium industry since 1952, Storvik has gained a significant understanding and broad competency regarding all processes required at an aluminium plant.

Storvik is established in Norway, Czech Republic, Iceland and the US with their main markets being Europe, Middle East and USA/Canada. In addition to this, Storvik has branch offices in Kristiansund and Mosjøen in Norway.

For more information please visit the Storvik AS Website