A quarter of a century ago, the globally-operating Handtmann Group of Companies took over the Leichtmetallgießerei Annaberg, located in the Frohnau Sehma valley in the Erzgebirge mountains. This anniversary has now been celebrated together with around 500 guests.

In 1992, Arthur Handtmann took over the foundry, established in Annaberg-Buchholz in 1926, from the Treuhand privatisation agency. At this point in time, the plant’s order situation was extremely poor. Despite this, the demands made by the Treuhand privatisation agency – guaranteed jobs for 100 employees and an investment volume of DM 10 million within 5 years – were greatly exceeded. “After the takeover, we sold just 500 tons of cast metal in 1992,” explained Factory Manager Joachim Reuter. “Since then, the plant has seen continual development.” As a result of being taken over by the Handtmann Group of Companies, the plant has undergone a gradual process of reorganisation and has been systematically modernised over the last quarter of a century. Approximately € 83 million has been invested in the expansion up until now. Today, 19 fully-automated die casting machines are installed at the foundry in Saxony for the production of aluminium cast parts. High-quality casting finishing and CNC machining are integrated into the process.

Complex cast parts, primarily for the automotive industry

As late as the middle of the 1990s, the staff mainly produced parts for the Zschopauer Motorradwerke. When this major customer was lost in 1995, the company had to focus on new activities and clients. And it was successful. Today, the product portfolio includes oil pans, chassis parts, parts for engines and drives as well as fuel-carrying components. The company supplies renowned automotive producers and their suppliers. The workforce, which now stands at 380, has latterly produced more than 12,000 tons of cast metal annually. “To achieve this volume, the employees in the various departments work in up to 19 shifts,” explained the factory manager. “The large machines work virtually constantly.”

Sales of € 100 million are targeted

The foundry’s order volume has been growing steadily for a number of years. The company was also able to surmount the financial crisis and a depression in the middle of the 1990s. Last year, the Annaberg light metal foundry recorded sales of more than € 90 million. “Effective workflows shared by the Works Council, the factory management and the company management are a “must” for results such as these,” said Reuter. The highest sales volume in the company’s history is the goal for this year. “Together we are aiming at 100 million.”

Training: 100 percent of trainees in permanent positions

And the staff? The plant is not short of new recruits – the company produces them itself. In the past 25 years, more than 60 apprentices have been trained in six different professions at Handtmann. 100 percent of trainees take up permanent positions. “We don’t have any problems recruiting trainees or qualified specialists at our plant,” said Reuter. This is especially due to the fact that the company does not rely on in-house training alone but also uses financial incentives to keep specialist staff within the region.

Sources: Elvira Bucher, Joachim Reuter