Fritz Winter: Circular Economy Meets Cutting-Edge Foundry Technology

The excursion began at Fritz Winter Iron Foundry in Stadtallendorf, Europe's largest independent iron foundry. Before touring the production facilities, the company provided a tailored introduction to its operations. A representative from the Human Resources department also presented the wide range of career opportunities available at Fritz Winter including internships, student assistant positions, and graduate entry programmes.

During the factory tour, the students visited the core shop, melting plant, moulding department, and machining facilities, gaining valuable insights into every stage of the production process. Particularly impressive from a materials science perspective was the company's long-standing commitment to sustainability: since 1953, Fritz Winter has produced its cast iron components exclusively from recycled steel scrap. Today, the company covers the complete manufacturing chain for highly engineered products such as engine blocks, brake discs, brake drums, and cylinder heads.

Another highlight was Europe's largest electric crucible and holding furnace system for molten iron, capable of melting up to 30 tonnes of iron per hour.

Students were especially fascinated by the company's patented ecoCasting process, an innovative casting technology that eliminates the need for conventional moulding sand by pouring molten iron directly into highly precise core assemblies. This advanced process significantly reduces the consumption of sand, water, and energy while lowering component weight, emissions, and production costs. The visit also showcased Fritz Winter's impressive in-house research and development capabilities, including a dedicated materials development centre, an experimental furnace, materials testing laboratories, and its own flywheel test facility.

SMA Solar Technology: Manufacturing Designed for Maximum Flexibility

In the afternoon, the group visited SMA Solar Technology in Niestetal, one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic inverters. The visit offered valuable insights into a company operating in one of today's fastest-growing global markets.

A particular focus was the company's highly flexible manufacturing concept. The complete factory infrastructure—including electrical supply, compressed air, and network connections—has been designed so that entire production lines can be reconfigured quickly to accommodate future inverter generations. Even the workstations are fully mobile, allowing production layouts to be adapted with minimal effort—an impressive example of future-oriented manufacturing.

Although production activity was limited due to single-shift operation, the students gained a comprehensive overview of SMA's solutions for utility-scale photovoltaic projects. Among the products presented was an all-in-one medium-voltage station housed in a compact 40-foot container, integrating two high-performance inverters, two transformers, and medium-voltage switchgear.

Through a viewing window, the group also caught a glimpse of SMA's fully operational Gigawatt Factory. Equipped with state-of-the-art production systems for products such as the Sunny Central UP inverter platform, the facility has doubled the company's annual production capacity to an impressive 40 gigawatts, supporting large-scale photovoltaic power plants around the world.

Following the day's programme, the group travelled to Evangelische Tagungsstätte Hofgeismar, where the peaceful surroundings provided an ideal setting to reflect on the day's experiences and exchange impressions.

Volkswagen Baunatal: Precision Engineering on a Global Scale

The second day was dedicated to the Volkswagen plant in Baunatal, the largest component manufacturing facility within the Volkswagen Group worldwide.

After an informative introduction to the company and discussions with representatives from Human Resources, an engineer from the development department provided fascinating insights into the evolution of modern transmission technology.

The subsequent factory tour, led by Carina Hillwig, offered a comprehensive look at every stage of transmission manufacturing. Students followed the complete production process from individual components to the finished transmission, gaining a deeper appreciation of the complexity and precision required for large-scale automotive manufacturing. Given that Baunatal produces transmissions for vehicles across the entire Volkswagen Group, the sheer scale of the operation was particularly impressive.

The visit concluded with a demonstration of the plant's massive hot-forging presses, vividly illustrating the enormous forces involved in industrial metal forming.

A Valuable Link Between Theory and Practice

The excursion provided an outstanding opportunity for students to experience industrial manufacturing at first hand and to see how the scientific principles taught in the classroom are applied in real-world production environments. The visits highlighted not only the diversity of modern materials engineering and manufacturing technologies but also the importance of innovation, sustainability, and interdisciplinary collaboration within today's industry.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to all participating companies for their warm hospitality, excellent organisation, and the valuable insights they shared with our students.