Diehl Metall: Visit from Trainees of the Association of German Metal Traders (VDM)
The topic entitled “Scrap for semi-finished products and cast alloys using the example of brass” brought Trainees from the Association of German Metal Traders (VDM) to Diehl Metall.
“Scrap for semi-finished products and cast alloys using the example of brass”: This was the topic of the last optional seminar this year on the Trainee Program of the Association of German Metal Traders (VDM) and the Hans-Joachim Kaps Foundation. The main reason behind this seminar was the fact that, inexplicably, there is too much uncertainty within the metal trade about the requirements of scrap used in the area of semi-finished goods. To try and redress the problem and to counter this phenomenon, Diehl Metall Stiftung & Co. KG and Franz Hillebrand KG took the time to meet over 40 VDM Trainees from October 5-6, 2015.
The event was opened by Uwe Schmidt, Head of Raw Materials Management at Diehl Metall Stiftung & Co. KG, who initially introduced the Diehl Group. In his presentation which followed, Mr. Schmidt outlined which type of scrap is particularly suitable for the production of semi-finished goods. He referred, among other things, to strip and bar production. The conclusion drawn from the presentation was that the metal trade is an important partner for semi-finished product plants.
After this, Lars-Holger Schmidt presented the company Süddeutsche Metallhandelsgesellschaft mbH (SMH) as a part of Diehl Metall. SMH is exclusively responsible for the material supply of Diehl’s own plants in Europe. Likewise, alloying metals – primarily copper, tin, zinc and nickel – can be secured at Diehl Metall via SMH in the form of primary metal or recycling material.
In the last presentation of the day, Marc Busch, Managing Partner of Franz Hillebrand KG in Iserlohn, outlined which scrap is particularly suitable for brass casting alloy production. Franz Hillebrand KG is one of the leading manufacturers in the sector of copper/zinc alloys and can look back on over 60 years of history in the areas of metal smelting, metal preparation (copper/zinc alloys, brass ingot material) and metal wholesale.
The informative first day ended with a tour through Nuremberg and a knights’ banquet in a medieval vaulted cellar. The participants thus had the opportunity to discuss the insights gained over the course of the day.
On the second day, Diehl Metall opened its doors to the VDM Trainees for a plant tour. They were divided into two groups and had the chance to experience the theoretical information obtained on the first day in a real production context. The insights into the work operations and processes at Diehl Metall in Röthenbach a.d. Pegnitz brought the visit of the VDM Trainees to a successful conclusion.