DaimlerChrysler Awards GEMCO Contract to Double Capacity in its Atlantis Foundries, South Africa

EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, April 28 -- Atlantis Foundries (Pty) Ltd, being part of the DaimlerChrysler 'Mercedes Benz Trucks Business Unit", is incorporated into the Mannheim Foundry Product Unit. Atlantis Foundries is located in Atlantis, near Cape Town, South Africa. The Atlantis Foundries product range comprises: cast grey iron cylinder blocks, machined commercial vehicle diesel engine cylinder blocks ranging from 4- 12 cylinder variants and machined crankshafts used in commercial vehicle diesel engine applications. The operation currently counts for approximately 45.000 tonnes of cast iron engine blocks.

In order to satisfy the sales forecast for the next years, Atlantis Foundries is subject to an expansion project, which is part of a wider ranging strategy of its parent company DaimlerChrysler AG that also encompasses the Mannheim Foundry. A new cylinder-block casting facility at Atlantis Foundries will allow the operation to double its capacity from the present 45.000 to 87.000 tons after the project is completed

GEMCO Cast Metal Technology carried out the Concept Engineering for this Expansion Project. Within this project, GEMCO has now been awarded the Engineering and Project Management for the moulding- and core-shop including TURN-KEY supply of the greensand and coresand plants as well as the automated core assembly and casting cooling facilities. The whole project will be realized in a live environment. Gemco's project team will work closely together with the Atlantis Foundries Team, who will concentrate mainly on the internal organization to maintain the present production during the reconstruction and the in time ramp-up of the new facility

GEMCO, with headquarters in Eindhoven, is a specialized company offering a comprehensive range of consulting, engineering and general contracting services entirely dedicated to the cast metal industry. The company has realized worldwide many new foundry projects and modernizations. The [Turn-Key] realization of foundry projects is supported from offices in Europe, Mexico, and the Russian Federation.

www.gemco.nl

For more information, contact: Ir. Bas van Gemert, tel. +31(0)40-2643-607, +31(0)652-600053, E-mail: bas.van.gemert@gemco.nl; GEMCO Cast Metal Technology, Science Park Eindhoven, P.O. Box 1713, 5602 BS Eindhoven, The Netherlands