10/15/2024
EUROGUSS Executive Circle
Report

EUROGUSS Executive Circle: future projects are realised

Strategic networking with each other, cooperation with customers on innovations and industry marketing are key topics for the future successful development of the die-casting industry in Europe. This is the central realisation and message of the second EUROGUSS Executive Circle (EEC). The path to implementation has now also been clearly defined. The focus is on specific projects of the new European Die Casting Network (EDCN) in order to fully utilise the potential of the industry.

Presentation of future projects at the EUROGUSS Executive Circle

Initiated and driven by the organisers of EUROGUSS and Johannes Messer Consulting, with scientific support from the Zukunftsinstitut, the EUROGUSS Executive Circle set out a year ago not only to outline the prospects for the European die-casting industry, but also to enable the industry to shape the future in a positive way. At several meetings, C-level decision-makers from numerous companies along the entire value chain engaged in lively discussions about possible areas for joint action.

Growing interest abroad

It quickly became clear that something had been set in motion here that had potential. The proof: the number of participants has grown by 30 per cent, and the increased level of internationalisation is also striking. Participants come not only from German-speaking countries, but also from countries such as Italy, Spain and Sweden, and communication is now in English.

Their preliminary work has now been incorporated into an action plan entitled ‘Action now’, which EUROGUSS Executive Director Christopher Boss and Johannes Messer presented to around 40 participants at the latest virtual meeting.

The vision of the European Die Casting Network is now clearly outlined: to establish die-casting as a networking community for participants from the entire value chain of the European HPDC industry as a core technology recognised for its long-term potential in driving innovation, optimizing costs and promoting sustainability. By providing advanced, high-performance solutions, die-casting is expected to become indispensable for both the automotive and industrial lightweight sectors. The goal of the EDCN is to make die-casting a foundational technology that will secure the competitiveness and future of the European HPDC industry in a constantly evolving global market.

An expert talking at the EUROGUSS Executive Circle about future projects

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Concrete project ideas presented

Bringing the network to life and putting it on a stable organisational footing is now one of the tasks to be tackled in the short term. ‘We look forward to shaping the industry with you,’ explained Christopher Boss. ‘We want to organise the framework, the platform. But it is you who will lead the project to success,’ he also emphasised. There are definitely no plans for the EDCN to compete with the industry's established interest groups.

However, the participants were not only presented with the vision and mission of the EDCN, but also with very specific project ideas. The task of an initial project will be to clarify the unique selling points and objectives of the EDCN to customers in the industry and at the same time to explore possible approaches for more intensive cooperation between the customers of die-cast products and the members of the network.

Another project is intended to help increase the international visibility of the EDCN. The aim is for interested EDCN companies to participate together in relevant trade fairs abroad, for example in India, China or Mexico. Managers from the European HPDC networks will discuss overarching topics in the foundry industry at executive meetings with local managers.

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Focus on ‘quick wins’

The organisation of the network should be defined as soon as possible. The purpose of another project is therefore to develop an exclusive membership model for the EDCN. This includes the creation of a closed digital platform that is tailored to the needs of members and offers access to exclusive content.

‘There are many topics we could focus on, but we want to concentrate on quick wins,’ said Christopher Boss, explaining the proposed approach. ‘We have now reached another milestone. Major challenges can only be solved together,’ said Johannes Messer, closing the event with the traditional words “Glück auf!”.

Next EEC near Milan

The establishment of the EDCN shows that the die-casting industry is on the way to equipping itself for the future. Through cooperative innovation, joint initiatives to recruit young talent, increased use of sustainability strategies and consistent digitalisation, the industry can secure its competitiveness in a rapidly changing global market. It is now up to the companies to put the strategies they have developed into practice.

It will be exciting to see what progress will be reported at the next meeting of the EUROGUSS Executive Circle on 1 and 2 July 2025. In line with the trend towards internationalisation, the event will not be held in the Taunus region for the first time, but near Milan.

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