Locations in Bavaria serving the world

In 1911 Wolfram Draht-Fabrik GmbH was founded in Berlin for the production and processing of tungsten and molybdenum. It was renamed to Gesellschaft für Wolfram Industrie mbH in 1928 before the company relocated its registered office to Traunstein in 1943. The company was given permission to set up work rooms in a converted outbuilding of the traditional Wochinger brewery. In 1954 the company founder and grandfather of today’s owner Marion Freifrau von Cetto laid the cornerstone for the construction of the company’s own premises at Permanederstr. 34. Marion Freifrau von Cetto took over the company 20 years later after the death of shareholder Helga Freifrau von Cetto in 1974, and has been the owner since then. The company significantly expanded its product range with the purchase of Bayerische Metallwerke GmbH in Dachau in 1991, and has been known as a reliable partner for everything related to tungsten and molybdenum ever since.  

Growth in the Alpine region: Gesellschaft für Wolfram Industrie mbH opens a new site in Winterthur

In Switzerland tungsten is used in quite different industries. The German company, Gesellschaft für Wolfram Industrie mbH, has been present in Switzerland with its products and services for some time. In addition to an extensive assortment of welding electrodes, products also include measurement and eroding technology or materials for radiation shielding. With the objective of being closer to customers and to enable even better on-site service, the enterprise opened a new location in Winterthur in 2018. “The market for tungsten products in Switzerland is highly differentiated, since the positive characteristics are required for many applications”, reports Matthias Schaffitz, Managing Director of the new subsidiary of Wolfram Industrie GmbH in Switzerland. “For example, tungsten weights and tungsten moulded parts are often used in measurement technology due to their high density and radiation-shielding qualities.” Moreover the material is used in the area of coating technology for surfaces with special properties and where special requirements are imposed on hardness, function or resistance, in addition tungsten is also used as raw material for electrical discharge machining (EDM), also referred to as spark erosion.

For the most part, the Winterthur site is involved in research and development in the area of application technology for arc welding processes. In this regard the enterprise exploits Switzerland’s well-developed infrastructure and thus can use the development platforms in the area of welding technology for test series and pilot projects. This not only includes the planning of ergonomic workstations for the processing of tungsten, but also the development of safe and efficient regrinding procedures and welding processes. “Since September, in collaboration with research institutes, we have been investigating the ignition behaviour of tungsten electrodes in orbital welding technology”, explains Schaffitz. “We are testing innovative alloys and special electrode geometries, we are attempting to minimise the wear of tungsten electrodes in use.” Also the progressive digitalisation in the course of Industry 4.0 is also included in the considerations for the development projects. Thus, so far the group of companies the only enterprise that offers a digitally traceable marking system for tungsten electrodes. This system supports process monitoring and it is particularly relevant in the space technology sector to ensure high quality of the weld seams for the demanding application areas under extreme conditions. When deciding on the location Wolfram Industrie deliberately decided on Switzerland, and thus enterprise continues to rely on high-quality production in Central Europe instead of moving its production to a supposedly less expensive foreign country. “All our locations – Dachau, Traunstein and now Winterthur – meet these requirements, also as a response to the increasing complexity of the products”, sums up Dipl. Wirtschaftsing. Sebastian Freiherr von Cetto, Managing Director of Wolfram Industrie GmbH. “Because we offer our products and also manufacture them where demand exists, we can pro-actively shape the market. This enables us to anticipate developments in good time and respond appropriately. With the Swiss location we also have an advantage in terms of access to the American market.”