The brand new Sakthi Portugal SP21 company is located in Águeda, Portugal (80km from Oporto). The SP21 unit, a work of art in itself, is a state-of-the-art linear nodular iron foundry, with an installed capacity of 90 KTon that will add to the current 95 Kton capacity of the «mother» foundry in Maia (Oporto) which are becoming to be insufficient to answer a challenging demand and an increasing market share since 2011. Both foundries produce safety-critical components - namely brake housings, differential cases, suspension control arms and a host of other components - for most of the OEMs and TIER1 major names in the automotive industry as Mercedes, PSA, VW group, Volvo, AMG, Ford, Continental, Dana and others.
The SP21 plant was inaugurated in February 2017 together with almost 7.000 visitors and international guests, after a record 11 months period for the construction of a work of art with its 280 meters long and almost 30 meters in the highest areas. Another first was the challenge of installing the equipments and test them while the construction works were taking place!
Sakthi Portugal ambitious strategic growth plan (Butterfly)
SP21 is part of Butterfly, the ambitious Strategic Growth Plan of Sakthi Portugal (2015-2020) launched after a business review, carried out in collaboration with EY (Ernst & Young), in 2014.
This growth plan led the company to repositionate itself: today, Sakthi Portugal is much more than a foundry, it is a company of people and for people, that produces knowledge by anticipating solutions to the automotive industry.
The company was created in 1998 by the Intermet Group and later, in 2007, it was acquired by the Indian owned Sakthi Group and re-baptized Sakthi Portugal. Since 2011 it has been growing steadily due to its teams, innovations and management singularities. Butterfly aims to achieve 250 M€ of turn over by 2020, from the current 100M€ and includes several pillars as the school project (the center of the complex of knowledge), added nodular iron production capacity as well as new specialties as machining, aluminum, surface treatments and assembly, besides R&D, innovation and social responsibility ambitious programs.
This approach led to the decision of a new green field project instead of a merger and acquisitions approach: «We want to be innovative managers and producers, not to be teachers correcting others». This decision and the limited expansion possibilities of the Maia led to a six-month international procurement process for a location to implement the Strategic Growth Plan – Butterfly – that culminated with the choice of an area with a total of 300,000 m2 located in Agueda, in the central region of the sunny Portugal.
Iron, Pre-Machining, Machining, Aluminum and more…
To achieve such ambitious goals, the company growth plan includes several pillars and novelties in a long-term project of the community to the community:
• School
• Iron (additional nodular iron capacity)
• Aluminum
• Pre-Machining
• Machining
• Surface Treatments (additional capacity and new technologies)
• Assembly
• Innovation
• R&D
• Social Responsibility
Added Iron capacity (SP21), pre-machining abilities will be added to Sakthi Portugal range of activities still this year, as well as a pilot unit of aluminium machining.
Aluminium casting, as well as most of the other Butterfly axes as additional surface treatments and Assembly are planned to be implemented by 2020.
SP21: a state-of-the-art unit with several firsts
Sakthi Portugal SP21 is about to become the second pillar of the Butterfly – the additional Nodular Iron capacity. With 20.000 square meters and state-of-the-art technology, the foundry has a unique linear production unit and is set to receive a second, symmetrical, productive line. More than 20 engineers and 100 other people have been training in Maia and Águeda in order to integrate the new facility team.
More than 60% of SP21`s capacity is already taken and the second line is expected to be launched already this year. SP21 will work as an autonomous company and not only as a production center and it is estimated to generate 45 M€ turnover by 2019.
While a big linear plant with an 86 meters long cooling line, the project includes a new concept for finishing, connecting the molding line directly to the customer bin where there is no longer a need to perform fettling operations as Sakthi unit will link the shot blaster to the final control area, resulting in one continuous process (Kasanova).
SP21 installs state-of-the-art equipments:
• Melting capacity of 2*12 MT (ABP)
• Single power 24MT/h
• Holding 60 MT
• Molding line: 750*570 mm DISAMATIC D3 Z555
• State-of-the-art shake out and the shot blasting
• 86m long DISACOOL line
• UP to 2 lines working autonomously
• Kasanova is Sakthi`s unique online finishing system without the traditional fettling operations.
Research & Innovation
Agueda is also hosting the Centre for Innovation and Technology N. Mahalingam, which aims at preparing future generations in a school/ company environment of excellence, targeting education and innovation in the field of metallurgy. The heart of the complex of knowledge for the auto industry was launched one year ago and already counts with 9 international partners and has several ongoing projects. To know more about CINTM, please visit the website www.citnm.pt.
The R&D teams of Sakthi Portugal both in Maia and in Agueda will be working simultaneously and independently aiming at fulfilling the dreams and desires of Sakthi`s customers, while CITNM will be serving the community and the foundry and metallurgy industry internationally with a larger scope.
Feel invited. Visit SP21.
SAKTHI Portugal SP21, an initial investment of 36 M€ for the 1st molding line employs around 135 people at launch. The Butterfly overall investments will surpass the EUR 100 million and are estimated to create around 1,500 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs.
As stated in the company`s claim: Sakthi Portugal is Part of You.
For further informations: www.sakthiportugal.com
The SP21 plant was inaugurated in February 2017 together with almost 7.000 visitors and international guests, after a record 11 months period for the construction of a work of art with its 280 meters long and almost 30 meters in the highest areas. Another first was the challenge of installing the equipments and test them while the construction works were taking place!
Sakthi Portugal ambitious strategic growth plan (Butterfly)
SP21 is part of Butterfly, the ambitious Strategic Growth Plan of Sakthi Portugal (2015-2020) launched after a business review, carried out in collaboration with EY (Ernst & Young), in 2014.
This growth plan led the company to repositionate itself: today, Sakthi Portugal is much more than a foundry, it is a company of people and for people, that produces knowledge by anticipating solutions to the automotive industry.
The company was created in 1998 by the Intermet Group and later, in 2007, it was acquired by the Indian owned Sakthi Group and re-baptized Sakthi Portugal. Since 2011 it has been growing steadily due to its teams, innovations and management singularities. Butterfly aims to achieve 250 M€ of turn over by 2020, from the current 100M€ and includes several pillars as the school project (the center of the complex of knowledge), added nodular iron production capacity as well as new specialties as machining, aluminum, surface treatments and assembly, besides R&D, innovation and social responsibility ambitious programs.
This approach led to the decision of a new green field project instead of a merger and acquisitions approach: «We want to be innovative managers and producers, not to be teachers correcting others». This decision and the limited expansion possibilities of the Maia led to a six-month international procurement process for a location to implement the Strategic Growth Plan – Butterfly – that culminated with the choice of an area with a total of 300,000 m2 located in Agueda, in the central region of the sunny Portugal.
Iron, Pre-Machining, Machining, Aluminum and more…
To achieve such ambitious goals, the company growth plan includes several pillars and novelties in a long-term project of the community to the community:
• School
• Iron (additional nodular iron capacity)
• Aluminum
• Pre-Machining
• Machining
• Surface Treatments (additional capacity and new technologies)
• Assembly
• Innovation
• R&D
• Social Responsibility
Added Iron capacity (SP21), pre-machining abilities will be added to Sakthi Portugal range of activities still this year, as well as a pilot unit of aluminium machining.
Aluminium casting, as well as most of the other Butterfly axes as additional surface treatments and Assembly are planned to be implemented by 2020.
SP21: a state-of-the-art unit with several firsts
Sakthi Portugal SP21 is about to become the second pillar of the Butterfly – the additional Nodular Iron capacity. With 20.000 square meters and state-of-the-art technology, the foundry has a unique linear production unit and is set to receive a second, symmetrical, productive line. More than 20 engineers and 100 other people have been training in Maia and Águeda in order to integrate the new facility team.
More than 60% of SP21`s capacity is already taken and the second line is expected to be launched already this year. SP21 will work as an autonomous company and not only as a production center and it is estimated to generate 45 M€ turnover by 2019.
While a big linear plant with an 86 meters long cooling line, the project includes a new concept for finishing, connecting the molding line directly to the customer bin where there is no longer a need to perform fettling operations as Sakthi unit will link the shot blaster to the final control area, resulting in one continuous process (Kasanova).
SP21 installs state-of-the-art equipments:
• Melting capacity of 2*12 MT (ABP)
• Single power 24MT/h
• Holding 60 MT
• Molding line: 750*570 mm DISAMATIC D3 Z555
• State-of-the-art shake out and the shot blasting
• 86m long DISACOOL line
• UP to 2 lines working autonomously
• Kasanova is Sakthi`s unique online finishing system without the traditional fettling operations.
Research & Innovation
Agueda is also hosting the Centre for Innovation and Technology N. Mahalingam, which aims at preparing future generations in a school/ company environment of excellence, targeting education and innovation in the field of metallurgy. The heart of the complex of knowledge for the auto industry was launched one year ago and already counts with 9 international partners and has several ongoing projects. To know more about CINTM, please visit the website www.citnm.pt.
The R&D teams of Sakthi Portugal both in Maia and in Agueda will be working simultaneously and independently aiming at fulfilling the dreams and desires of Sakthi`s customers, while CITNM will be serving the community and the foundry and metallurgy industry internationally with a larger scope.
Feel invited. Visit SP21.
SAKTHI Portugal SP21, an initial investment of 36 M€ for the 1st molding line employs around 135 people at launch. The Butterfly overall investments will surpass the EUR 100 million and are estimated to create around 1,500 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs.
As stated in the company`s claim: Sakthi Portugal is Part of You.
For further informations: www.sakthiportugal.com
