THE MURRAY AND ROBERTS Foundries group is looking at expanding its operations in the Eastern Cape. “A new leadership team has been appointed and a focused investment plan, supported by the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP), offers a new value proposition into the future for the Murray & Roberts Foundries group,” Murray and Roberts Holdings ceo Brian Bruce told the international publication, Automotive Purchasing News. “The foundries group has been thoroughly modernised to meet the needs of today’s auto industry. We are serious about expanding the business, and welcome all enquiries from potential partners and customers,” added Edwin Hewitt, managing director of Murray and Roberts Foundries Group. The group focuses on the supply of quality aluminium and iron castings to the automotive industry. Products include aluminium heads, engine blocks, manifolds, bearing caps, flywheels and exhaust system components. Process capabilities include product engineering; core package systems; gravity die-casting; rotacast; low pressure die casting. Value is added through the machining and assembly of sub components. Murray & Roberts Foundry operations comprise of iron division with three foundries and an aluminium division with two aluminium foundries, a machining facility and assembly capabilities. It has established an Automotive Engineering Centre in order to offer a fully integrated service - from initial concept through co-design, prototyping, sampling, the manufacture of tooling and production. The production incorporates casting machining and final assembly, according to Hewitt. “In short, we are a full-service automotive component provider to OEMs and Tier One systems integrators.” The Foundries group has become part of the global Ford supply chain through the provision of components for the Ford 1.3 and 1.6 litre RoCam engines, both of which are being produced at the nearby Ford South Africa engine plant. The 1.3 is being fitted to Ford of Europe’s Fiesta, while engines are also being exported to China, Russia and India. In South Africa, they are fitted to the local Fiesta and Ikon ranges. Murray and Roberts Foundries supplies aluminium cylinder heads, cast iron engine blocks, Silicon Molybdenum nodular iron exhaust manifolds, bearing caps and grey iron flywheel castings for the RoCam engine. A new US$13-million aluminium head foundry was built in Port Elizabeth to support the Ford engine export programme, which will deliver 215 000 engines a year from 2003. “This facility represents a significant capital investment by Murray & Roberts and a statement of confidence in the South African economy,” says Bruce. “We are also upgrading all of our foundry facilities to bring them to world class standard. This includes an environmental improvement programme that will ensure compliance with globally accepted sustainable development criteria,” he says. The Alucast facility, which is the newest in the group, uses ‘Tridem’ gravity die technology and has the capacity to produce 215 000 1.3 litre RoCam cylinder heads a year. “We have a technical partnership agreement with VAW of Germany and product development has taken place in partnership with them,” adds Hewitt. The technical agreement includes gravity die casting technology; plant and equipment selection; technical assistance during production and training. The Ford RoCam project and new projects with other OEMs have crystallised a revival in the fortunes of the Murray and Roberts foundry business which pioneered mass production of engine blocks, cylinder heads and exhaust manifolds in South Africa, says Bruce. The giant M&R group has given further support to the foundries division by approving capital expenditure which will increase capacity by 70 per cent. Hewitt says the Foundries Group is using financial and technical muscle to make further inroads into the global supply-chain through the local South African OEMs. “The Murray and Roberts Group has been successfully supplying automotive components to the local OEMs for many years. In order to continue to supply world class products, we have two key strategic objectives for the foundries. The first is to provide a focused product range based on engine blocks/heads and inlet/outlet & associated components. The second is to increase value-added activities within the supply chain. This would include machining, tooling and component design,” he says. M&R is keen to enter into partnership agreements with both first tier suppliers and local OEMs, says Bruce. “We have worked very closely with Ford Southern Africa on the RoCam engine project. M&R made substantial investments based on committed orders from Ford. The RoCam contract is evidence of Murray & Roberts’ capacity to leverage the technical and cost competitiveness of its South African manufacturing assets and to deliver world-class engineered products to global markets,” says Bruce.