Intelligent casting for the future of automotive: Dalian Yaming builds on trusted partnership with StrikoWestofen

Dalian Yaming Auto Parts Co.,Ltd (Dalian Yaming) in China is a leading supplier of aluminium alloy high-pressure die-casting products to the global automotive industry, and to big brand Japanese parts companies. Since adopting its first Westomat dosing furnace in 2008, Dalian Yaming has automated many aspects of production and adapted its set-up for electric vehicle production. With sights set on casting ever-larger components, and on IIoT automated transformation of the entire Dalian facility, the company sees it’s relationship with StrikoWestofen as key.

“The entire production method has evolved from traditional machinery manufacturing to an intelligent approach”, says Mr Fang Jianru, general manager of Dalian Yaming. “We have also transformed our products from traditional fuel vehicles to new energy vehicles. At present, we have set up two facilities in China, Hefei as the center facing south China market and Dalian as the center for north China.”

Dosing precision and service support – a foundation for future plans

Westomat dosing furnaces – 45 of them to be exact, including 1200kg, 1700kg and 2300kg models – have played, and continue to play, a vital role in helping Dalian Yaming achieve its production aims.

“StikoWestofen is known as one of the best dosing furnace suppliers in the world and we have certainly found this with our Westomats”, says Mr Fang. “More than ten years on, they deliver the accuracy and quality we received on day one. They are also easy to maintain, yet whenever we do need service or technical support, StrikoWestofen are right there for us. This is important for a company with ambitions like ours and why we have chosen SrikoWestofen as a strategic partner. Our Westomats are great for automated, high-quality production.”

Since 2012, Dalian Yaming has been running a fully automated unit that encompasses every process from dosing to palletizing cut and finished parts.

Now, by introducing wider IIOT connectivity, automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), and by adopting StrikoWestofen’s Schnorkle – a hermetically sealed closed system for keeping metal at constant temperature when transferring aluminium from melting to holding/dosing furnace – Dalian seeks to take things further, automating the entire factory.

When bigger parts depend on better dosing

Another focus area for Dalian Yaming is looking at ways to meet increasing market demand for super-large die castings.

“StrikoWestofen is always ahead of the world with the new technologies, and I believe they will continue to apply advanced technology to aid our high-precision, efficient production - particularly when it comes to the electric vehicle market”, added Mr Fang.