WEFA Cedar in Cedar Springs, Michigan, celebrated its ten-year anniversary in August. The company — which is a division of WEFA Group based in Singen, Germany — operates a 30,000 sq ft shop, producing precision round aluminum extrusion dies.
Company History
WEFA Group started operation in 1972 as a subsidiary of Alusuisse (Constellium). After a management buy-out and the strategic reorganization process, WEFA became specialized in the state-of-the-art production of the aluminum extrusion dies, which are used to produce profiles for the automobile and construction industries, as well as electric engineering. In addition to the leading aluminum groups, the company’s customers also include innovative medium-sized extrusion plants.
By the late 1990s, the chemical vapor deposition (CVD process) for coating aluminum extrusion dies was perfected by Bruno Maier at the WEFA Group, which filed for international patents on CVD coated aluminum extrusion dies that were eventually granted. Dies made by this patented CVD coating process are sold under the WEFA trademark CED® (Coated Extrusion Die). Other aluminum extrusion die makers now license WEFA patented technology for the CVD coating of aluminum extrusion dies.
In November 2009, the WEFA Group purchased Hydro Aluminium Cedar Tools, which had been Hydro’s U.S.-based aluminum extrusion tool and die making facility for 15 years. This was WEFA’s first production facility outside of Europe, and essentially became the CED technology transfer agent for North America. The plant employs between 12 and 15 personnel.
Today, the family-owned WEFA Group is present at five locations around the world, including Germany, the U.S., Czech Republic, and Switzerland with around 250 employees.
Strategic Goals
The WEFA Group develops and produces extrusion dies for the manufacture of the best possible aluminum profiles. This is based on innovative problem solutions and a worldwide patented coating process, from which the users of the treated extrusion dies benefit in many ways.
In the next few years, WEFA aims to establish itself as a customer-benefit leader in the industry. From sales to design, production and service, all structures and processes will be even more consistently geared to customer requirements in the future. “We develop your profile,” stated the company. “This is the appropriate guiding principle, which stands for the joint success at WEFA through partnership-based development and implementation of efficient solutions.”