Oerlikon Balzers Customer Magazine

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41 BEYOND SURFACES Fall 16 40
News & Events
Today the former ‘Gerätebau-Anstalt’
is called Oerlikon Balzers and is a part
of the Surface Solutions Segment of
the Oerlikon Group which was for-
med in 2014 after the takeover of
Metco, the coating business line of
the Sulzer Group.
Back then, Professor Auwärter
produced sun protection and anti-
reflective coatings for eye glass
lenses and camera lenses, as well
as thin films for electronic appli-
cations. The vacuum technology
remained the main focus for a long
time. Even today, the use of high
vacuum is a significant factor for
thin-film coatings, however, this part
is now purchased while the coating
processes and the equipment they
require are Oerlikon Balzers’ area of
core competence.
From aircraft turbines to piston
pins:Greaterefficiencyand­
less wear
Development work on PVD coatings
(PVD = Physical Vapour Deposition)
was begun in 1974. The breakthrough
came in 1978 with the BALINIT brand
of coatings, which remains an impor-
tant mainstay of Oerlikon Balzers to
this day, alongside further ground-
breaking developments. “Essentially,
our solutions are always about com-
bining reduced wear with increased
efficiency, whether for Formula 1
engines, aircraft turbines, piston rings
for the automotive industry, precision
instruments, or for tools used by the
plastics or metalworking industries. At
the endof the day, increased efficiency
and reduced wear mean lowering
the use of harmful substances and
conserving resources – an important
aspect of our work. Because we are
proud of the fact that our everyday
activities are based on values such as
sustainability, tradition and innovative
drive,” states CEO Roland Fischer.
Today, Oerlikon Balzers em-
ploys over 4’800 people worldwide
with about 550 of these working at
the headquarters in Balzers. More
than 100 employees at this loca-
tion are engaged in global research
and development activities. Roland
Fischer spans the range of 70 years
of innovation: “We are proud of
our independent research that has
led to many coating and system
developments in the area of surface
solutions – and has made our com-
pany the technology leader in thin-film
coatings.”
Find out more at
Oerlikon Balzers
Turkey wins environ-
ment award
Oerlikon Balzers Turkey is the win-
ner of the ‘Environmentally Friend-
ly Industrial Plant Contest 2016’.
The award recognizes continuous
efforts on environmental topics in
Turkey. Special emphasis is placed
on a project with the Turkish Foun-
dation for Combating Soil Erosion,
for Reforestation and the Protec-
tion of Natural Habitats, in which
Oerlikon Balzers contributed by
planting one tree per employee in a
forest area in Izmir, Turkey.
53 companies participated in
the contest in three categories.
Oerlikon Balzers Turkey employees
are happy about the first prize, a small
electrical car, which will be donated
to a local charity project. “I am proud
that the award committee visited
Award for innovative spirit
Eldim receives the
‘High Tech Branch Award 2016’
The Oerlikon Metco subsidiary, Eldim, with headquarters
in Lomm (The Netherlands) has been honoured with
the ‘High Tech Branch Award 2016’. The independent
institute, NBSA (National Business Success Award),
nominated the company based on positive feedback
from the industry and, after a visit on site and talks with
staff members, chose it as the winner. Moreover, Eldim
received an award as the most innovative business in the
year 2016. And yet another prize is in sight: In February
2017, the bearer of the title ‘Best Dutch Company 2016’
will be chosen from among the winners in the 15 industry
sectors.
Eldim serves the aerospace industry exclusively and
specializes in machining and manufacturing gas turbine
blades, seals, inlet ramps and cooling plates.
our facility on a typical production
day without prior notice – nothing
exceptional had been organized. It
clearly shows that we live environ-
mental protection and sustainabi-
lity throughout our whole process
chain, and abide by the standards
that are valid for all Oerlikon Balzers
sites worldwide,” says Ugur Urkut,
General Manager of Oerlikon Balzers
in Turkey.
Oerlikon Balzers:
70 years of innovation
A new business was entered in the princely commercial register of
Liechtenstein 70 years ago: the ‘Gerätebau-Anstalt’ in Balzers.
The founders, Prof. Max Auwärter, Prince Franz Josef II von und
zu Liechtenstein and the entrepreneur Emil G. Bührle, had the
revolutionary idea of developing manufacturing processes in the
area of thin coatings and constructing the equipment required for
the industrial implementation themselves. Thus, for the first time,
the process and the equipment became a single unit and were also
offered and sold together – a business model that has enjoyed
exceptional success for over 70 years.