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News Schaffhausen, 15 December 2011 Georg Fischer website achieves another top ranking
Consulting company KWD has scrutinized and rated websites from all over the world for the eighth time this year. Of the 70 Swiss companies whose websites were rated, Georg Fischer took fifth place – an excellent result. The top-ranking company website in Switzerland was that belonging to Swisscom, followed by Credit Suisse, UBS and Roche. Nobel Biocare achieved the same points score as Georg Fischer. After us came Nestlé, Holcim, ABB and Novartis. This is the third successive year that Swisscom has won, while Georg Fischer came fourth last year. None of the 70 Swiss websites that were rated ranked among the best in Europe. Of the 950 European websites examined by KWD, Telecom Italia took top place, followed by energy utility Eni and BASF. The websites were evaluated on 120 criteria in a survey of investors, analysts and business journalists who regularly use websites as a source of information.  Schaffhausen, November 15, 2011 National Future Day at Georg Fischer – girls and boys switch sides
To celebrate Switzerland's Future Day on 10 November 2011, Georg Fischer invited the children of its employees to experience GF close up. The invitees were children in grades 5 to 7 from the Schaffhausen region. This is the fourth time that GF has organized the event, which was managed by the Head of HR at GF Piping Systems, Yvonne Schäuble. The number of participants increases from year to year, and this year some 30 children took advantage of the attractive opportunities. The program for the girls featured a visit to the GF experimental foundry in Schaffhausen, where they had a close-up view of how sand casting molds are produced. The boys, for their part, had an exciting insight into the workings of a human resources department. The idea behind the national Future Day is to familiarize girls and boys with what are regarded as the typical professions of the opposite sex. Schaffhausen, October 19, 2011
Sustainability rating by Bilanz: top marks for Georg Fischer Georg Fischer is rated among the sustainability leaders The Swiss business magazine Bilanz this year published its rating of corporate sustainability for the third time. In the category of small and mid cap companies, only three firms received top marks. They were Geberit, Georg Fischer, and Bank Sarasin. Of Switzerland's large caps, only two corporations were given top ratings: Swisscom and Swiss Re. The rating was prepared by Inrate, an internationally acknowledged rating agency. Inrate compares the sustainability of Swiss corporations with that of a total of 1,800 companies worldwide, using 100 different criteria as its basis. These include products, production processes, product life cycles, corporate guidelines, controversial business areas and methods, resource management, CO2 emissions, occupational accidents, plus measures and facts in the social and ecological spheres. The rating starts at the lowest mark of -6 and goes to the top mark of +6. The industrial sector as a whole received only the average mark of 1. Georg Fischer takes its economic, environmental, and social commitment very seriously at all levels. The top mark in the Bilanz sustainability rating shows that this also pays off in the long term. Georg Fischer will publish its next sustainability report in mid-2012. Schaffhausen, September 22, 2011
Georg Fischer wins awards for its 2010 Annual Report
Third place twice, second place once: Georg Fischer was repeatedly on the winners' rostrum for Annual Report ratings.
In the rating of annual reports issued every year by Bilanz (a Swiss business magazine) and the Harbour Club (the professional association of heads of corporate communications in Switzerland), Georg Fischer won a number of awards. The Corporation came in third for Value Reporting Print and placed second in the category Value Reporting Online. In addition, Georg Fischer also placed third in the separate category Online Reporting. The jury praised in particular the fact that Georg Fischer provides its Annual Report as a pdf file, in an optimized app version and as a micro-website. As in last year's rating, the jury members were also impressed by the Excel financial data, the analysts' assessments, and the completeness of the information. In the category Value Reporting, the Georg Fischer Annual Report stood out for the extensive background information on the Corporation and its three Corporate Groups. A total of 249 annual reports were evaluated. The jury in the category Value Reporting (Print and Online) was made up of representatives from the Institute of Banking and Finance and business students from the University of Zurich. The Internet site for Investor Relations was judged by communications specialists, investor relations managers and teachers, and business journalists. Schaffhausen, July 8, 2011
GF Automotive convinces experts twice
Newcast Award and Award of Excellence: GF Automotive receives two prestigious prizes for Porsche components.
On 29 June 2011, at the twelfth GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, a jury of experts from the Verein Deutscher Giessereifachleute (VDG; association of German foundry specialists) awarded its prestigious Newcast-Award for the “Best casting solution” category to a component manufactured by GF Automotive. The component in question is a crossmember manufactured at the Herzogenburg site in Austria. It joins the engine to the chassis in the Porsche Panamera. “The crossmember is a highly complex component with various fixing points for wheel mountings, cables and hoses”, explains Dieter Gimpl, Head of Sales at the light metal foundry in Herzogenburg. The part is produced using a coreless casting process and boasts outstanding mechanical characteristics. Functional integration is assured by weld connectors and integral bolt fixing points. A customized solution for the German sports car manufacturer’s Gran Turismo model, which contains no less than 37 components from GF Automotive.
In May 2011, GF has alerady convinced with a Porsche component. At the 68th World Magnesium Conference held in Prague, GF Automotive won a prize for best design. The International Magnesium Association (IMA) awarded the industrial company with the “Award of Excellence”. The winning component is an engine front cover, which is used in the V6 and V8 engines of the Porsche models Panamera and Cayenne. The magnesium element was engineered at the Austrian location Altenmarkt. With 2.07 kg it weighs over 45 percent less than the aluminium component used so far.
For pictures, please go to our picture archive in the category GF Automotive. Schaffhausen, January 21, 2011
Roland Abt designated CFO of the year
Roland Abt has been named CFO of the Year. The Swiss CFO Award for 2011 was made on January 20 at the CFO Day, organized by the CFO Forum Switzerland. He received the award in the category "SPI Corporations".
The jury stressed Abt's specialist competence and personality, which have won him both deep trust and esteem within the Georg Fischer Corporation and among external stakeholders. In recent months, he has been instrumental in effectively restructuring the Corporation and also successfully carried out its refinancing with a syndicate of banks. The Swiss CFO Award goes to the best CFO of the year. It is bestowed on individuals who stand out for their personality and achievements and enjoy a high reputation among analysts and investors. The prize-winner is chosen by a jury made up of representatives from the academic world, the banking industry, auditors and investors. Schaffhausen/Pakistan, August 31, 2010
Georg Fischer helps floods victims in Pakistan
The Clean Water Foundation is donating 50,000 US Dollars in emergency aid to support the floods victims in Pakistan. This Foundation of Georg Fischer is making this sum available to the international organization Water Missions International (WMI), which has installed two Living Water Treatment Systems in Pakistan, one in Gadap Town, Karachi, and the second in Jamshoro, Sindh. Four more Living Water Treatment Systems have been deployed last within this week to Pakistan, two to Southern Pakistan and two to Northern Pakistan. Each water system is capable of purifying more than 10,000 gallons of water each day, enough for the water needs of up to 5,000 people each. GF has been working also with Water Missions International after the devastating earthquake in Haiti and supported its initiatives with financial and technical support. Schaffhausen, 30 June 2010
GF AgieCharmilles earns MWP Award The FORM 2000 die-sinking machine from GF AgieCharmilles won the Metal Working Production Award (MWP Award) at the Birmingham trade fair MACH 2010, where it was chosen as the best specialised equipment for machining and manufacturing metal parts.
The award-winning FORM 2000 is fitted with the economical and eco-friendly iQ technology, which dramatically reduces electrode wear and in many cases often eliminates it completely. This zero-wear technology helps the customers of GF AgieCharmilles to lower their production costs. What's more, it contributes to sustainability by saving valuable resources and energy. Schaffhausen, 25 May 2010
Top award for window frame
GF Automotive has won yet another award for its innovativeness in casting design. On 19 May the International Magnesium Association (IMA) presented the prize before 300 participants at this year's Awards of Excellence ceremony in Hong Kong. The international jury for the category "Design – Automotive Cast Products" was impressed by the light-weight magnesium component (only 1.8 kg!) that GF Automotive is supplying for the new Porsche Panamera. The window frame, with a wall thickness of 1.8 - 4 millimetres, is manufactured at GF's Altenmarkt plant in Austria by magnesium pressure die casting. GF Automotive had previously won an award and accolades in international trade circles for the door frame it produces for the Porsche Panamera. GF Automotive supplies a total of 37 components made of iron, aluminium and magnesium for Porsche's sporty new four-door sedan. The International Magnesium Association is an international organisation representing the interests of magnesium manufacturers, fabricators, end-users and suppliers. The IMA promotes the use of the metal in more than 30 countries on all five continents. It has been conferring its well-known Awards of Excellence at its Annual Conference since 1962. Schaffhausen, 19 April 2010
Two times gold for China
For their reliable and outstanding delivery capability in 2009, the employees of the GF Automotive light-metal foundry in Suzhou, China, were recently honoured with awards from two different customers. GF Automotive received the "Outstanding Delivery Award" from Otis, a world-leading supplier of lifts and escalators. The Suzhou production plant manufactures aluminium escalator and moving walkway steps for Otis by pressure die casting. The Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motors conferred its "Excellent Supplier Award" on GF Automotive for the delivery of engine blocks and oil sumps. GF Automotive currently has two production plants and employs over 400 people in China, which is now the world's largest automotive market. Schaffhausen, 18 March 2010
GF Automotive wins award for environmental project
The GF Automotive foundry in Singen won the 2010 Master Energy Award for its innovative energy management. The showcase project – "Using waste heat from a cupola furnace" – not only substantially lowers energy consumption and puts the lid on rising energy costs, but it also scales back CO2 emissions by about 11,000 tonnes and reduces the foundry's environmental footprint.
The jury, consisting of representatives from the trade press and industry, selected the GF Automotive project from among a large number of competing endeavours. The Singen foundry won the award against competition from such giants as Bayer and MAN. GF Automotive invested 3.5 million euros in a district heating system that delivers waste heat from its cupola furnace to the food manufacturing plant of Maggi next door.
The award ceremony took place on the Berlin TV Tower on 15 March 2010 on the eve of the 2010 Energy Masters, the leading trade conference for energy managers in industry. Schaffhausen, 19 January 2010
GF receives award for doorframe of Porsche Panamera
GF Automotive won first prize in the International Aluminium Die Casting Competition in the category "Structural Parts" for the doorframe of the Porsche Panamera. The award ceremony took place on Monday, 18 January 2010 at the opening of EUROGUSS 2010 in the Nuremberg Trade Fair Centre. The prize-winning light metal casting is manufactured at the Altenmarkt plant in Austria. GF Automotive supplies a total of 37 components made of iron, aluminium and magnesium for Porsche's sporty four-door sedan. They are manufactured by the plants in Altenmarkt (bodywork and engine parts), Herzogenburg (chassis parts), both in Austria, and Werdohl (gear parts), in Germany.
The International Aluminium Die Casting Competition is organised by the Association of the Aluminium Recycling Industry (VAR) and the Organisation of European Aluminium Refiners and Remelters (OEA) in conjunction with the Association of German Die Casting Manufacturers and the Die Casting Committee of the BDG, the German casting industry's trade association. The competition is intended to publicise the high quality of aluminium die casting. Schaffhausen, 19 January 2010
Good braking with GF Automotive
On behalf of GF Automotive, company representatives received the award as Supplier of the Year for 2009 in the Casting category at the Knorr-Bremse Suppliers' Day. GF Automotive in Singen, Germany, supplies cast iron brake callipers to the Knorr-Bremse plant in Aldersbach, Germany. Knorr-Bremse is a world-leading manufacturer of disc brakes for heavy goods vehicles. Schaffhausen, 15 January 2010
Georg Fischer helps earthquake victims in Haiti The Georg Fischer Clean Water Foundation is donating 50,000 Swiss francs in emergency aid to support the earthquake victims in Haiti. The Georg Fischer Foundation is making this sum available to the international organization Water Missions International (USA), which has a branch in Haiti and is very well acquainted with the local conditions. Water Missions International is specialized in water treatment in disaster areas and will immediately send ten portable water treatment plants to villages in Haiti that have been destroyed by the earthquake. These plants, which run on solar power, can be in operation in a matter of hours. Each plant can provide clean drinking water to 3,000 people a day. In addition, Water Missions International is also sending chlorination equipment, solar-driven pump systems, collapsible water tanks and equipment to test the water quality to the disaster area. The Clean Water Foundation of Georg Fischer has been working since 2002 on projects to improve water supply primarily in developing countries and disaster areas. Since the Foundation was established, GF has contributed over five million Swiss francs to support more than 70 clean water projects in 40 countries. Schaffhausen, 13 October 2009
"Coat of Arms" prize for exemplary training The Austrian Ministry of Economics has awarded the GF Piping Systems fittings foundry in Traisen a national prize for exemplary training of apprentices. The company is now permitted to display the Austrian coat of arms as a "nationally recognized training enterprise". In making the award, Federal Minister of Economics Reinhold Mitterlehner underscored the importance of training within the company because this is mirrored in employee excellence.
The award is based on the company's exceptional achievement in training apprentices and on its contribution to Austria's economy. It was made on the basis of criteria such as particularly good training methods, which are reflected in the apprentices' above-average examination results. The Traisen plant, which manufactures malleable cast iron fittings, is currently training 24 apprentices in its own apprentice workshop. More and more young women are taking an interest in professions hitherto dominated by men. Schaffhausen, 25 September 2009
A double award: particularly transparent reporting from Georg Fischer
Georg Fischer won two top spots in recent days in media ratings. In both cases the jury awarded the industrial company first place for its particularly good and transparent reporting. The Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences singled out Georg Fischer for its 2008 Annual Report. Winning 275 out of a possible 317 points, Georg Fischer thus moved from 2nd place last year to first place. Professor Claus-Heinrich Daub and his team analysed more than 250 annual reports issued by leading Swiss companies. They placed special emphasis on the transparency of reporting on economic, ecological and social figures and also used the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as a benchmark. Northwestern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences - Rating Annual Report 2008 (German only) Georg Fischer likewise won first place for its Internet site in the joint annual report rating of the business magazine Bilanz and the Harbour Club, the professional association of Swiss heads of corporate communications. The GF Internet site stands out for its "generally high level" and there are "brilliant gems" in its reporting, according to the jury, which gave GF 86 out of a possible 100 points. The assessment was made for the entire Internet site and not just for the online realization of the Annual Report. However, the jury attached great important to the information and tools provided in the area of financial reporting. Business magazine Bilanz - Rating Georg Fischer Internet site (German only) Schaffhausen, 19 August 2009 Georg Fischer is prepared for the flu pandemicThe Georg Fischer Corporation has taken all necessary precautions to guard against a flu pandemic. Although no case of infection with swine flu has occurred at GF so far, all employees worldwide have been informed about useful measures to avoid the contagious spread of the disease. The Corporation has stocked up large quantities of protective masks, which it will distribute to the local companies if the need arises. Employee travel has been significantly reduced, and, should swine flu occur at GF, each case would be recorded in a centralized reporting system. A Corporation-wide planning team is constantly observing the situation; it is in contact with the local authorities and will organise the necessary measures should swine flu break out at GF. Disinfectants are available, and plans to shift the work of as many employees as possible to the home office have been taken. To date, no cases of swine flu have been reported among GF employees. Thanks to the measures it has taken, Georg Fischer is confident it will be able to contain any outbreak of the flu pandemic in the Corporation. Taipei, 18 August 2009 Donation for typhoon victims in TaiwanGeorg Fischer has donated 10,000 US dollars to aid the victims of Typhoon Morakot. The tropical storm devastated parts of the island on 8 August. The Taiwanese government has put the death toll at around 500 people, while landslides have made some 7,000 people homeless. According to Ma Ying-Jeou, the President of Taiwan, Morakot wreaked the worst damage in his country in the past 50 years. The most serious problems are being caused by damage to the infrastructure, for instance water supply. GF is helping to ease the situation somewhat with this donation for reconstruction. Becky Tseng, Managing Director of the Georg Fischer corporate subsidiary in Taipei, will coordinate the deployment of the funds locally. Schaffhausen, 24 July 2009 Supplier Code takes effectGeorg Fischer expects suppliers to adhere to the principles of sustainable management and makes this a criterion when selecting business partners. The Supplier Code defines the requirements that product manufacturers and service providers who work with Georg Fischer have to fulfill. The Supplier Code reflects GF’s corporate principles and is geared to international conventions and standards. The key tenets of the Supplier Code are business ethics, respect for human rights, socially responsible working conditions, compliance with environmental standards and the use of appropriate management systems. The Supplier Code is available in English, German, Italian, French and Chinese. Schaffhausen, 24 July 2009 2008 Sustainability Report available 2008 was a year of extremes for Georg Fischer. Until autumn many production sites – most notably those belonging to GF Automotive – were working at and above their capacity limits. The collapse of the markets brought a dramatic reversal in fortunes, however, and production facilities found themselves with substantial surplus capacity in just a matter of weeks. This roller-coaster ride impacted on GF's key sustainability figures. GF produces a full sustainability report every two years. Since the most recent of these was the report for 2007, the 2008 version is a summary report containing the key sustainability data for the year. This summary report is available as a PDF.  Summary Report Sustainability 2008 (PDF)Schaffhausen, January 5, 2009 GF Internet site ranked no. 1The industrial company Georg Fischer has the best online corporate communication in Switzerland. This emerged from a study by the Swedish consultancy Hallvarsson & Halvarsson conducted together with the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. The study assessed the Internet sites of Switzerland's 53 largest quoted companies. Since the 140 criteria evaluated reflect mainly the viewpoint of financial market players, the quality of financial information forms the core of the analysis. However, other factors such as information on sustainability or career, interactivity and the use of video and audio also play a role. This Internet analysis was conducted for the fifth time in Switzerland in 2008 and for the twelfth time at the European level. GF finished sixth the previous year. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, December 30, 2008 (German only) (PDF) (151 KB)
Schaffhausen, November 7, 2008
Award-winning GLOBE
At the Grand Prix 2008 of the Federation of European business communicators associations or FEIEA, Georg Fischer won two awards. In the category "Best multilanguage publication", GLOBE, the employee newspaper of the Schaffhausen-based industrial company, carried off first prize. In the competition for the best in-house newspaper, GLOBE came in second place. The criteria assessed were content, language, credibility and dialogue orientation. The Georg Fischer corporate employee newspaper appears four times a year in five languages, and the print run of 14,000 copies is distributed in 30 countries. At this year's FEIEA Grand Prix, prizes were awarded in ten different categories. In a preliminary round, 800 publications were first judged at the national level. 200 publications then entered the semi-finals and finals, where they were judged by an international jury.
Schaffhausen, November 7, 2008
GF 2007 Annual Report wins twice
The Georg Fischer (GF) Annual Report 2007 won first prize in the category "Value Reporting" in a rating produced by the Swiss business newspaper Bilanz. Conducted by the Swiss banking institute, 35 different business criteria were examined. Some of the key elements studied were background information on the company such as explanations about products, markets and strategy, along with non-financial information. The jury analysed a total of 130 annual reports issued by Switzerland's largest corporations. According to jury chairman Rudolf Volkart, "The GF Annual Report stands out for its compact and highly informative presentation."
In another analysis published by the Northwest Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, "Switzerland's Best Annual Reports", the GF report came in second, winning 90 percent of all possible points. This study examined the annual reports of the 250 largest Swiss corporations plus those of some smaller firms. The analysis focuses on social and ecological aspects of management as well as on financial data and follows the international sustainability standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
Singen, August 2008
GF heats up Maggi
GF Automotive in Singen, Germany, is cooperating
with Nestlé, the food company,
in a project to use waste heat. Heat generated
in the foundry’s iron smelter is tapped
into by means of a thermal oil system. In
the past, only part of the energy was captured
for heating mains water. A new concept
is being designed to use the waste
heat in the plants of the nearby food company
for the manufacture of products for
Maggi, best known for its soups. The system
is expected to reduce CO2 by more
than 11,000 tonnes per annum. Germany’s
Ministry of the Environment has therefore
contributed 700,000 euros to the project
from its environmental innovation programme.
The first energy deliveries will
take place this year.
Dautphetal-Mornshausen, August 2008
Award for GF DEKA
Georg Fischer DEKA has won the Supplier
Award given by Airbus, the commercial
aircraft company. The GF Piping Systems
subsidiary from Dautphetal-Mornshausen,
Germany, won perfect marks in the decisive
criteria “Complaint rate” and “Delivery reliability”
and was voted the second-best
supplier in 2007. Points were awarded for
good technical cooperation along with
rapid implementation and short response
times. DEKA has been supplying Airbus
with pipe components made of special
polymer plastics since 1996. They are built
into the ventilation and air conditioning
systems in the Airbus cabins, which are
produced in Laupheim, Germany. The
know-how from GF is being used in the
new Super Airbus A380 as well as in the
older A300 and A340 models.
Schaffhausen, August 2008 Clean Water on tour“Five Years Clean Water” is a travelling exhibit that has begun doing the rounds of Georg Fischer. By means of informative panels and two special drops of water, GF wants to inform its employees about its commitment to improving people’s access to clean drinking water. The first stop was Schaffhausen, where the exhibit was shown at GF Piping Systems, in the Corporation’s Head Office and at the shareholders’ annual meeting. The exhibit next travelled to a trade fair in Italy and subsequently to Seewis, Singen and Mettmann. It will stop in Epe, Netherlands, Schorndorf, Germany, and Geneva, Switzerland.
Schaffhausen, July 24, 2008
Clean Water project receives award from Kofi Annan
Helvetas, the Swiss Association for International Cooperation, recently received the ENERGY GLOBE AWARD from former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in the European Parliament. The Award is worth 10,000 euros and is presented in five categories – Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth. The jury, headed by Indian politician Maneka Gandhi, chose Helvetas’ drinking water scheme from among 853 projects.
By working with the local population to construct and repair village wells in Mozambique, Helvetas is contributing to improving hygiene standards. To date Helvetas has been able to help over a million people obtain access to clean drinking water. By having local construction companies build the drinking water installations, Helvetas is also helping to promote private industry.
Georg Fischer has supported this long-established and outstanding example of development cooperation on two occasions since 2002 by making substantial contributions through its Clean Water Foundation. Also Yves Serra, CEO of Georg Fischer, is pleased: "We are delighted that Helvetas' efforts have received such recognition. Helvetas has been one of Clean Water’s partners right from the outset and consistently does excellent work on our behalf."
Dujiangyan, July 2008
Solidarity with China
GF staff were among those affected by the recent earthquake in China. GF has a production site in the town of Dujiangyan, which is located near the quake's epicentre. The Corporation and individual colleagues made donations for the reconstruction. The management of Chinaust, the joint venture of GF Piping Systems and the Lingyun Group, for instance, contributed emergency assistance of 100,000 renminbi (almost 15,000 Swiss francs) two days after the earthquake. The Georg Fischer Corporation made 52,000 Swiss francs available, and local GF companies launched appeals for donations, collecting over RMB 400,000, or more than 60,000 Swiss francs. Although the staff of Chinaust had to rely on outside help, they threw themselves into the reconstruction efforts with a will: just a week after the quake, they were supplying their customers with fittings and piping for repairs to water and gas distribution systems.
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