Ab 2000

The year 2000 saw the publication of the Georg Fischer Corporation's first environmental report.

Coperion Holding GmbH, headquartered in Konstanz (Germany), was created from the merger of the two Georg Fischer companies Buss and Waeschle with the Stuttgart-based Krupp Werner & Pfleiderer. The newly formed company is the market and technological leader in plastics processing.

GF Piping Systems acquired the Sydney (Australia)-based Industrial Pipe Systems Company (IPS), which was active in the gas and water supply segments in Australia and China. As part of the deal, Georg Fischer also acquired from IPS a 50% stake in Chinaust, a 50:50 joint venture set up in 1987 with the Chinese Lingyun Group.

GF AgieCharmilles acquired the high-speed milling (HSM) division of the Mikron Technology Group of Nidau (Switzerland). This move reinforced its leading position in the tool and mould-making sector.

Georg Fischer exited the foundry plant engineering business and sold its stake to DISA. 

GF AgieCharmilles took over System 3R in Stockholm (Sweden). System 3R is a leading global provider of tooling and automation systems.

GF Automotive received its biggest-ever single order, worth 470 million Swiss francs, from Peugeot/Citroen.

Georg Fischer celebrated its bicentenary with a series of local festivities around the world. At the Corporation's headquarters in Schaffhausen (Switzerland), the highlights were an exhibition on the history of Georg Fischer and the bicentenary gala in the former steel foundry.

The shareholders of Georg Fischer AG waived their bicentenary dividend, opting instead to create a bicentenary foundation, "Community Benefit". This kicked off the highly praised "Clean Water" project, with which GF aims to help bring clean drinking water to people all over the world.

GF AgieCharmilles purchased Step Tec AG in Luterbach (Switzerland), which develops and manufactures motor spindles for machine tools.

GF Piping Systems announced the foundation of a production joint venture with Simona AG in Kirn (Germany) to manufacture pipes and mould parts from fluorine plastics. 

Georg Fischer launched a comprehensive structural programme to increase its earnings power and reduce net debt. The three Corporate Groups were streamlined, involving a reduction in the number of production sites in Europe and the disposal of activities and shareholdings which were not part of the core business. The programme resulted in the loss of around 1,000 jobs. The structural programme resulted in the divestment of the foundries in Bedford (UK), Bitterfeld (Germany), Apc (Hungary) and Lincoln (UK) and the closure of the plants producing plastic products in Genua (Italy) and Huntingdon (UK). The service companies at the Schaffhausen site that had been spun off in 1994 were also sold.

The Corporation launched a revamped brand policy and an attractive new corporate design. The emphasis was on strengthening the GF trademark. Meanwhile, the motto "Adding Quality to People's Lives" – applied to the three specific areas of mobility, comfort and precision – became part of corporate communications. At the same time, the three Corporate Groups were given the names: GF Automotive (formerly Automotive Products), GF Piping Systems (formerly Piping Systems) and GF Machine Tools (today GF AgieCharmilles).

As part of the "EDM Futura" project, GF AgieCharmilles presented the first die-sinking EDM based on the new platform for electric discharge machines.

Georg Fischer won an award from the International Chamber of Commerce ICC for its bicentenary foundation's Clean Water project.

First Sustainability Report as part of the Annual Report. 

GF Automotive opened a die casting foundry in the Suzhou Industrial Park (China), around 100 km west of Shanghai.
GF Piping Systems opened a new training center in Schaffhausen. GF Automotive announced the closure of the die-casting foundry in Munich. Production will be relocated to existing die-casting foundries in Germany and Austria.

The CEO's delegate in China represents the Corporation's interests in finance, legal and human resources issues.

Georg Fischer sold its remaining shares in Coperion to West Private Equity. The sale marked the end of Georg Fischer's plant engineering activities.

GF AgieCharmilles announced that it would concentrate its manufacturing activities in Switzerland. Mikron set up a new production site for high-speed milling machines in Schaffhausen. Meanwhile, the manufacture of EDMs in Switzerland was concentrated at the plants in Losone and Meyrin. The mechanical manufacturing activities of Charmilles Technologies Maschinenbau AG, Schaffhausen, were sold as of mid-2006 to the Winterthur (Switzerland)-based engineering company Rieter AG.

The first Sustainability Report was published, summarizing Georg Fischer's commitments to the environment, its employees and society in general.

GF AgieCharmilles founded a company for the worldwide replacement, parts and service business and centralized its installed base business for the brands Agie, Charmilles and Mikron at the logistics hub in Geneva.

GF Piping Systems opened a sales company in Mexico.

The sales companies of the Agie, Charmilles and Mikron brand domiciled in Switzerland were merged into Agie Charmilles Sales Ltd, Losone. In mid-year the sales companies in Germany were also merged.

Good figures for the 2006 business year: for the first time sales topped 4 billion Swiss francs (CHF 4.05 billion).EBIT reached CHF 327 million, corresponding to an EBIT margin of 8.1%.

Georg Fischer announced it would build an iron foundry in China. The investment for the plant in Kunshan is expected to come to around CHF 50 million. The plant is to be commissioned in spring 2009.

GF Automotive was awarded the "Volkswagen Group Award 2007" as one of the 25 best
Volkswagen suppliers.

The Industry/Utilities segment of GF Piping Systems was restructured. A Technology Centre for the development of materials and jointing and production technology was established.

Reorganization at GF AgieCharmilles: Three distinct Technology Units – Wire-cutting, Die-sinking and Milling – were created and allocated to the various GF sites in Switzerland.

Georg Fischer responds to changed economic conditions: The international financial crisis and the worldwide economic slowdown have had a major impact on the automotive industry and on the machine tool sector.

GF Piping Systems invests in Schaffhausen. Extension of the distribution center and capacity expansion in the production plant for plastic products.

Georg Fischer AG & Co in Singen sells all the shares in Georg Fischer Verkehrtechnik GmbH, Singen (Germany) to the SAF-Holland S.A. (Luxemburg).

GF strengthens its position in building technology. GF to acquire JRG Gunzenhausen AG, a leading Swiss manufacturer of domestic and heating-water supply systems.

Georg Fischer goes ahead in Canada: Acquisition of Alfa Plastics Inc., Toronto.

In 2007, Georg Fischer reported sales of CHF 4.50 billion. This marks a strong growth with an 11 percent increase. Profit is at prior-year-level.

GF to acquire Central Plastics, the North American market leader in supplying piping systems to gas and water utilities.

GF Piping Systems inaugurated its new production facility in Ratnagiri, India.

Austrian Economics Minister gives "Coat of Arms" prize for exemplary training of apprentices to the GF Piping Systems fittings foundry in Traisen.

Important step in the Georg Fischer structural programme: With global demand for machine tools continuing to slump by over 50 percent, there is no let-up in the impact on the business of GF AgieCharmilles.

GF Piping Systems merged its Swiss building technology operations in a single company.

Georg Fischer battles the crisis and braces itself for the future: It has been heavily affected by the present economic crisis. In addition to the measures already taken GF has therefore launched a broad-based structural programme in order to effectively cut the Corporation's total costs.

On May 15, the new Kunshan iron foundry in China started up its regular production.

Recession hits Georg Fischer - measures taken. At Georg Fischer, negative currency effects, volatile raw material prices and the slump in the fourth quarter caused both growth and earnings to decline sharply in the past business year

GF AgieCharmilles responds to changed economic conditions: Focusing production sites. Rightsizing. Job cuts.