Iron casting and machining of brake discs, brake drums, flywheels and gearbox housings since 1830.
M. Busch GmbH & Co. KG
Bestwig, Ruhrstraße 1 · Meschede-Wehrstapel, Wehrstapeler Straße 12New on Amplifa
About M. Busch
M. Busch GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Bestwig in the Sauerland region, is a manufacturer of iron castings and machined finished parts. The company produces castings such as brake drums, brake discs, flywheels and gearbox housings at two plants in Bestwig and Meschede-Wehrstapel. Its value chain covers the development and design of castings, pattern making, core making with furan resin moulds, iron casting using sand casting processes, as well as CNC machining and assembly. The melting operation centre is located in Meschede-Wehrstapel, where, among other equipment, a cupola furnace, induction and medium-frequency furnaces and several casting lines are operated; at the Bestwig plant, among other things, brake discs and brake drums are machined. The main customer and shareholder is BPW Bergische Achsen KG; customer industries include vehicle manufacturing for trucks, passenger-car trailers and commercial vehicles. According to the company, around one million machined brake discs and brake drums per year are supplied to the global market.
- Site
- Bestwig
- Processes
- Iron casting (grey cast iron/ductile cast iron), Machining / turning shop (CNC turning), Machining of brake discs and brake drums (approx. 1 million units/year), Core making (furan resin moulds, automated production), Pattern making, Assembly (axle assembly), Sheet metal fabrication, Iron casting (foundry)
- Materials
- Iron casting / cast iron, Grey cast iron (grey iron foundry, historical), Ductile cast iron (Busch-Rába joint venture ductile iron foundry), Grey cast iron, Ductile cast iron, Iron casting, Sand casting
- Certificates
- 100% Recycling (recyclable casting material according to company's own
- Founded
- 1830
- Industries
- Vehicle manufacturing (trucks, passenger-car trailers, commercial vehicles), Automotive, Agricultural vehicles (historical)
- 01
Development/design of castings
- 02
Pattern making
- 03
Core making (furan resin moulds)
- 04
Iron casting (sand casting)
- 05
Post-casting treatment
- 06
CNC machining / turning shop
- 07
Assembly
- 08
Warehouse and loading
Materials and Processes
Grey cast iron
Historical foundation of the grey iron foundry in Meschede-Wehrstapel since 1860.
Ductile cast iron
Material produced in the Busch-Rába joint venture (Győr, Hungary) for castings.
Iron casting
Main material for brake discs, brake drums, flywheels and gearbox housings.
Sand casting
Casting process in moulding and casting lines of foundries II–IV with furan resin moulds.
Sites
Bestwig
DEPlant: administration, production, machining, warehouse
- Materials
- Iron casting (machined castings)
- Hydraulic hammers and presses (open-die forging)
- Machining machines for brake discs and brake drums (Hall 6)
Meschede-Wehrstapel
DEPlant: foundry, melting operation, machining, warehouse/loading
- Materials
- Iron casting (EN-GJL, EN-GJS)
- Cupola furnace with holding furnace
- 2 line-frequency induction crucible furnaces
- Medium-frequency furnace
- Formatic moulding line (Foundry II)
- Foundry III with sand preparation, moulding and casting line, knock-out system
- Foundry 4 (G4) for brake discs
- Continuous drying oven (core making)
- Foundry pilot plant for furan resin moulds
- CNC lathe
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron casting (grey cast iron/ductile cast iron)Casting | – | – | – | – | Iron casting |
| Machining / turning shop (CNC turning)Machining | – | – | – | – | Iron casting |
| Machining of brake discs and brake drums (approx. 1 million units/year)Machining | – | – | – | approx. 1 million units per year | Cast iron |
| Core making (furan resin moulds, automated production)Casting | – | – | – | – | Furan resin moulds |
| Pattern makingCasting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly (axle assembly)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sheet metal fabricationForming | – | – | – | – | – |
12 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC lathe | – | 1 | – | 1977 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Line-frequency induction crucible furnace | – | 2 | – | 1978 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Cupola furnace with holding furnace | – | 1 | Annual melting capacity approx. 70,000 t | 1983 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Formatic moulding line (Foundry II) | Formatic | 1 | – | 1978 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Foundry III (sand preparation, moulding and casting line, knock-out system, post-casting treatment) | – | 1 | – | 1991 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Foundry 4 (G4) for brake discs | – | 1 | – | 2004-2005 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Pouring furnace (Foundry 4) | – | 1 | – | 2008 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Medium-frequency furnace | – | 1 | – | 2011 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Foundry pilot plant (furan resin moulds) | – | 1 | – | 1975 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
| Hydraulic hammers and presses (open-die forging) | – | – | – | 1960 | Bestwig plant |
| Machining machines for brake discs and brake drums | – | – | – | 2015 | Bestwig plant (Hall 6) |
| Continuous drying oven (core making) | – | 1 | – | 2002 | Meschede-Wehrstapel plant |
Additional services
Reference customers
History
- 1830
Master blacksmith Michael Busch takes over a scythe smithy in the Nierbachtal; production of iron-shod axles for agricultural teams.
- 1860
Hammer mill and grey iron foundry on the present site in Meschede-Wehrstapel.
- 1890
Four founder grandsons establish a factory for load and patent axles in Bestwig.
- 1924
Merger of the plants into M. Busch AG.
- 1929
500 employees; one of the renowned German manufacturers of load axles.
- 1935
Conversion into a limited partnership (Kommanditgesellschaft).
- 1945
90 % of the facilities in Wehrstapel destroyed by bombs; subsequent rebuilding.
- 1960
Bergische Achsenfabrik Fritz Kotz und Söhne, Wiehl, becomes co-shareholder.
- 1968
Dipl.-Ing. Hans-Peter Busch and Dr. Horst Schmitz-Dörner become managing directors.
- 1983
Commissioning of a new cupola furnace; annual melting capacity approx. 70,000 t.
- 1998
Full takeover by BPW Bergische Achsen KG and affiliated shareholders.
- 1999
Wolfgang Krappe becomes managing director.
- 2001
Foundry increases output by 20 % through extensive investment.
- 2003
For the first time more brake discs than brake drums produced.
- 2004
New construction of Foundry 4 (G4) for brake discs, investment approx. 15 million euros.
- 2005
Introduction of the ERA collective wage agreement (Entgeltrahmenabkommen), first metalworking company in North Rhine-Westphalia to do so.
- 2008
Joint venture with Rába Rt: founding of Busch-Rába Kft, ductile iron foundry in Győr, Hungary.
- 2010
BPW acquires the Rába shares; renaming to Busch-Hungária Kft.
- 2011
Purchase of a new medium-frequency furnace at the Wehrstapel melting operation.
- 2015
Construction of Hall 6 in Bestwig; investments in new machining machines for brake discs and brake drums.