Savelli to Supply Molding Equipment for John Deere Foundry

Savelli S.p.A. is John Deere Foundry’s choice to supply a new high-performance molding line for the $100-million expansion of its foundry in Waterloo, IA. The contractor did not identify the value of its contribution to the overall project, but revealed that it will be the largest contract in its history as a metalcasting industry supplier. Savelli will deliver an automatic flask molding line (120-molds/hour, 1,830 x 1,425 x 560/56 0 mm); a sand handling system capable of processing 610 metric tons/hour; and a shakeout system, to be supplied in partnership with General Kinematics Corp. The high-performance molding line will outfitted for fully automatic operation, including “new generation” control devices and machine applications. Francesco Savelli, sales and marketing director for the Brescia, Italy, company said Deere selected the equipment for its technical capability, robustness and quality, notably the Formimpress^® high-pressure double-squeeze mold compaction process. Francesco Savelli also noted the unusual coincidence that “both companies – Deere in 1837 and Savelli in 1842 – began as one-man blacksmith shops.” Savelli S.p.A. manufactures metalcasting equipment at a plant in Brescia and another in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. John Deere operates the Iowa foundry as a captive source of gray and ductile iron engine blocks and other large drivetrain components for the farm equipment it manufactures.