Industrial conglomerate Georg Fischer has granted a license to Grede Holdings LLC covering its SiboDur ductile iron alloy. Their agreement also includes a partnership through which Grede will handle Georg Fisher’s U.S. manufacturing needs, and Georg Fischer will do the same for Grede in Europe and Asia.

SiboDur is a high-tensile strength ductile iron alloy that Georg Fischer said it recently developed, and claims it allows automakers to produce lightweight chassis parts. It said the material is competitive with aluminum in terms of weight and performance, but less expensive. “Whilst fostering the penetration of our SiboDur alloy in the U.S., this agreement enables both our companies to better serve the global platform needs of our respective customers,” said Josef Edbauer, head of GF Automotive.

GF Automotive is the Swiss conglomerate’s metalcasting division. It operates nine plants in Austria, China, and Germany, producing sand castings, pressure diecastings, and gravity diecastings. Georg Fischer has other operating units that build machine tools (GF AgieCharmilles) and produce pipe products (GF Piping Systems.)

Grede Holdings produces ferrous castings at 16 foundries in the U.S. and Mexico, and it also operates four machine shops. Its castings are primarily supplied to transportation markets. “Georg Fischer’s SiboDur provides us with outstanding options for our customers,” according to chairman, president, and CEO Doug Grimm. “In addition, the agreement allows each of us to support our customers globally and penetrate new geographical markets.”