The situation in the German foundry industry remains tense. Rising raw material prices, energy costs and deglobalization are causing particular problems for medium-sized companies. This was also the case for the automotive supplier HANKE Gesellschaft für Gießerei-Kooperation mbH in Eberswalde. The company was no longer able to avoid the threat of insolvency and had to file for bankruptcy in 2021.

With the aim of offering the insolvency administration a fast and efficient solution, the Hamburg-based industrial service provider Greenfield Industrial and the industrial auction house Surplex joined forces to cooperate in the proceedings. As part of the cooperation, the two industrial experts were able to successfully submit a joint bid for the purchase of the foundry company's machinery and equipment.

Once the inventory of machinery has been completed and a sales catalog has been created, the melting furnaces, die casting cells, machining centers, lathes and more will be offered for sale via online auction on the Surplex platform and recirculated in the international market for used machinery.

Franziska Vo, Project Manager at Greenfield Industrial GmbH: "We are pleased that we were able to realize this project together with a strong cooperation partner like Surplex and thus contribute to a solution for all parties involved."

Until the time of the company's closure, the HANKE company used its machinery to produce various workpieces, such as circuit components, vehicle steering systems or castings for tightness and porosity requirements, etc., and supplied them to well-known automobile manufacturers worldwide.