Specialising in outsourced production of lost wax micro casting with a high technological content, EDR Fittings has been operating on the international market for more than 18 years. It is based in Genoa, Italy, but for many years has also been present in Wenzhou, China, where its highly specialised technical staff follows every step of all the production processes. Its production includes mechanical components and precision accessories for various industrial sectors, from automotive to yachting, from furnishing to packaging, from winemaking to sports equipment.
“Our core business is lost wax micro casting,” says Edoardo della Rocca, CEO of EDR Fittings, “it’s a technology that offers many advantages, including the possibility of reducing the costs of industrial production and, above all, the possibility of creating particularly complex objects, using precision casting with very low size tolerances. In addition, we also specialise in surface finishing, mirror or satin, of a very high level. These treatments are done rigorously in China in specialised companies, which thanks to the low cost of manpower make it possible to have extremely high quality finishings at a very competitive price.”
To develop production for sectors demanding very high quality and finishing, including yachting but also design, furnishings and home appliances, EDR Fittings has created a special division: Luxory micro-casting. “Our Luxory line is dedicated to high prestige micro castings, with top-level finishes, and is much appreciated also in the yachting sector, says Edoardo della Rocca. “We work on carbon, duplex and alloy steel but also cast iron, aluminium and copper, though we have great specialisation in stainless steel. Our products made in China undergo pickling and passivation treatments and electro polishing to guarantee great resistance to corrosion that makes them perfect for use in marine environments.”
Today EDR Fittings has become a point of reference for the outsourced production of mechanical components and high quality accessories and can guarantee Italian and international companies supplies from China through its company services.
In China, the Ligurian company has selected over the years a series of suppliers who can offer various processes, always with high quality standards: “The local foundries that work with us are ISO 9001 certified, they offer high quality and very great advantages in terms of production costs. Today Made in China, thanks to local technical competences and the use in the country of technologically advanced European machinery, makes it possible to have quite remarkable quality and control over production.”
The search for Asian partners has never stopped over the years and today has become one of the strong points of EDR Fittings, which can offer great flexibility in its services. Every foundry is different depending on the type of product, some produce small precision components and others large ones, and production processes also differ: “According to the type of product our customer wants, EDR Fittings will go to a particular foundry so as to ensure the customer has the best performing product at the lowest possible cost. We use the “lost wax” technique in three types: silica sol, water glass and compound, according to the customer’s application and commercial requirements, and we can produce castings of up to 160 kg. For heavier weights we use lost foam and sand casting. With these we can produce castings weighing several tons.”
Although we are speaking of components produced in China, delivery times are decidedly good: starting from the drawings a sample arrives in Italy after 35 days and only after the customer has evaluated the product and given his okay does actual production start, and the order arrives in Italy in 90 days (shipping takes months). The company also guarantees control and management of the order following closely and directly all phases of the process agreed with the customer. A full service made-to-measure. EDR Fittings, thanks to its long experience, is structured to produce both small batches and large production volumes, also with extreme customisation. “The possibility of stamping a logo and a code directly on the casting and making undercuts that cannot be obtained with other technologies is one of the pluses offered by this kind of process,” says Edoardo della Rocca.
The decision made 20 years ago to look to China for making quality micro castings has proved a winner, and today EDR Fittings can offer its customers a full service of consultancy and assistance on various fronts: from the search for the best suppliers to the management of purchase orders, import formalities and customs clearance. “The market is proving is right,” says Edoardo della Rocca, “and this is shown by our double-digit growth. Companies in Italy and elsewhere always need a European partner who can help them obtain supplies from Asia. Many companies do not have the resources or knowledge to do so. With EDR Fittings they can find a partner with great experience in the field who can guarantee excellent results in terms of quality and cost containment. All this in a short time and with no risks, because EDR Fittings is the sole intermediary and offers a guarantee to its customers.
