Research & Development
Setting new top standards
Extensive Research & Development enables GP to continuously expand the limits of production for high-performance cast components. For this reason, the family-owned company remains one of the world's leading foundries for rolling mill rolls, mechanical-engineering components and cores for nuclear cask.
R&D emphasis
The focuses of GP's Research & Development activities are in the fields of double-pour casting, combining casting and forging techniques, spincasting, continuous casting, development of back-up and work roll material, thick-walled spheroidal graphite cast iron and ultra-heavy components of more than 200 tons in weight.
Customer-driven development
Due to continually changing market conditions, our customers constantly need products with new properties and solutions for increasingly complex engineering challenges. GP tackles these challenges, contributes its own expertise, and creates conceptual solutions and prototypes that are then jointly optimized in service at the customer's plant.
Interdisciplinary teams
Research & Development at GP is carried out in interdisciplinary teams made up of engineers and technicians from various departments, such as Marketing, Sales, Manufacturing and R&D. They bring in their specialized knowledge of GP’s varied product sectors. Development therefore progresses holistically and on an interdisciplinary basis.
Modern equipment
Every year, GP invests 2 to 4 percent of its revenue in equipment and Research & Development projects. All the equipment installed is state-of-the-art. Through our scientific partnership network, we also have access to partner facilities for more in-depth studies, as required.
Accredited laboratory
Due to the very extensive testing requirements for the manufacturing of cores for nuclear casks, GP operates a Government-accredited testing and inspection laboratory. This facility is subject to regular official inspections and thus meets the very highest standards. The qualifications of our materials experts, combined with our modern laboratory instruments, not only benefit the nuclear sector, but also the further development of all other GP products.
Scientific network
GP investigates special issues and pursues fundamental research on GP-specific products and processes in cooperation with universities and their relevant departments, as well as with private research facilities. This assures GP stays in touch with the latest state-of-the-art scientific advancements and that a broad range of inspiration from the outside world is received. Scientific cooperation also yields publications on GP-specific topics in the scope of student projects in undergrad, graduate and post-grad programs.
