Kuznia Jawor: forging the future

“This business isn’t the kind of business that allows you to react easily and change direction. Big companies struggle to respond quickly to demand. That’s why we try to remain flexible, able to adapt to changing markets,” explains Bartlomiej Nowak, General Manager of Jawor Kuznia.

Based in the town of Jawor, Lower Silesia, near Wroclaw, Jawor Kuznia specialises in the manufacturing of die forgings from carbon and high-alloy steels. In layman speak, that means producing parts for industries like the automotive industry, heavy machinery, piping and mining to name but a few. “We produce for companies mainly in Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Hungary which are active worldwide.” 

The company prides itself on the quality of its output, which is directly linked to its processes and machinery. “We invested in the 70s in forging equipment from Britain, designed initially to be an agricultural forge. Since then we have always invested heavily in our factory, keeping precision and accuracy high. The properties of the materials are also higher, better than just machines from casts and mills,” Bartlomiej explains. 

But with the shifts in the nature of the global economy and in particular manufacturing, companies like Jawor Kuznia need to stay on their toes, adapting constantly to changing conditions: “During the pandemic, the automotive industry dropped dramatically, but logistics boomed. You have to stay agile and flexible. Regulations and requirements also keep changing, and you need to stay on top of that. The global market shows that you have to be flexible, so we transformed our business to cater for a much more diversified scope of production. Companies with a narrow scope are too exposed.” 

In keeping with this approach, the company recently sought an EU-guaranteed loan through CVI, backed by the EIF, in order to invest in new machinery, including robotics, and the ability to forge aluminium. “We know that many industries are switching from steel to aluminium, so we want to be able to cater to those needs. With the new machines, we can work on more complex products, focus on aluminium and also to improve efficiency and reduce energy costs,” he adds, noting that climate adaptation and the cost of energy have increased costs significantly. With the new additions, Jawor Kuznia is now better positioned to produce quickly, with greater accuracy and precision, fewer risks of error and also lower emissions too.