Goldcasting Podcast

The foundry industry needs to change. Declining volumes, increasing cost pressure, and disappearing margins are forcing companies to rethink business models that worked successfully for decades. Yet the more urgent change becomes, the harder it seems to achieve. Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes when we know something needs to change?In this Gold Nugget, Fabian Niklas welcomes Tara Colvin, Co-Owner and COO of Thought Design, a company helping leaders and teams communicate, solve complex problems, and navigate uncertainty. Together, they explore why stress pushes people toward familiar solutions, even when those solutions no longer work.From recurring machine breakdowns and costly casting defects to management decisions and entering new markets, the discussion reveals how deeply established behaviours affect a foundry’s profitability and ability to innovate. More importantly, Tara explains how leaders can interrupt these patterns, create space for better decisions, and build an organisation capable of changing even under enormous pressure.Key Topics:* Why Pressure Makes Change Even Harder* The Hidden Cost of Solving the Same Problems Repeatedly* How Our Brains Influence Business Decisions* Why Communication Is a Business Issue, Not an HR Exercise* Creating a Culture Where People Dare to Speak Up* Why Yesterday’s Success Can Become Tomorrow’s Problem* Leadership Must Change Before the Organisation Can Change* What You Can Start Changing Tomorrow"You can shift the way your system responds and thinks together inside that pressure."The pressure facing the foundry industry won’t disappear. But how companies respond to that pressure can change.Join Fabian Niklas and Tara Colvin for a conversation about breaking established habits, improving communication, and creating the conditions for genuine innovation. Discover why sometimes the most important step toward transforming your foundry is not finding another technical solution, but changing how your organisation thinks and works together.Thank you for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode, where I’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, leave comments, or suggest topics for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,FabianDo you want to support Goldcasting?If you enjoy the Goldcasting Podcast episodes, articles, shorts, and content, you can support the channel with €10 per month or a 100€ per year.Your support helps me keep producing independent content, talk to interesting people across the foundry industry, and share these insights with everyone.Support Goldcasting: €10/month or 100€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

For decades, many foundries did not really need a sales strategy. Get listed on the automotive supplier portals, wait for the RFQs, calculate the part, and compete for the nomination. As long as the volumes were there, the system worked.But the market has changed. Automotive volumes are under pressure, international competition is growing, supply chains are shifting, and foundries increasingly need to find business outside their traditional customer base. The problem is that many technically excellent foundries are almost invisible to the people who could become their next customers. As Thomas puts it: if you are not visible, you don’t exist.In Gold Nugget 79, Fabian Niklas talks with Thomas Fritsch, founder and editor-in-chief of Foundry-Planet, who has spent more than 25 years travelling through the international foundry industry, visiting foundries, suppliers, trade fairs and markets around the world.The conversation is not about whether casting has a future. Castings will still be needed for mobility, energy infrastructure, machinery, trains, agriculture, aircraft, data centers and entirely new applications such as humanoid robots. The much more important questions are: Where will these castings be produced? What will be cast? And who will get the orders?And answering those questions requires the foundry industry to rethink how it sells.Key Topics:* The Foundry Industry is Changing, not Disappearing* Waiting for the Next Automotive RFQ is no Longer Enough* Technical Excellence is Worth Little if Nobody Knows About It* Stop Saying you are an “Innovative Solutions Provider”* Customers don’t Buy Machine Catalogs. They Buy Solutions.* How to Turn Engineering Achievements into Stories* Find the Specialty You Want to Be Known For“The question is, where will we cast in the future? What will we cast? And who will get the orders?”A 5’000-year-old industry does not need to abandon what made it successful. But it does need to change how it finds the next generation of customers.Watch or listen to Gold Nugget 79 with Thomas Fritsch and Fabian Niklas to hear why visibility, specialization, and industrial storytelling are becoming part of the sales process for modern foundries.Thank you for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode, where I’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, leave comments, or suggest topics for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,FabianDo you want to support Goldcasting?If you enjoy the Goldcasting Podcast episodes, articles, shorts, and content, you can support the channel with €10 per month or a 100€ per year.Your support helps me keep producing independent content, talk to interesting people across the foundry industry, and share these insights with everyone.Support Goldcasting: €10/month or 100€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

Humanoid robots are no longer only a futuristic idea or a trade show spectacle. For manufacturing, they raise a practical question: where can a flexible, human-form robot solve problems that are too variable, too expensive, or too difficult to automate with conventional industrial robots?In Gold Nugget 78 of the Goldcasting Podcast, Fabian Niklas speaks with Dr. Wilberth Solano, Senior Materials Engineer at Humanoid. Wilberth explains what makes a robot “humanoid,” why industrial applications are likely to come before home applications, and how AI is changing robotics from scripted motion into physical action.The conversation also looks closely at the hardware side of humanoid robots: actuators, grippers, cables, batteries, thermal management, lightweight structures, stiffness, durability, and material selection. For foundries and die casting suppliers, the episode is especially relevant because humanoid robots could become a new high-volume application area once the technology moves from prototypes into industrial scale.This is not a hype conversation about robots replacing people. It is a grounded look at where humanoid robots may fit in factories, what still needs to be solved, and why casting technology could play an important role in the future of robot manufacturing.Key Topics:* What Makes a Robot Humanoid* Industrial Robots vs. Humanoid Robots* Why Manufacturing Comes First* AI as the Brain of the Robot* Physical AI and Vision-Language-Action Models* The Hardware Challenges Behind Humanoid Robots* Why Castings Will Matter* A New Opportunity for Foundries“We have now had eight years of decline in the automotive industry. Why don't you start working with an industry that is growing?”Watch or listen to the full episode to understand how humanoid robots change manufacturing, where the technology still faces real engineering limits, and why the foundry industry should pay attention before the designs are already fixed.Thank you for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode, where I’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,FabianDo you want to support Goldcasting?If you enjoy the Goldcasting Podcast episodes, articles, shorts, and content, you can support the channel with €10 per month or a 100€ per year.Your support helps me keep producing independent content, talk to interesting people across the foundry industry, and make these insights available to everyone.Support Goldcasting: €10/month or 100€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

Everybody says China is fast. But what does that actually mean when you stand on the show floor at China Diecasting 2026 and look at the technologies, materials, machines, and supplier strategies developing in real time?In this Gold Nugget, Fabian Niklas takes listeners directly into the exhibition halls in Shanghai to understand why the Chinese die casting market moves at a pace that many European and North American companies struggle to compare with. Instead of one studio guest, this episode brings together perspectives from across the industry: Moritz Weidt from Magma, Günther Prunner from voestalpine, Danny Wu from Bole, Colin from Regal Metal, Michael Cinelli from Bühler, Rene Hordijk from Frech, and Adisak Banpot from Thailand Die-Casting Association.The conversation moves beyond the usual headline of gigacasting. Magnesium, thixomolding, semi-solid processing, tool steel requirements, alloy development, battery trays, production efficiency, and cost pressure all come into focus. What emerges is not a simple story of one trend replacing another, but a view into an ecosystem where companies invest early, test quickly, and push technologies into industrial application at remarkable speed.This is a grounded trade fair episode about what China Diecasting 2026 reveals for foundries, die casters, OEMs, toolmakers, simulation providers, alloy suppliers, and anyone trying to understand where the industry may be heading next.Key Topics:* China’s speed is not just a cliché* Gigacasting is already becoming an established topic* Magnesium becomes one of the strongest show-floor signals* Thixomolding and semi-solid magnesium move into the spotlight* Tool steel requirements change with larger and different castings* Alloy development is becoming part of the competitive picture* Efficiency is the next phase of megacasting* The China Diecasting 2026 trend picture is broader than one technology“What we see here is outstanding and is definitely not comparable with the rest of the world from my point of view.”Günther Prunner, voestalpine, 00:11:26Watch or listen to this episode to hear what Fabian found on the floor at China Diecasting 2026 — from magnesium and thixomolding to the next phase of gigacasting, tool steels, alloys, and the production efficiency challenges shaping the industry.Thank you for listening. I’ll see you in the next episode, where I’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,FabianNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting.Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

After three years and 76 episodes, the Goldcasting Podcast is entering a new chapter. Staffan is stepping away from the podcast, while Fabian will continue Goldcasting in a slightly different format.But this is more than a farewell episode. We use the moment to reflect on what has changed in the die casting and foundry industry since the podcast began; from the pressure on automotive volumes to the rise of new applications in energy storage, telecom, server cooling, humanoids, ADAS, AI, and other fast-moving industrial markets.We also look at what foundries need to do next. Waiting for automotive RFQs and relying on old business models is becoming riskier. The future belongs to foundries, engineers, and suppliers who can create markets, support design, educate new customers, and become solution partners rather than just capacity providers.This episode is a transition point for Goldcasting, but also a grounded conversation about where the industry may be heading and why skilled foundry people, technical content, market creation, and new ways of working will matter more than ever.Key Topics* A New Chapter for Goldcasting* Why the Podcast Will Continue* From Capacity Provider to Solution Partner* The Importance of Design Support* Market Creation beyond Automotive* Gigacasting and the Talent Opportunity* Why Foundries Need to Be Brave* The Future Format of the Podcast“Imagine that 76 episodes and yet many to come in the future from Goldcasting, but look at the statistics 215,000 views on only YouTube”Watch or listen to GN 76 to hear Fabian and Staffan reflect on three years of Goldcasting, explain what is changing for the podcast, and discuss why the foundry industry needs new skills, new markets, and a more active role in shaping future casting applications.Thank you for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode, where we’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,Fabian and StaffanNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting.Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

Is traditional die casting really dead, or is the industry simply being forced to change faster than many foundries expected? In this Gold Nugget, Fabian Niklas and Staffan Zetterström speak with Luca Greco about gigacasting, new markets, automotive pressure, and why die casting still has a strong future for companies willing to move.Luca Greco is a project manager in the technical department of a small foundry in Northern Italy. He is also known in the die-casting world for his online presence through his gigacasting newsletter.The conversation looks beyond the usual debate around large machines and Tesla-style castings. Luca, Fabian, and Staffan discuss what gigacasting has changed, why small foundries cannot wait for the old automotive business to return, and where new opportunities may appear in humanoid robots, drones, lightweight transportation, EV startups, and other emerging industries.Traditional die casting is not dead, but the companies that survive are the ones that stop waiting for drawings to arrive and start showing new industries what die casting can actually solve.Key Topics* The pressure on traditional foundries* Gigacasting as a catalyst for the whole industry* Why new markets matter now* Selling manufacturing knowledge, not only castings* The marketing problem in die casting* Finding a niche before it is too late* Recruiting young talent into foundries* Tesla, first principles, and manufacturing speed“Absolutely. We got to look at the new markets. Not just humanoids. Even small markets. Go find your niche.”Watch or listen to GN 75 to hear Luca Greco, Fabian Niklas, and Staffan Zetterström discuss why traditional die casting is under pressure, why that does not mean the end of the industry, and how foundries can position themselves for the next generation of cast products.Thank you for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode, where we’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,Fabian and StaffanNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting.Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

AI search is changing how industrial customers discover suppliers, compare technologies, and prepare purchasing decisions. For foundries and manufacturing companies, the old assumption that customers will call early, ask basic questions, and involve suppliers in the first design discussion is becoming less reliable.In this episode of the Goldcasting Podcast, Fabian Niklas and Staffan Zetterström speak with Bernd Quehenberger, who leads organic growth at Speedmetrics and has a background in process engineering. Together, they discuss what happens when engineers, buyers, designers, and decision-makers ask ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, or Google AI for answers before they ever contact a foundry.The conversation explains why AI search is not just “SEO with a new name.” It is a new discovery layer in which companies can either become part of the answer or disappear from the decision-making process. For foundries, suppliers, and technical B2B companies, the challenge is no longer only to be good at what they do. They also need to make their expertise visible, up to date, credible, and useful enough for both humans and AI systems to recognize.This is a practical discussion about content, trust, technical authority, customer education, and the commercial risk of staying invisible while competitors become the answer.Key Topics* Why customer discovery has changed* The difference between Google search and AI search* Why SEO still matters, but is no longer enough* Owning a topic instead of chasing a keyword* Why original human expertise matters* Content strategy for foundries and technical suppliers* The commercial value of educating customers before they call* Why AI search is an opportunity for smaller specialists“There’s a big opportunity in the foundry industry or all related industries, to start creating the right content for the right audience to really unlock growth”Watch or listen to GN 74 to understand how AI search is reshaping customer discovery in foundry and manufacturing markets, and what technical companies can do to become part of the answers their future customers already trust.Thank you for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode, where we’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,Fabian and StaffanNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting.Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

Humanoid robots are often presented as an AI story. But for the foundry industry, the more interesting question is not only what the robot can think, learn, or do. It is what these machines will need to be made from, how they can be industrialized, and where die casting can become a serious enabler.In this host-led episode, Fabian Niklas and Staffan Zetterström look at humanoid robots from a foundry perspective. They discuss why robots that can move through human environments may create a new generation of non-automotive casting demand, especially for lightweight, stiff, thin-walled structural components produced on machine sizes already common in many foundries.The episode connects AI, machine learning, regional supply chains, industrialization, safety, and manufacturing scalability. For die casters, the key point is clear: humanoid robots are not just a futuristic product category. They may become a major market where foundries need to position themselves early, explain what casting can do, and meet a very different type of customer than the traditional automotive buyer.Key Topics* Humanoid robots as a new casting market* Why humanoids are built for human environments* The foundry opportunity beyond gigacasting* Industrialization is where foundries can add value* AI makes scaling different* Regional supply chains and security concerns* Robots as support systems, not only products“Industrialization is the keyword when it comes to humanoids and die-casting”Watch or listen to GN 73 to hear Fabian and Staffan explain why humanoid robots could become a serious new market for die casters, and why foundries should start thinking about robots as hardware platforms, not only as futuristic AI products.Thank you for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode, where we’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,Fabian and StaffanNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting.Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

Japan is one of the most important die casting markets in the world, but it is also one of the hardest to understand from the outside. Strong OEM relationships, compact factory layouts, high expectations on cycle time, and a very structured supplier landscape make it a market with its own rules.In this Gold Nugget, Fabian Niklas and Staffan Zetterström speak with Atsumori Fujie, Founder of Vitto Corp., about how the Japanese die casting industry works, where demand is growing, and why automotive, vehicle strategies, robotics, semiconductors, and industrial applications all matter to the market’s future.The conversation also examines Rheocasting, gigacasting, low-silicon alloys, scrap usage, and the pressure to reduce reliance on primary aluminium. Atsumori explains why Japanese OEMs are increasingly interested in Rheocasting as a means of combining castability, mechanical performance, and recycled-material strategies.This is a grounded look at a market that is technically advanced, commercially disciplined, and difficult to enter, but not impossible for companies with a strong enough process, product, or niche capability.Key Topics* The structure of the Japanese die casting market* Why Japanese foundries focus so strongly on cycle time* A close supplier network around Japanese OEMs* Rheocasting as a renewed opportunity in Japan* Scrap, low-silicon alloys, and sustainability pressure* Gigacasting and the as-cast performance challenge* Hybrid vehicles and Japan’s different electrification path* Opportunities beyond automotive“To become a new supplier for the Japanese OEM, you have to find new applications”Watch or listen to GN 72 to understand how the Japanese die casting market works, why it is difficult to enter, and why Rheocasting, recycled aluminium, low-silicon alloys, and hybrid vehicle production are becoming central topics for Japanese foundries and OEMs.Thank you for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode, where we’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,Fabian and StaffanNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting.Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe

BYD looks like an overnight success story. A company that barely registered as a global car brand a decade ago is now reshaping markets, challenging established OEMs, and forcing the automotive industry to rethink what scale, speed, and vertical integration really mean.Fabian Niklas and Staffan Zetterström look behind the rise of BYD: from batteries and hybrid strategy to government support, supply chain control, pricing pressure, quality concerns, and the broader industrial logic behind China’s long-term planning.The discussion also moves beyond BYD itself when we connect the company’s growth to the next strategic focus areas in China’s Five-Year Plan, including semiconductors, robotics, drones, energy storage, biomedicine, and aerospace.Key Topics* BYD did not happen overnight* The battery became the center of the car* Vertical integration as a strategic weapon* Hybrid strategy and market fit* Government support and industrial policy* The risks behind rapid growth* Chinese competition will not disappear if BYD slows down* The Five-Year Plan points beyond cars“BYD opened the door to make the customers accept buying a Chinese car”Watch or listen to GN 71 to understand why BYD’s rise matters beyond electric cars and what China’s next Five-Year Plan could mean for manufacturing, casting, mobility, and industrial competition.Thank you for listening. We’ll see you in the next episode, where we’ll continue to bring you the latest insights and updates from the casting world. Don’t forget to ask questions, write comments, or make suggestions for future episodes.See you in the Podcast,Fabian and StaffanNo time for every Goldcasting episode?We launched the Goldcasting Executive Briefing: a paid newsletter with the key strategic takeaways from Goldcasting in a shorter, sharper format.It is built for foundry leaders, suppliers, and industry professionals who want to understand what the latest conversations mean for their business, margins, customers, and future strategy, but lack the time to listen to all the episodes.It is also the best way to support Goldcasting. Subscription price: 29€/month or 290€/year Get full access to Goldcasting 🏆 at goldcasting.substack.com/subscribe