Dr. Shadravan will lead GEFERTEC’s U.S. operations with the aim of establishing WAAM as an industrial manufacturing process for large-scale, high-load-bearing metal components in both series production and spare part applications. The focus will be on applications in the energy and turbomachinery sector, aerospace, defense, and shipbuilding—industries in which component size, material efficiency, and lead times are critical factors.
“The expansion of our U.S. activities comes against the backdrop of growing demands for resilient supply chains and shorter lead times,” said Dr. Arash Shadravan. “GEFERTEC’s WAAM technology enables on-demand, local production of large metal components. This helps to reduce industrial bottlenecks and make critical parts available more quickly.”
GEFERTEC’s WAAM technology is based on established welding processes and qualified wire feedstocks and can be easily integrated into existing industrial production environments. Unlike many robot-based WAAM approaches, GEFERTEC’s arc series provides a fully integrated, CNC-controlled system platform. The systems are used to manufacture near-net-shape components from low- and high-alloy steels, stainless steels, nickel-based alloys, titanium alloys, as well as nickel-aluminum bronze and copper alloys.
“Expanding our presence in the U.S. is a key element of our international growth strategy,” said Johannes Zuckschwerdt, CEO of GEFERTEC GmbH. “With Dr. Shadravan, we are gaining a leader who combines deep expertise in materials engineering with extensive experience in building industrial manufacturing structures.”
About Dr. Arash Shadravan
Dr. Arash Shadravan has many years of experience in building and scaling industrial manufacturing platforms. Prior to joining GEFERTEC, he served, among other roles, as Global Vice President at technology company Roboze and previously held positions at ExxonMobil and Baker Hughes. He earned a Ph.D. in materials science from Texas A&M University and served as co-chair of the API 20T standardization committee for additively manufactured metallic materials in the energy sector. Dr. Shadravan lives and works in Houston, Texas.