Built to Perform

VETTER Industrie GmbH, based in Burbach, Germany, is Europe’s leading manufacturer of forks for forklift trucks and construction machines. Over six decades, the company has established an unrivalled reputation for producing forks that can withstand the toughest working conditions in industries worldwide. Whether in the quarry, the warehouse, in steel mills, shipyards and chemical plants, VETTER forks ensure safe and reliable operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

With the world‘s most comprehensive product range, VETTER offers solutions for all kinds of applications with load capacities of up to 120 tons per pair. Forks are safety critical parts that must not fail under any circumstances. They must be strong, durable and flexible with the capability to resist high levels of extremely dynamic stresses. That is why VETTER has put its trust in Ovako’s steel for over 40 years.


Manganese-boron steel alloy

VETTER uses many thousands of tons of Ovako a steel a year. It is manufactured to VETTER’s in-house grade VQ 32+. This is a manganese-boron alloy optimized for the harsh operating conditions of materials handling forks.

Ovako pioneered the innovative use of boron steel. Boron is a small interstitial element which is added to improve the hardenability of lower and medium carbon grades. Boron steels can be hot-worked and direct-quenched to create a high strength component with good wear resistance.

Precision controlled forming

Ovako supplies steel to the VETTER factory in the form of flat bar in a variety of dimensions. It then goes through a variety of forming processes at the world’s most modern fork production plant, with the focus on the upset and bending forging process.

A vital step is the FlexHeat process that plays a major role for in achieving a high level of strength, safety and a long service life. The heat treatment is performed under strictly controlled temperature conditions during the entire manufacturing process and is always selected to perfectly suit the material, the load-bearing capacity, the dimensions and the application. This is followed by many other processes, such as welding and machining.

Quality without compromise

Arnold Vetter, managing director says:

“At VETTER our reputation is built on safety and reliability. We insist on having the highest quality in every aspect of our production with no compromise. This includes our people, designs, processes and materials.

That is why Ovako is so important to us as our supplier of quality steel. As well as the highest quality and purity, it also offers excellent dimensional accuracy, which is of particular importance in our processing.

We value our close connection to the Ovako team, both from a commercial and technical point of view. This enables us to solve any issues immediately. In addition, Ovako is always open to innovative developments in steel, and we appreciate that very much.”


Further reading:

Nicholas Källsäter (Ovako) and Mr. Vetter (Vetter)