DHF and HerkulesGroup Establish Joint Venture
to Expand Machine Tool Business in Asia

In order to respond even more precisely and efficiently to the needs and requirements of its growing customer base in the Asian market, the HerkulesGroup, whose member companies are leaders in the manufacture of large machine tools, and Dai-ichi High Frequency Co., Ltd. (DHF), headquartered in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and led by President Kotaro Hirayama, officially launched a strategic joint venture on March 3^rd, 2025, in Mizue, Kawasaki City.

The joint venture, DHF WaldrichSiegen Japan, will promote sales and comprehensive service for the high-end products manufactured by the HerkulesGroup companies in Japan and throughout Asia, including Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Examples include roll grinding machines for precision grinding of rolls used in the manufacture of electrode sheets for lithium-ion batteries, a field in which demand is growing due to the expanding market for electric vehicles (EVs).

President Hirayama has taken over the management of the joint venture and is supported by a six-member team comprising both Japanese and German employees, some of whom also work at DHF.

The joint venture builds on unbeatable synergies: DHF, a specialist in high-frequency induction heating, surface treatment, and steel tube processing, brings decades of experience in the production and reprocessing of high-precision rolls, including over 1,000 units for lithium-ion batteries in the last 25 years. The company, which draws on detailed and in-depth market-specific expertise, is also active in the field of surface treatment and has supported a large number of foreign customers, including US companies, in the battery industry.

WaldrichSiegen, a member of the HerkulesGroup, whose activities will receive top-level support within the joint venture, has already served around 30 customers in Japan, including companies in the steel, non-ferrous metal, and heavy industries, and has supplied grinding machines and, amongst others, large turning lathes for the high-precision machining of steel and turbine components. The products are known for their highly advanced control systems and fully automated technology for measuring surface quality in the micrometer range—an essential option in counteracting the shortage of skilled workers.

The establishment of DHF WaldrichSiegen Japan also consolidates the HerkulesGroup's existing activities in Japan, with WaldrichSiegen Japan's service and maintenance contracts being transferred to the new company. This step ensures long-term continuity and greatly improves local support for the customers of the HerkulesGroup companies.

President Hirayama expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership: “It is an honor to work with such a renowned German manufacturer. While DHF has built its business based on its own technologies, this joint venture is our first integration of German engineering expertise. We are determined to leverage the resulting synergies to further expand our capabilities in surface treatment and roll finishing – especially in the battery sector, where highest precision is of critical importance.”