Our Story

1994

Combined Force Investment Ltd (CFI) was founded in Hong Kong as a trading company selling commodities to USA produced in China including items like bronze sculptures, cast iron manifolds, cast iron microphone stand bases, etc.

1995

CFI brokered Chinese cast iron soil pipe and fittings for ANACO Foundry from Corona, Southern California. CFI used a state-owned foundry that had been built to create agricultural machines.

1996

CFI continued to import cast iron soil pipe fittings into the USA and added Tiger Pipes in Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong), and started exporting to the Canadian market.

1997

CFI was approached by Tyler Pipe as a source for WADE carrier arms and carriers. With their help, CFI hired retired a Tyler Pipe foundry engineer to come to China and teach the state-owned foundry associates how to improve their casting techniques.

1998

CFI shipped its first two containers of carriers to WADE’s customer in Seattle, WA. The carriers were needed for immediate construction, so both WADE and their rep gambled to bypass QC & sample approval to have both containers delivered directly to the customer. Fortunately, it paid off; the carriers arrived on time and were of top quality. CFI’s efforts impressed both WADE and its important North-West customer, and a new relationship was established.

CFI entered an agreement with WADE to become an exclusive vendor and received permission to use the title of Manufacturing Partner of WADE.

2000

WADE continued to increase sourced components in China, including production for ARE and Nickel Bronze products.

2001

With the help of Tyler Pipe, CFI started plans to establish their own foundry. The effort would standardize quality control and create a dedicated space for WADE’s products to be assembled before shipment.

2003

CFI built its foundry in Botou City, Hebei, due to its long history of working with cast iron (nearest large city is Chang Zou for reference). The area was booming with small foundries, and importantly, the local community could supply skilled casting workers. It took several years of planning with the local town council and government agencies, and construction was completed in 2003.

The foundry was built on 19,334 sq meters (approx. 5 sq acres) of land purchased from farmers that had originally been cornfields. It included two plants for floor casting, electric furnaces (1x active, 1x reserve), secondary plants for machining & painting, a warehouse for assembly, inventory, and packaging, and an admin building with a dormitory.

In addition to sand casting, the foundry would source additional components from regional suppliers for assembly, and ship completed items boxed and labeled. Shortly after opening, the foundry was awarded its first ISO certificate.

2006

CFI worked with Volunteer Group Nursery Initiative, a non-profit that helped with education needs in China, to donate an elementary school building in Hubei province. The new school was named WADE Hall in appreciation of its successful business partnership. The foundry was thankful for the opportunities WADE had given its Chinese workers, and it was CFI’s honor to contribute to the education of their children.

2016

For a decade, business continued to grow and CFI Foundry earned more casting and assembly projects. The product line grew to include OEM hardware/components sourced from 14 associate manufacturers, each specializing in different raw material components. After eighteen years in business, CFI had evolved from being a trading company that brokered commodities from Chinese manufacturers into a full-service foundry and with specialized capabilities for assembly, product development, and logistics. To better reflect this change in our model, CFI was renamed from Combined Force Investment Ltd to CFI Foundry HK LTD.

2017

Due to growing environmental complications, China began to tighten regulations by requiring foundries to use sand recycling and air purification systems. In addition to adding these systems, the foundry purchased an automated paint system, sand core machines, and jolt-squeeze machines to produce higher-quality castings.

2018

Continuing to reduce pollution, China further increased regulations regarding air quality. Foundries in Hebei province received an ultimatum to upgrade or shut down. After a prolonged and challenging winter with months of smog-related closures, CFI Foundry HK LTD started pulling down its old manual casting plant to make way for a new automation plant.

The new foundry was designed to occupy 67,000 ft and be completely enclosed for air purification. Features included (3) furnaces, a computerized sand mixer and recycling station, one horizontal automation line for small-medium castings, and one jolt-squeeze automation line for larger castings while also retaining a small manual-casting area for samples or small volume production.

Stage one construction was completed within 6-months by December of 2018. Permission was granted to begin casting after passing joint inspections by six government departments and earning a Class B casting license. Inspection results revealed that the foundry not only met regulations, but in many cases exceeded them. CFI Foundry HK LTD’s new foundry was one of the first to complete construction in the region and was featured in local state news, Botou Power, where it was praised for its advanced stance on environmental protection. Regional government agencies even began to point to the foundry as an example in leadership for the local casting community.

2019

On April 29, 2019, CFI Foundry HK LTD held its official opening ceremony to host guests from WADE, McWane International, and Bibby Ste Croix.

2020-Present

CFI Foundry HK LTD continues to produce an extensive line for WADE (acquired by Zurn Q3/2021). After decades of working exclusively with the WADE line and McWane group companies, CFI Foundry HK LTD opening its doors and expanding our customer base to add new markets and partners.