News from the IFO

Since June 2025, there has been a globally uniform standard for coatings on rail vehicles for the first time. With the DIN EN ISO 9466 The sector is being harmonised internationally: important for manufacturers, operators, and paint and coating companies!

The standard covers all areas – from interior spaces and heavily trafficked floor areas to outdoor surfaces – and takes into account materials such as steel, stainless steel, aluminium and composite materials.

You can find more benefits, background information and details in the related academic article in the latest issue of the paint better (15/2025).

Your contact: Philip Malchow, Tel. +49 7171 10407-52, philip.malchow@ifo-gmbh.de

Once again this year, experts in the field of electroplating and surface technology will be gathering in September at the ZVO Surface Technology Days in Berlin.

We’re taking part: 24–26 September, Stand 3

A specialist presentation on current environmental protection requirements:
On 25 September 2025 at 8.30 am in Room 5, the topic will be „Containment of fire-fighting water during the operation of installations handling substances that pose a risk to water“.

The focus is on the requirements placed on operators of such installations – particularly with regard to the ‘principle of due care’ under the Water Resources Act (WHG). As there are as yet no standardised national design criteria, the presentation provides practical insights and technical design examples relating to the retention of fire-fighting water.

We look forward to speaking to you in person – do come and visit us at Stand No. 3!

Further information on the ZVO Surface Days

Last Friday, we celebrated our 30th anniversary with a summer party at our head office in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Around 250 invited guests – including staff, customers, partners and long-standing associates – accepted our invitation and enjoyed a day full of conversation, insights and a great atmosphere.

We kicked off the afternoon with an in-house exhibition: guests were given the opportunity to find out about our wide-ranging areas of work and to take a look behind the scenes on guided tours of our laboratory facilities.

Following a festive champagne reception, guests made their way into the festively decorated marquee. With fresh ice cream, chilled drinks and barbecued food, it wasn’t just the culinary delights that were enjoyed – the focus was also on socialising.

A varied programme rounded off the day: an interview with our four company founders offered fascinating insights into the company’s history. The Swabian cabaret artist Ernst Mantel provided excellent entertainment. Musical entertainment was provided by The Wow. To round things off, our DJ got the guests up on the dance floor.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks for the many congratulations, lovely gifts – and, above all, for the personal encounters!

Find out more here.

Cyclic corrosion tests are more robust than conventional corrosion testing methods. Corrosion damage accounts for approximately 3–3.5 % of our gross domestic product. It therefore makes sense to regularly evaluate corrosion protection options and monitor corrosion protection measures.

The Technical article (published in *besserlackieren* 06/2025) highlights the benefits of cyclic corrosion testing, which, by means of climatic cycling tests, is based on the actual life cycles of the components.

Information about our Laboratory services

Your contact: Marc Holz, Tel. +49 7171 10407-24, holz@ifo-gmbh.de

Our colleague Stefanie Portnjagin successfully completed her apprenticeship in February and received her apprenticeship certificate. We are delighted for her and are pleased to have her remain part of our team. We wish her every success and enjoyment as she takes on new challenges as a chemical laboratory technician! IFO is helping to tackle the shortage of skilled workers and has been successfully training chemical laboratory technicians for over 20 years.

As part of the joint annual celebration organised by the IFO Institute for Surface Technology and Qubus Planung und Beratung Oberflächentechnik GmbH, the following people (from left to right): Jessica Thebert, Jens Schmid, Benjamin Fiedler, Jutta Steegmüller, Lena Stegmaier and Stefan Merger were honoured for 10 years„ service. Manuela Friedrich (not pictured) was honoured for an impressive 25 years“ service. The management team honoured the employees celebrating their anniversaries for their long-standing support and loyalty to the company and expressed their heartfelt thanks for their dedication. „The loyalty and commitment of our staff are the key to our success,“ emphasised the management team of IFO and QUBUS, comprising Michael Müller, Christian Deyhle and Marc Holz (back row, from left to right). “We are proud to offer an environment in which people can grow and shape their long-term career paths.”

We wish you and your families a Merry Christmas, a peaceful festive season and a happy start to the New Year 2025!

A particular highlight was our Christmas party – QUBUS and IFO had already handed out presents: as an extra thank-you for their fantastic commitment, all staff received lovingly put-together gifts filled with delicious treats.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been with us throughout the year! Let’s look forward to the new year together with confidence. Here’s to a successful and healthy 2025!

Your QUBIFO team

We recently had the honour of welcoming the curious children from the Kunterbunt nursery to our laboratory. During a previous visit to the nursery, we had already explained to the children, in a playful way, what corrosion is and how it occurs. The children were able to get stuck in themselves and carry out two exciting experiments. They made a salt solution and immersed steel sheets in it to observe the rusting process. They also tested how cola and lemonade can remove rust from rusty nails.

During their return visit, the children brought along their rusted steel sheets and talked about what they had observed. Together, they removed the rust from the sheets using hydrochloric acid, and the children were then allowed to coat them with powder paint. The day was a striking demonstration that old things can be turned into something new – rust is no reason to throw anything away.

As well as the experiments, we gave the children a tour of our laboratories and let them take part in technical tests such as ball impact, mandrel bending and Erichsen deep drawing. Refreshments included buttered pretzels and water with fizzy powder. The event took place as part of a neighbourhood project designed to help the children get to know the businesses in their local area.

Last week, the DGO (German Society for Electroplating and Surface Technology) hosted a series of talks at QUBUS and IFO in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Participants were treated to two fascinating presentations:

Artur Kusminov (QUBUS) provided a comprehensive, practical insight into the latest developments in environmental legislation for operators of surface treatment facilities. Andreas Eva (IFO) then spoke about the latest developments in the field of corrosion testing, with a particular focus on the automotive industry.

Following the presentations, all participants had the opportunity to take a tour of the IFO laboratory and learn about the wide range of testing facilities available at the laboratory centre of excellence. The day was rounded off with a lively exchange at the on-site BG get-together, where all participants were able to network further and discuss their impressions. We would like to thank everyone involved for this successful and inspiring event.

Once again this year, QUBUS Planung und Beratung Oberflächentechnik GmbH and the IFO Institute for Surface Technology will be represented with a stand at the ZVO Surface Technology Days in Leipzig. Please visit us at Stand No. 65 or attend our presentation on 12 September 2024:

This year, there is a particular focus on measures aimed at achieving climate neutrality. The stand at the ZVO Surface Technology Days offers the ideal opportunity to discuss process optimisation and ways to achieve climate-neutral surface technology with the experts. Also, the Qubus presentation on 12 September at 2 pm in Hall 5 on the topic of „Climate-neutral electroplating of the future – optimal heat recovery from exhaust air“ provides more in-depth insights into this topic. The presentation introduces innovative approaches to energy saving and, consequently, to reducing CO₂ emissions in the electroplating industry, and demonstrates how significant progress towards climate neutrality can be achieved through optimised heat recovery from exhaust air.