Transforming Foundries with Data
Grede saw dramatic improvements: its average cost of returns fell by 30% and scrap rates by 10%
IIoT systems that anticipate scrap and quality issues – then prevent them? It might sound revolutionary but it’s already happening. Data and artificial intelligence (AI) are unlocking new levels of efficiency and quality in foundries worldwide. Bringing them to your foundry is easier than you think.
Byline: Nina Rasmussen, SVP, Head of Monitizer
In just a few years, foundries have moved from being largely analogue operations (it’s not that long since PLCs first arrived in foundries!) to pioneers in industrial AI. It sounds like a giant leap, but time and again, I’ve seen foundries transition rapidly - from digitizing a single machine to optimizing entire processes with AI-driven control.
Here’s a quick look at the digital journey successful foundries take and the key ingredients for success.
Get a complete view of your production
Many foundries start small, digitally enabling a single moulding machine or core-making process. But the real advantages lies in capturing data across the entire production process and turning it into actionable insights. Whether you’re an operator fine-tuning machine performance, a foundry manager optimizing production, or a CEO comparing site efficiency, having the right data makes all the difference.
What makes a great IIoT system? Two essential characteristics:
• Cloud storage – A secure, cost-efficient database that everyone in your organization can access
• Machine-agnostic connectivity – The ability to digitalize and integrate any vendor’s equipment
Monitizer | DISCOVER delivers both. Start small, scale fast, and gain a real-time complete picture of your operations. The advantages I hear most?
• Rapid setup: Quickly connect any vendor’s machine to your system• Automated data flow: Once configured, your system continuously gathers insights• Scalability: Expand across new equipment, new processes, and even new sites – seamlessly
With a real-time process view, it’s easier than ever to make smarter decisions, reduce waste, and improve efficiency.
Transform Foundry Performance: Grede’s success story
Optimize processes with AI-powered control
Once your IIoT system is in place and reliable data is flowing, AI is the logical next step. It supercharges the value data brings to production, from dramatic scrap reductions and extra capacity to fewer human interventions, lower operating costs and lower emissions. This is not science fiction – it’s happening right now.
Multiple global foundries—including Condals (Spain), Huaxiang (China), and Morikawa (Japan)—have leveraged AI to optimize green sand, as well as High- and Low Pressure Diecasting processes, reducing scrap by up to 86% per pattern.
Monitizer | PRESCRIBE combines cutting-edge digital tools with real-world foundry expertise – ensuring that AI is:
• Practical and intuitive for operators
• Designed to work with real-world production challenges
• Fast to implement, delivering results in months, not years
Master IIoT for foundry success
Buying an IIoT system alone won’t transform your foundry. People, processes and technology must work together for lasting impact.
Here’s what makes the difference:
• An intuitive system that helps everyone – from operators to executives – find the insights they need
• Leadership commitment to digital transformation
• Operator engagement from day one
Susan Bear at Grede highlights this well: “Effective foundry IIoT projects require C-suite commitment. Success only comes if your executive team is completely behind the innovation and believes that good science is going to drive P&L improvements.”
Foundry leaders love seeing scrap rates drop on their dashboards – but operator buy-in is equally crucial. By involving teams early and giving them real-time dashboards for their specific role, and giving them real-time dashboards for their specific role, you ensure they use IIoT to its full potential.
Cut scrap and cost with foundry AI
AI is only as effective as the data it’s trained on. Before deploying AI, you need to understand:
• Is scrap fluctuating or steady?
• Does the issue affect all castings or just specific patterns?
• Can we collect relevant data, or are external factors at play?
AI can’t fix an undocumented product design change or identify when manual handling errors cause defects. But it can detect patterns, predict outcomes, and recommend precise parameter adjustments – helping operators stay ahead of issues before they escalate.
Operator buy-in: The secret to maximizing AI’s potential
For AI optimization to work, operators must implement AI-driven settings – and not go “off piste”. Studies show that compliance rates below 80% break the feedback loop that AI relies on to improve.
How do you ensure operator trust and adoption? Keep AI as a co-pilot, don’t trust them blindly. AI guides operators – they remain in control. Compliance rates below 80% break the feedback loop that optimization depends on. Get operators involved in shaping the screens they use, so they take them seriously as a co-pilot, without trusting them blindly.