Transforming Foundries with Data

Grede saw dramatic improvements: its average cost of returns fell by 30% and scrap rates by 10%

A foundry driven by data?

Byline: Nina Rasmussen, SVP, Head of Monitizer

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.



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. Plus, an impressive example from Grede, a foundry leader achieving outstanding results across multiple sites.
 

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. 

 

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 

Grede saw dramatic improvements: its average cost of returns fell by 30% and scrap rates by 10%

Transform Foundry Performance: Grede’s success story

Foundry giant Grede turned to Monitizer | DISCOVER as a Phase 1, rapidly deploying it across nine U.S. plants to drive efficiency. Next, AI-driven guidance will follow with Monitizer | PRESCRIBE.

Their challenge? Cutting scrap while preparing for a wave of experienced worker retirements. They needed a vendor-agnostic solution, built by foundry experts, that could preserve institutional knowledge and later provide AI-driven guidance. 

“Not having to sit with a company and talk about what a foundry needs let us run a lot faster” Susan Bear, Grede’s Chief Technology Officer, told me. “Another reason we picked Monitizer is that it’s the only solution that has the AI piece. It replaces that lost know-how with technology that makes recommendations and provides guidance for our teams.”

Even before AI optimization began, Grede achieved dramatic results:

  • 30% reduction in the average cost of returns
  • 10% decrease in scrap rates
  • One plant cut scrap by 50% - simply by reducing sand inclusions

“If a piece of equipment is starting to fail, we can see the warning signs via automatic notifications and be able to react quickly to prevent that failure from happening.”  Bart Hoemann, General Manager at Grede’s St. Cloud.

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.

 

Start now: Connect IIoT and AI for smarter foundries

The foundries that embrace IIoT and AI today will succeed sooner – see your production in real-time, act on data-driven insights, cut scrap, reduce costs and boost efficiency. It’s never been easier to take the first steps.
 

Monitizer unlocks the full potential of your production through the power of data

Start your digital journey now!

  

Nina Rasmussen, SVP, Head of Monitizer

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