The implementation of the IIoT solution Monitizer® | DISCOVER in the Grede foundries showed how digitalization and modern technologies can help to optimize processes and reduce scrap rates.
Serving the automotive, heavy truck, and industrial sectors, Grede made digitalizing its production a core part of its strategy in 2020 to enhance operational efficiency and performance.
“We’re moving from the art of the foundry to the science of metalcasting™,” says Cary Wood, Grede’s CEO. “Systems and innovation are critical to our success. We will use data and AI to take the variability out of our process to produce high-quality castings at lower cost.”
Establishing a real-time digital view of production
Monitizer is a modular IIoT platform designed to collect data from any vendor’s equipment across multiple production lines or global sites. It aggregates, stores, and displays both live and historical data through customizable, user-friendly dashboards and key performance indicators (KPIs).
“The standard dashboards were built by people who know foundries,” says Matt Deyarmond, IoT Process and Control Lead at Grede. “They probably saved us over 80% on our set-up time. The system is simple to use and navigate, and it was easy to make minor changes ourselves.”
The real-time data and KPIs enhance process visibility and enable Grede to react quickly and address any issues immediately. This superior process control is already driving major production improvements.
Stop scrap before it is produced
Monitizer | DISCOVER’s sophisticated alarm functions further enhance production control and support inexperienced users. If an issue needs attention, the system contacts different groups of people in different waves, one after another, depending on how the problem develops and whether the first alerted group reacts.
“If a machine runs outside its ‘green’ operating zone, the supervisor gets alerted,” says Bart Hoemann, General Manager, at Grede’s St. Cloud foundry. “If it exceeds its control limits, it escalates to the quality manager. Exceed control limits five times and the plant manager gets notified.”
Monitizer - designed by foundry experts for foundries
Grede chose Norican’s Monitizer IIoT platform because the system is built by foundry experts for foundries. Much of that expertise comes from seasoned specialists at Monitizer’s fellow brands DISA, Simpson, Wheelabrator, StrikoWestofen and ItalPresseGauss.
“For us, Monitizer was an easy choice,” says Susan Bear, Grede’s Chief Technology Officer. “It’s the only solution that has the AI piece, and Grede has a long, trusting relationship with the Norican team and its equipment brands. The Monitizer team is effectively an extension of our IT team, and we trust their people completely.”
Grede found the secure system simple to use and navigate. “I can click into the plant dashboards wherever I am – in the office or on a plane,” says Susan. “We can deep dive into any one of our foundries, drill down into, say, sand compatibility or step back and look at our corporate view to instantly see how all the plants are running.”
Transparency of processes leads to important improvements
“One of our foundries used Monitizer’s information to cut scrap by 50% by reducing sand inclusions,” says Susan. “And, of the foundries that are live with Monitizer, 100% of them report scrap reductions.”
Once all the foundries are IIoT-connected, the Grede team will move to project phase 2. This will include AI optimization with Monitizer | PRESCRIBE.
“In a green sand foundry, there are up to 2700 different variables. You can’t control all those using spreadsheets,” explains Mike Meyer, VP of Operational Excellence at Grede. “PRESCRIBE’s AI can help us understand how they work together and control them much more effectively. We’ll basically be digitalizing the experience we’ve gained over 30 years of operations.”
Monitizer provides digital transformation for Grede
Improving a foundry’s bottom-line means producing higher-quality castings at a lower cost. Grede’s work with Monitizer proves that expertly deployed digital is the best way to make that happen.
“You need full C-suite commitment for this kind of project,” states CEO Cary. “You must build the culture, show the benefits, and take everyone with you. And you need the right technology and supplier. We had a vision of how we wanted to support the business. Monitizer is delivering it for us.”
