Through a collaboration between Monitizer and the foundry specialists at DISA, the IIoT solution Monitizer | DISCOVER IIoT was developed, which has delivered tangible improvements at Huludao Lianhuashan Foundry Co., Ltd. These include optimized casting quality, lower energy consumption, and reduced downtime.
Monitizer | DISCOVER consolidates all production data into a clearly structured, user-friendly dashboard. The IIoT platform, developed specifically for the foundry industry, enables teams to monitor all locations, production lines, and machines at a glance. This facilitates faster, more informed decisions while supporting sustainable growth processes.
Thanks to its collaboration with Monitizer, the Lianhuashan Foundry has consolidated its entire production into a centralized dashboard solution. This allows processes to be designed significantly more efficiently, energy costs to be reduced, product quality to be improved, and equipment availability to be increased simultaneously. The consistently data-driven approach gives the company a clear advantage in the field of digital and sustainable manufacturing.
These Digital Tools Save Time and Are Specifically Designed for Foundries
The Lianhuashan Foundry, based in Huludao in China’s Liaoning Province, produces approximately 15,000 tons of high-quality gray and ductile iron castings annually for renowned domestic and international customers. The company is equipped with modern, state-of-the-art technology: in addition to vertical and horizontal DISA molding machines, it has over 150 CNC machining centers and a well-equipped testing laboratory. The production facility is also continuously being expanded with modern automation technologies.
Before the introduction of Monitizer, data collection at Lianhuashan was primarily based on manual processes. Information was stored in separate systems or “data silos” in a time-consuming manner, resulting in a lack of a holistic overview of production. With the implementation of digital solutions such as Monitizer | DISCOVER, the company can now transparently monitor and specifically optimize all process steps.
“In today’s foundry industry, digital systems are crucial for improving both casting quality and cost-effectiveness,” explains Haotian, Managing Director of Lianhuashan. “After a thorough market analysis and comparison of various providers, we made a conscious decision to choose Monitizer. The solution was developed specifically for the needs of foundries and thus offers clear advantages for our molding lines and sand preparation.”
The digital transformation at Lianhuashan focuses in particular on the continuous improvement of product quality and the increase in production efficiency.
Centralized, Cloud-Based Foundry Database and Long-Standing Partnerships
“DISA has been a reliable partner for us for many years, and we have complete confidence in them and our equipment,” explains Haotian. “It was clear to us that DISA’s extensive foundry expertise would also significantly strengthen our digital management capabilities. The decision to pursue this project was absolutely the right one; from planning through implementation to ongoing support, we are very satisfied with both Monitizer and DISA’s professionalism and support.”
By connecting its central facilities, Lianhuashan now has full access to data from the melting, molding, sand mixing, and sand testing operations. This information is automatically captured and stored in a structured format for later analysis and reporting.
“Setting up a central, cloud-based data platform for the foundry was a crucial first step for our future production strategy,” emphasizes Haotian. “With Monitizer | DISCOVER, we can quickly and easily track key metrics such as the status of sand preparation or the causes of machine downtime on a daily basis and respond to them in a targeted manner.”
Increased Efficiency While Reducing Energy Consumption
Today, the entire Lianhuashan production facility is fully transparent at all times: In the production hall, large display screens provide a real-time overview of all processes, and secure remote access via the internet allows for location-independent monitoring of the production lines.
“No matter where our managers are located, they can monitor plant operations and sand mixing parameters in real time and precisely track what is happening on each production line,” explains Haotian. “With DISCOVER, previously isolated data silos have been completely eliminated. The system helps us prevent errors early on, better predict the efficiency of the production lines, and make decisions based on sound, data-driven insights.”
In addition, Lianhuashan uses DISCOVER to conduct detailed analyses of plant uptime and energy consumption throughout the entire workday. By strategically shifting energy-intensive production steps to periods of lower capacity utilization, the company has been able to significantly reduce its energy costs and make production more economical overall.
Business Expansion and Next Steps with DISCOVER
Currently, Lianhuashan still collects some testing, melting, and casting data manually before transferring and analyzing it in DISCOVER. In the next phase of development, the company plans to fully automate data collection for melting and casting processes. At the same time, further measures to reduce energy costs will be implemented, and additional alarm functions for equipment downtime will be integrated, all of which can be configured directly through DISCOVER.
“DISCOVER has given us comprehensive insights into our production processes and actively supports us in our continued business expansion,” explains Haotian. “Our customers recognize that we have excellent process control and high quality standards. When they see our digital management solutions in action during plant visits, it further strengthens their trust in our company.”
“The Monitizer team always addresses our needs, responds quickly, and maintains a continuous, constructive dialogue with us. Through the ongoing development and optimization of the system, we will further increase the value it brings to our company,” Haotian concludes.
