Huaxiang: from zero to digital hero in two years
Huaxiang is China’s fifth largest private foundry and produces over 250,000 tons of iron castings annually. It started implementing the full Monitizer digital suite in early 2021 with the goals of stabilising its process, reducing scrap, improving yield and minimising finishing work.
Monitizer’s modular approach means foundries can start by collecting data, then progress to more sophisticated applications and gain value at each step. Huaxiang quickly built out its Monitizer Industry 4.0 infrastructure, implemented PRESCRIBE’s dynamic, real-time control – and rapidly reaped the benefits.
During recent testing, Huaxiang’s scrap reduction figures from four automotive castings were 86.1%, 57.3%, 46.6% and 30.3% respectively.
“Monitizer│PRESCRIBE’s first test results from four different patterns showed an average scrap rate reduction of 57.2%. We are truly amazed by these results,” says Mr. Shaung, Director of Informatization and Digitalization at Huaxiang. “We will continue to use the prescriptions ourselves to reproduce the same good results from the test and cannot wait to implement prescriptions for the rest of our patterns and see further scrap reductions.”
Scrap rates down by 40% at Condals
Step by step, Spanish foundry Condals has steadily extended its digital capabilities with Monitizer. It first upgraded its Monitizer | CIM interfaces on its DISA equipment, then deployed Monitizer | DISCOVER to collect and monitor live process data across all three of its casting lines. Next came Monitizer | PRESCRIBE.
“DISA offered a complete solution with Monitizer,” says David de la Cruz, Chief Quality & Information Officer at Condals Foundry Group. “Other competing solutions only look at parts of the process in detail and only optimise certain parameters whereas Monitizer | PRESCRIBE optimises the entire process to reduce scrap. That was exactly what we were looking for.”
During PRESCRIBE testing, Condals saw a 40% scrap reduction and that improvement has continued. “The scrap rate is staying at the lower level and actually still dropping slowly, so we have seen a reduction and then a stabilisation,” says David.
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MAT Group picks PRESCRIBE to cut waste and boost sustainability
Global casting giant MAT Foundry Group chose Monitizer | PRESCRIBE early in 2022, with its EURAC facility in Poole, UK as the initial test site. The EURAC team are digital veterans who first installed the Monitizer | DISCOVER solution in 2019 and now have a complete digital view of their production. With PRESCRIBE, they aim to further reduce scrap and energy consumption – and increase sustainability.
“Quality and emissions reduction are being linked like never before,” says Shaun Lindfield, EURAC’s Commercial Director. “When you start to reduce your scrap, there’s a significant reduction in scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Our ongoing Monitizer project in Poole is vital in helping improve both our process and sustainability.”
“PRESCRIBE’s technology is well proven and the correct next step in our digital journey,” continues Shaun. “It saves you money and makes you more profitable – so why isn’t everybody doing this? If the project is a success – and I am sure it will be – we intend to implement PRESCRIBE in other foundries across our global group.”
