Real-Time Results for Pipe Foundry’s Digitalization Project

Some manufacturers view digitalization as an inevitable step in the progress of process control technology. But for global organizations like Aalberts NV, digitalization also represents a leap forward in data management and toward more informed decision-making.

Aalberts is an engineering group that operates in four market segments: flow control, integrated piping systems (IPS), advanced mechatronics, and surface technologies. In Pageland, SC, Aalberts IPS Americas is a foundry pouring copper alloys for valves (ball valves, butterfly valves, safety relief valves, control valves, mixing valves, and backflow preventors); and stainless and carbon steel for pipe and fittings for heating, cooling, gas, and fire sprinkler systems.

“Operational excellence depends on timely, accurate information,” according to Héctor González, chief operating officer with Aalberts IPS Americas. “With real-time sand data, our teams can identify issues early, correct them immediately, and keep production moving without interruption.”

Recently, a short digitalization project gave the foundry real-time sand monitoring and a single, automatically-updated process database. More than that, the foundry has quickly documented the competitive advantages of the improvement in data management.

Aalberts IPS Americas casts around 250 tons/month of brass components, and it already was operating Norican technologies for its sand treatment and molding processes, including two Simpson Speedmullor^® 85B batch mullers, two Hartley^® controllers, two DISAMATIC^® 130 molding lines, and three Wheelabrator Tumblast^® machines.

Prior to the digitalization update, Aalberts’ sand process data was scattered across several systems, which required significant manual efforts to gather and organize into usable reports. While the benefits of digitalization were clear, perceived cost and integration risk initially slowed progress.

Simpson proposed that Aalberts adopt Norican’s Monitizer digital foundry platform, which is a cloud-based application developed by metalcasting specialists for metalcasting operations. Specifically, the Monitizer | DISCOVER component is an Industrial Internet of Things platform designed for collecting, visualizing, and analyzing production data.

“Because Monitizer is designed by foundry specialists, the data actually means something to our operators,” COO González explained. “We’re all looking at the same metrics, speaking the same language, and making better decisions.”

Beginning at the end of 2024, Aalberts connected Monitizer | DISCOVER to its Simpson Hartley online controllers and two Speedmullors. By January 2025, the whole IIoT system was in place and tested, and in service at the Aalberts IPS Americas foundry.

“The implementation was fast and straightforward. Monitizer’s ability to securely connect to our existing equipment without complex custom integration made adoption seamless,” González recalled.

Now, Monitizer collects, contextualizes and visualizes sand data automatically, calculating variables and displaying live dashboards on screens around the plant. That visibility has cut “waiting on sand” downtime by 83%, and the manual data handling and reporting work has ended. “Reducing ‘waiting on sand’ downtime from over 12 hours per month to under two has a direct impact on productivity, labor efficiency, and delivery performance,” reported Héctor González.

Authorized users can view live equipment status and check sand quality from anywhere (on the plant floor, from the plant offices, or anywhere in the Aalberts network. The DISCOVER data is helping to target sand equipment maintenance needs, to cut downtime and reduce labor and component costs.

The next application for the IIoT platform will be digitalizing the foundry’s DISA molding machines and Shuttle conveyers. Aalberts also plans to implement energy consumption, air compressor, and baghouse filter pressure monitoring.

“Our approach to digital transformation is grounded in outcomes,” offered Jacob Speight, CEO of Aalberts IPS Americas. “When our teams have clear, real-time insight into their processes, they can make better decisions, move faster, and run the business more effectively.

“We look for solutions that scale with our business,” Speight continued, “(and) Monitizer allows us to connect legacy and new equipment into one platform, creating a foundation for smarter manufacturing long term.”