As part of the last trade fair quartet “The Bright World of Metals” – consisting of the technology trade fairs GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST – a number of forums were held focusing on the intensive exchange of knowledge and experience.
The NEWCAST FORUM focused on best practice presentations from the foundry industry. At the invitation of the Federal Association of the German Foundry Industry, Dipl.-Ing. Eckhard Winter, Managing Director of Eisengiesserei Baumgarte, also gave a presentation on the introduction of their MES system FASTEC 4 PRO.
Baumgarte decided to introduce a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) with the aim of ensuring greater transparency and realizing an improved flow of information and smoother processes within the company. The choice fell on FASTEC, and in 2010 the Machine Data Acquisition (MDA) module was implemented as a pilot installation on two core shooting systems. The module was put into operation quickly and without any problems thanks to the requirements for the MES that had been worked out together in advance. Just six months after the pilot installation, the system was extended to the remaining 12 machines in the core shop. This was followed by the three molding lines in the iron foundry from September 2011 to 2013.
Today, Baumgarte has access to extensive real-time data for the analysis and optimization of all production areas – for example, in order to be able to provide information for audits within a very short time or to get a quick overview of the deadline situation for production orders. With the gradual introduction of a modular MES, the company has successfully completed the first important steps towards Industry 4.0.