Aalberts IPS Americas cuts sand-related downtime by 83% with Monitizer® | DISCOVER and Simpson
Real-time sand insights free up engineering hours, boost efficiency and keep production flowing.
At its Pageland, South Carolina foundry, Aalberts integrated piping systems Americas (IPS) casts hundreds of tons of brass components every month using the green sand process. But for years, sand quality issues slowed production and swallowed valuable engineering hours.
With Monitizer | DISCOVER, an IIoT solution for real-time and historical process monitoring, implemented on their Simpson Speedmullors® — Aalberts has transformed its sand management. The results: downtime cut by 83%, saving hundreds of engineering hours annually, and unlocking real-time process visibility across the plant.
From manual tracking to real-time clarity
Before Monitizer, sand-related reporting and troubleshooting relied on fragmented data sources and manual effort, limiting how quickly teams could respond to process variation.
“Our approach to digital transformation is grounded in outcomes. When our teams have clear, real-time insight into their processes, they can make better decisions, move faster, and run the business more effectively.”— Jacob Speight, CEO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Choose a proven, foundry-specific solution
Building an in-house integration proved too complex and costly. Instead, Aalberts turned to Monitizer and Simpson for a packaged, cloud-based solution that could connect new and legacy equipment.
“We look for solutions that scale with our business. Monitizer allows us to connect legacy and new equipment into one platform, creating a foundation for smarter manufacturing long term.” — Jacob Speight, CEO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Because Monitizer is designed by foundry specialists, the data is immediately meaningful to operators and engineers alike.
“Because Monitizer is designed by foundry specialists, the data actually means something to our operators. We’re all looking at the same metrics, speaking the same language, and making better decisions.” — Héctor González, COO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Deploy digital insights quickly and smoothly
Working with Simpson and the Monitizer team, Aalberts connected its Simpson Hartley® Controllers and Speedmullors to Monitizer | DISCOVER using NoriGate units, edge devices that enable secure, encrypted data collection. Within weeks, the system was live.
“The implementation was fast and straightforward. Monitizer’s ability to securely connect to our existing equipment without complex custom integration made adoption seamless.” — Héctor González, COO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Unlock efficiency with live process visibility
With Monitizer automatically collecting, merging, and visualizing sand data, Aalberts eliminated manual reporting and empowered operators with real-time dashboards.
Key outcomes:
- 83% less sand-related downtime
- Hundreds of engineering hours saved every year
- Faster problem-solving – operators spot and fix issues immediately
“Operational excellence depends on timely, accurate information. With real-time sand data, our teams can identify issues early, correct them immediately, and keep production moving without interruption.” — Héctor González, COO, Aalberts IPS Americas
“Reducing ‘waiting on sand’ downtime from over twelve hours a month to under two has a direct impact on productivity, labor efficiency, and delivery performance.” — Héctor González, COO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Expanding digitalization across the foundry
With Monitizer | DISCOVER, any authorized user can now access live equipment status and sand quality data from anywhere. Reporting helps target sand equipment maintenance, cutting downtime, labor and component costs.
Building on success in sand, Aalberts is now extending Monitizer to DISA molding machines, shuttle conveyors and energy monitoring.
“By automating reporting and improving real-time insight, we free our engineers to focus on higher-value work: solving problems, improving processes, and driving innovation.” — Jacob Speight, CEO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Achieving sustainability goals
As a global organization, Aalberts is committed to ambitious sustainability objectives, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner. Monitizer enables a shift toward intelligent, demand-driven environmental management by providing greater visibility and control over operations. By leveraging the Monitizer solution, the Aalberts IPS team is actively reducing energy use, water consumption, and material waste, supporting both local initiatives and broader global sustainability goals.
“Operational efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand. Reducing downtime, improving material consistency, and optimizing processes helps lower energy use and waste while strengthening performance.” — Jacob Speight, CEO, Aalberts IPS Americas
Build on partnership to drive innovation
For Aalberts, this project is part of a long-standing relationship with Simpson and DISA – now strengthened with Monitizer, Norican’s IIoT solution.
“Monitizer delivered immediate, measurable results. Cutting sand-related downtime by more than 80% directly improves throughput, cost control, and reliability across our foundry operations.”— Héctor González, COO, Aalberts IPS Americas
