Low-pressure die casting wheel manufacturer reduces scrap by 29% with Monitizer | PRESCRIBE AI
Driving quality and yield in LPDC wheel production
For one of the world’s leading low-pressure die casting (LPDC) manufacturers of premium light-alloy wheels, quality and reliability are critical. Supplying global automotive OEMs, the company is committed to continuous improvement and to eliminating manufacturing errors through data-driven production.
To support this ambition, the manufacturer partnered with Monitizer to reduce scrap in its LPDC wheel casting process — focusing on defects occurring both immediately after casting and further downstream.
The challenge: reducing scrap across the LPDC casting process
The majority of defects originated from “hot” scrap — wheels rejected during manual visual inspection straight out of the casting furnace. These early rejects represented significant wasted cost, as additional processing was often applied before the defects were identified.
Further analysis showed that X-ray scrap later in the process also needed to be addressed. Reducing both defect types was key to improving yield, throughput, and overall process stability.
With Monitizer | PRESCRIBE deployed on selected wheel types, the manufacturer achieved:
29% scrap reduction on a targeted LPDC wheel
Improved process stability and operator control
A projected annual saving of over €0.5 million if scaled across the site
A potential 2.4% increase in production volume
AI-driven optimization with PRESCRIBE
Monitizer | PRESCRIBE is an AI-driven process optimization solution designed to turn production data into actionable control.
PRESCRIBE continuously analyzes historic and live production data, learning which LPDC process conditions deliver the best quality outcomes. By accounting for complex, non-linear interactions between hundreds of parameters, it identifies stable operating regions and prescribes an optimal process “recipe”, including defined lower and upper limits for the controllable parameters in question – helping reduce variation and prevent defects.
By overlaying historical and actual quality and process data, PRESCRIBE automates the update loop of the control plan for continuous improvement. For operators, this translates into a prioritized list of clear, actionable prescriptions delivered via a dashboard — helping keep production stable, controlled, and repeatable in LPDC operations.
A focused approach to deliver fast value
Following an assessment of the plant’s data and traceability setup, it was agreed to focus optimization on the LPDC casting stage for two specific wheel types. While end-to-end traceability through heat treatment, machining, and painting was still evolving, sufficient data was available to deliver measurable improvements at the casting level.
This targeted deployment allowed PRESCRIBE to deliver value quickly, without waiting for broader system changes.
Proven results — and clear potential to scale
During the commissioning phase, operators achieved over 80% compliance with PRESCRIBE’s prescriptions for one of the targeted wheel types. This level of adherence delivered consistently high performance and a 29% reduction in scrap for that product.
If similar results were extended across all furnaces and wheel types, the manufacturer could realize:
· More than €0.5 million in annual savings
· Increased output without additional equipment
· Greater control over LPDC process variability
Beyond immediate scrap reduction, the project also laid the groundwork for higher digital maturity — enabling future optimization initiatives across more LPDC furnaces, products, and processes. The success of this first phase offers great promise for scaling future cost-saving and scrap reduction opportunities — across more casting furnaces and for a broader range of wheel- and die types
