Interview with Ulla Hartvig Tønnesen, President of DISA

What are your expectations for this year’s GIFA trade fair?

Following the Covid pandemic, everyone is keen to re-establish and revitalise their industry relationships with suppliers and customers, and that will make this year’s event something truly special. There will be many key topics: cost reduction and lowering energy consumption, improving sustainability, the need for digitalisation and the continued growth of lightweight construction.

But that is just the beginning. The ongoing shift from China back to Europe and North America, remote support, and the automation of plant – which is helping many foundries struggling to recruit staff – all these topics will receive a great deal of attention at this year’s GIFA.

Is sustainability the top priority for foundries today?

Material costs are high and energy is expensive, so reducing costs is the most important objective for foundries. Together with their customers – the OEMs – they are also pushing for a reduction in emissions. Of course, these objectives are interlinked. If we succeed in reducing energy consumption and the volume of waste, we save a lot of money whilst simultaneously reducing our environmental footprint.

Because it is such an energy-intensive industry, some say that foundries and decarbonisation are incompatible?

I would tell these people that they are approaching the issue from the wrong angle. Reducing emissions is actually a major opportunity, because decarbonisation goes hand in hand with cost reductions and competitive advantages. At the last GIFA, sustainability was more of a side issue, but now it can no longer be separated from the rest of the business.

For example, minimising the carbon content of a component is becoming increasingly important for securing new orders. Through this shift, OEMs aim to reduce supply chain risk and transport costs, but lowering the carbon footprint of transport also makes production closer to the final assembly facility and the end customer more attractive.

A commitment to sustainability also helps to attract new foundry workers, something the industry is currently really struggling with; millennials in particular want to work for more environmentally friendly companies.

Will sustainability feature in Norican’s trade fair presentation this year?

We joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2021, and it is no exaggeration to say that reducing our carbon footprint now guides everything we do. Our research and development teams are constantly working to reduce energy consumption, whether through highly efficient melting processes or by minimising compressed air consumption in the DISAMATIC D5. Drawing on our SBTi experience, we can also support our customers with their own emissions reduction programmes.

Norican has always manufactured sustainable machines – that is, machines that produce high-quality parts and operate reliably for decades with minimal maintenance – but this year we will not be displaying any machines at our stand in order to avoid the emissions associated with transporting heavy machinery across the globe. Instead, our GIFA stand will feature videos, 3D simulations and other digital media, and has been designed to be recycling-friendly.

This reflects Norican’s long history of digital innovation, which we regard as an absolutely essential prerequisite for sustainability and competitiveness. It provides the data that supports the measurement and monitoring of Scope 1–3 emissions, but, more importantly, data-driven process optimisation is the only way to achieve the substantial improvements in efficiency and reduction in waste that we are all seeking.

How is the global push towards ‘net zero’ changing our industry?

In the automotive industry, the transition to electric vehicles is certainly progressing faster than expected, and this is having a huge impact. As aluminium melting is so energy-intensive and more and more OEMs are combining smaller components into a single ‘giant’ casting, there is a major opportunity for suppliers to develop innovative solutions that support foundries in their task of producing larger, lighter and more environmentally friendly parts.

StrikoWestofen and ItalPressGauss are true leaders in this field, building modular giant die-casting machines and minimising energy consumption through shaft melting furnaces, in-cell melting and digitally optimised refilling. We are also seeing more and more foundries starting to adopt the green sand moulding process for casting smaller light-metal parts, as they recognise the cost, flexibility and speed advantages it offers.

Sand reclamation is another win-win situation, as it prevents a great deal of waste and emissions whilst simultaneously reducing costs. With Norican’s recent acquisition of Simpson, we have added sand recovery to our portfolio, alongside highly energy-efficient mills for sand mixing. I believe that sand recovery will soon be almost mandatory in order to meet OEMs’ carbon content requirements, and given the short payback period for sand recovery systems, this is a logical business decision.

Is digitalisation really the best way forward for foundries?

Yes, absolutely! Digitalisation isn’t just about scrap; a data-driven view of production helps you improve across the board, and as you evolve digitally, you’re constantly improving. And with so many experienced staff retiring, their vital knowledge is preserved digitally and can be put to use.

Regardless of your size or digital maturity, a cloud platform such as Monitizer delivers real added value very quickly. You can start your digital journey with just one machine and ready-made, foundry-specific dashboards, and then connect further equipment later on.

During the Covid period, Norican switched to digitally supported remote support. This was born out of necessity, but it has proved very popular with our customers. As technicians no longer have to fly around the world, remote support is faster, more cost-effective and also more sustainable. DISA has now remotely installed and commissioned several complete foundry lines, using technologies such as augmented reality to guide the on-site team.

We have introduced many other practical digital innovations, such as our DETECT remote monitoring service, which alerts you when your DISA machine requires attention and suggests the best actions you can take. Digitalisation is redefining what is possible in terms of cost and scrap reduction, sustainability, remote support and far beyond – for all foundries.