February 2021


Viking Analytics and pour-tech AB sign contract to provide AI operators to iron foundries


V


iking Analytics, a Swed- ish startup in advanced analytics solution for predictive operations, and pour-tech AB, spe-


cialized in automatic pouring sys- tems, announced a partnership to offer AI operators to iron foundries. The solution, named EASYpour, uses data analytics and machine learn- ing algorithms developed by Viking Analytics to automatically adjust the pouring process, improving product quality, enabling faster production, and reducing costs.


EASYpour is one of the first smart-pour- ing solutions available in the market and more advantageous than tradi- tional methods that require constant intervention from an experienced operator. According to Niklas Stigen- dal, general manager at pour-tech AB, the target was to have a truly end-to-end automated solution. “The production environment in a foundry is increasingly changing, demanding several adjustments to maintain the


quality of the product, sometimes in a matter of minutes. We wanted to remove this complexity for our cli- ents, so the operators could focus on other tasks,” he explains.


Viking Analytics was selected to develop


the data-driven predic-


tive model that runs in the solution. Based on the expert industry knowl- edge from pour-tech AB, the startup employed its data analytics and ar- tificial intelligence capabilities to de- velop machine learning algorithms that, once deployed, evaluate infor- mation from each pour and adjusts the parameters for the next one.


“In practice, it means that the system is always improving itself, by learn- ing from past actions in a feedback loop that maintains long-term quali- ty,” says Arash Toyser, co-founder and product manager at Viking Analyt- ics. “And it happens in a fraction of time that it would take for an opera- tor to make the same decisions,” he adds.


By making these adjustments, EASY- pour eliminates overpours and scrap, resulting in significant reductions in re-melt costs. It also provides stability in product quality and higher pro- ductivity. “At the foundry where we first implemented the solution, gains of 0.10€ per pour have been reg- istered,” says Niklas Stigendal. Cur- rently, two foundries in Denmark and Germany are already successfully using EASYpour.


To Stefan Lagerkvist, co-founder and CEO at Viking Analytics, the partner- ship highlights the potential for the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the metal industry. “Automation is already well established in foundries, but in order to survive the increasing competition, companies must take on the digital transformation road, from collecting and analyzing data to taking action to improve pro- ductivity based on it. We are very pleased


to enable pour-tech to


bring digitalization to their custom- ers,” he finalizes.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14