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Foundry ERP Implementation
ERP implementation for an investment casting foundry, with traceability from wax pattern through final inspection.
Business goals
The client produces precision investment castings in high volume, with machining, heat treating and testing around the pour. Customers expect full traceability and a quality system that stands up to audit. A casting moves through wax, shell, pour, finishing and inspection, often with outside processing along the way, so job information gets scattered quickly. The client needed ERP solutions that matched that route and tied quoting, production, quality and shipping together.
Project overview
Hexagon implemented ERP solutions for the client's foundry operations. We mapped how a job really moves through the plant, then configured routings, item records, lot tracking and quality records around that flow. We moved existing data across, tested it against live jobs and trained staff in the areas they work in. The result gives planners, floor staff and quality people one shared record for each order.
Challenges faced and solved
A foundry's route has too many steps and too much at stake for a generic ERP setup.
Fitting ERP to the investment casting route
Off-the-shelf manufacturing software assumes simple operations. Investment casting runs through pattern injection, tree assembly, shell building, dewax, pour, knockout, cutoff and finishing, with parts and yields changing state along the way.
We configured routings to match the actual sequence of operations, including secondary steps, so the system shows where a job really sits.
Proving traceability to customers
When a customer asks which heat a casting came from, the answer can't require digging through paper travelers. Lost traceability can mean rejected parts and a difficult conversation at the next audit.
We set up lot and heat tracking across operations, connecting each order to its heat, inspection results and any outside processing.
Following work at outside processors and in-house machining
Castings commonly leave the pour line for heat treat, testing, machining or finishing. Without tracking, parts seem to vanish between departments and delivery dates become guesses.
We set up secondary and outside operations as visible steps on the route, so planners can see what is out and what is due back.
Moving off old records without stopping production
A foundry running around the clock can't shut down for a system change. Bad item, customer or routing data carried into a new ERP then causes trouble for years.
We cleaned and migrated master data in stages, tested it against live jobs and trained each department before it moved over.
Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Sales and customer service | |
| 1. Quoting Records | Quotes capture alloy, part details, tooling and planned operations, so a repeat request doesn't start from scratch. |
| 2. Sales Orders | Orders carry customer requirements such as revision and certification needs into production from the start. |
| 3. First Article and Prototype Orders | Small early runs are tracked as their own orders, keeping sample work separate from volume production. |
| 4. Order Status | Customer service can see where a job sits on the route, without walking the floor to answer a delivery question. |
| Planning and production | |
| 5. Item and Alloy Master | Parts, revisions and alloys are held in clean master records that every department shares. |
| 6. Foundry Routings | Routings cover wax injection, assembly, shell, dewax, pour, knockout, cutoff and finishing, in the order the plant runs them. |
| 7. Tooling Records | Wax dies and other tooling stay linked to the parts they make, so planners can check availability before releasing a job. |
| 8. Work Order Release | Planners release work to the floor with the correct route and quantities. |
| 9. Shop Floor Reporting | Operators report quantity complete and scrap at each operation, keeping job status current. |
| 10. Scrap and Yield Tracking | Losses are recorded by operation and reason, giving the team facts for improving a problem part. |
| 11. Machining and Secondary Steps | Machining, heat treat and finishing appear as steps on the job, so their capacity and timing are part of the plan. |
| Quality | |
| 12. Heat and Lot Traceability | Each lot can be traced back to its pour and forward to its shipment, which supports customer and audit requests. |
| 13. Inspection Records | Dimensional results and non-destructive test results are stored with the job they apply to. |
| 14. Nonconformance Records | Rejected or suspect parts are recorded with cause and disposition, supporting ISO 9001 corrective action. |
| 15. Certificate Support | Material and inspection data are in one place, making shipping paperwork quicker to assemble. |
| Purchasing, shipping and management | |
| 16. Purchasing and Outside Processing | Raw materials and vendor services are bought against the jobs that need them, with due dates visible to planners. |
| 17. Inventory | Metal, wax, shell materials and finished castings are counted in the same system, so stock levels are easier to trust. |
| 18. Shipping and Management Reports | Shipments close out the order, and managers can review on-time delivery, work in process and scrap from the same data. |
How the platform is put together
Each layer has one job.
The result
The client's orders now follow one record from quote through pour, finishing, inspection and shipment. Planners, operators and quality staff work from the same job information.
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Job visibility | Job status found by asking around the floor | Status reported by operation against the route |
| Traceability | Heat and inspection details gathered from separate records | Lots linked to heat, inspection and shipment |
| Outside processing | Parts hard to follow once they left the line | Secondary and outside steps visible on the job |
| Scrap information | Losses difficult to tie to an operation | Scrap recorded by operation and reason |
How we took it from idea to launch
Good software follows a process. Here are the six stages, and what happens in each one.
Discovery & Requirements
Goal: Define the product vision, target audience and core business requirements.
Key activities- Stakeholder interviews
- Market and competitor research
- Defining user personas
- Drafting technical specifications or a Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Design (UX / UI)
Goal: Create an intuitive user experience and visual interface.
Key activities- UX design: information architecture, user flows and wireframes
- UI design: high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes in Figma or similar tools
- Design system: colors, typography and component libraries
Development: Frontend & Backend
Goal: Build the functional application using agile sprints.
Key activities- Backend: set up databases, design APIs (REST, GraphQL), implement server logic, and configure authentication and authorization (OAuth, RBAC)
- Frontend: build responsive interfaces and connect components to backend APIs
- Version control: manage code through Git and GitHub
Security & Optimization
Goal: Harden the application against vulnerabilities and boost performance.
Key activities- Security: address the OWASP Top 10, including injection, XSS and CSRF, enforce encryption in transit and at rest, and implement rate limiting
- Optimization: code splitting and lazy loading, database indexing, API caching and load testing
- QA and testing: unit, integration and end-to-end tests
Beta Release
Goal: Deploy to a controlled group of real users to catch edge-case bugs and gather feedback.
Key activities- Set up staging and production CI/CD pipelines
- Launch a closed or open beta with real users
- Monitor errors through observability tools
Public Release (Launch)
Goal: Roll the software out to the general public.
Key activities- Final production deployment
- DNS configuration
- Marketing and onboarding rollout
- Post-launch performance and security monitoring
Business benefits
Customer service can see where a job stands without leaving their desk.
Traceability and inspection records can be pulled from the job itself.
Scrap data shows where a part is losing money.
Routes include the secondary steps that really decide the ship date.
Conclusion
An ERP only earns its place in a foundry if it reflects what happens between the wax room and the shipping dock. Hexagon built this implementation around the client's real route, its traceability obligations and a production schedule that couldn't stop for go-live. Our team understands casting work, not only software. If your foundry is still chasing job status with travelers and spreadsheets, or an earlier ERP never quite fit the floor, let's talk about what a better fit would look like.
Talk to us about your projectRelated services: ERP development · custom software development
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