# Foundry and Forge Process Control Maturity Assessment > Source: https://netray.co/tools/foundry-forge-process-control-maturity-assessment > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer Score how well your melt, pour, forging, heat treat, traceability and data practices are controlled, and get practical next steps. ## Category industry-templates ## Industry Foundry and Forging ## Audience - Plant manager - Quality manager - Operations director - Process engineer ## Tool **Kind:** assessment **Questions:** #### How are melt chemistry and temperature controlled before pouring or forging? **Help:** Think about spectrometer checks, temperature measurement and approval before release. **Options:** ##### Operator judgement, results checked after the fact **Score:** 0 ##### Chemistry checked per heat, temperature by experience **Score:** 1 ##### Chemistry and temperature recorded and checked against limits **Score:** 2 ##### Recorded, limits enforced, and out-of-range blocks release **Score:** 3 #### How is each heat or billet lot linked to the parts made from it? **Options:** ##### Not linked, only paper travelers **Score:** 0 ##### Linked by heat number on paper **Score:** 1 ##### Linked in a system for most parts **Score:** 2 ##### Full forward and backward trace in a system, tested regularly **Score:** 3 #### How is scrap tracked by cause? **Options:** ##### Total scrap only **Score:** 0 ##### Scrap by part, causes in notes **Score:** 1 ##### Coded causes, reviewed monthly **Score:** 2 ##### Coded causes with Pareto, owners and actions closed **Score:** 3 #### How is yield (good casting or forging weight over metal poured or billet used) measured? **Options:** ##### Not measured **Score:** 0 ##### Estimated occasionally **Score:** 1 ##### Measured per part family **Score:** 2 ##### Measured per order and used in quoting and costing **Score:** 3 #### How are furnace and heat treat cycles recorded? **Options:** ##### Recorders only, rarely reviewed **Score:** 0 ##### Cycle logged on traveler **Score:** 1 ##### Electronic records per load, tied to lot **Score:** 2 ##### Electronic records with alarm review and links to certificates **Score:** 3 #### How are furnace calibration and survey due dates managed? **Options:** ##### Remembered by one person **Score:** 0 ##### Spreadsheet, sometimes late **Score:** 1 ##### Tracked in a system with reminders **Score:** 2 ##### System blocks use of an overdue furnace **Score:** 3 #### How are tooling life and die or pattern condition tracked? **Options:** ##### Replaced when failed **Score:** 0 ##### Operator notes **Score:** 1 ##### Counts or hits logged per tool **Score:** 2 ##### Counts tied to quality data and planned maintenance **Score:** 3 #### How are customer-specific requirements and certifications captured? **Options:** ##### Read from the purchase order each time **Score:** 0 ##### Notes on the job traveler **Score:** 1 ##### Stored per customer or part in the system **Score:** 2 ##### Stored, enforced at release, and shown on certificates **Score:** 3 #### How quickly can you answer a customer question on a lot made six months ago? **Options:** ##### Days, with searching through paper **Score:** 0 ##### A day, with some manual work **Score:** 1 ##### Hours, from a few systems **Score:** 2 ##### Minutes, from one trace report **Score:** 3 #### How are process and quality data reviewed by management? **Options:** ##### Only when there is a complaint **Score:** 0 ##### Monthly summaries from spreadsheets **Score:** 1 ##### Weekly dashboards from systems **Score:** 2 ##### Live dashboards with targets and owner actions **Score:** 3 **Bands:** #### Reactive **Min:** 0 **Max:** 24 **Verdict:** Process control depends mostly on individuals and paper, and problems are found late. **Recommendations:** - Start recording heat numbers on every traveler and tie them to part lots - Introduce coded scrap causes and review the top three every week - Create a single list of furnace calibration and survey due dates #### Developing **Min:** 25 **Max:** 49 **Verdict:** Basic records exist, but linking and review are inconsistent across the plant. **Recommendations:** - Move heat, scrap and cycle records from paper into one system - Measure yield per part family and use it in quotes - Run a trace test on a random lot and time the answer #### Controlled **Min:** 50 **Max:** 74 **Verdict:** Most core processes are recorded and linked, with some gaps in enforcement and speed. **Recommendations:** - Make out-of-range chemistry or overdue furnaces block release in the system - Tie tooling counts to quality data and maintenance - Automate management dashboards from the source records #### Managed **Min:** 75 **Max:** 100 **Verdict:** Controls are recorded, enforced and reviewed, so the focus can shift to optimization. **Recommendations:** - Use the data to tune yield, energy per ton and cycle times - Test recall and trace drills at least yearly - Check whether predictive models for scrap or furnace issues are worth the effort ## Content **Intro:** Foundries and forges run on skill, but audits, customers and margins increasingly demand records and speed. This ten question self-assessment scores how well your melt, process, traceability and data practices are controlled, and points to practical next steps. **Sections:** #### How to use it **Body:** Answer each question for the plant as it really runs today, not as procedures say it should. If different lines are at different levels, answer for the weakest line that ships to customers. Each answer scores zero to three, and the total is converted to a percentage that maps to one of four bands. Run it with the plant manager, quality manager and one shift supervisor so that the answers are grounded. Repeat each half year and compare. **Bullets:** - Answer for the weakest shipping line - Use at least three people for balance - Re-run every six months to track change #### What the questions measure **Body:** The questions cover the control chain from molten metal to shipped certificate: chemistry and temperature control, heat to part linkage, scrap causes, yield, furnace records and calibration, tooling life, customer requirements, trace speed and management review. These are the same areas customers and auditors probe, and they are also where most cost hides. A foundry that cannot say what its scrap causes are, or what its true yield is, cannot price or improve reliably. The score is a conversation starter rather than a certification. **Bullets:** - Linkage of heat, part and cycle data - Measurement of scrap and yield by cause and family - Enforcement of limits, not just recording #### Reading your result **Body:** A reactive score means the first win is simply writing things down in a consistent way: heat numbers, scrap codes and furnace dates. Developing and controlled plants usually gain most from joining separate records so a lot can be traced in one query, and from moving checks into the release step so a bad heat or overdue furnace cannot slip through. Managed plants can look at optimization, such as energy per ton or cycle time. Do not chase a high score with software alone; the records have to reflect real shop practice. **Bullets:** - Low scores: standardize and record - Middle scores: link and enforce - High scores: optimize and drill **Cta:** If your assessment shows gaps in linking heat, scrap and furnace data, we can help connect them to your ERP or build read-only reports on top of it. The assessment is free and complete on its own. **Faq:** #### Is this assessment a certification? **Answer:** No. It is a self-check that highlights where process control and data practices are strong or weak. Certifications such as AS9100, IATF 16949 or Nadcap have their own criteria and are assessed by accredited bodies. #### Who should answer the questions? **Answer:** Ideally the plant manager, quality manager and a shift supervisor together. People closest to the floor tend to give more realistic answers than those who read only reports, so include at least one of them. #### How often should we re-run it? **Answer:** Every six months is a good rhythm for tracking improvement, and also after a major change such as a new furnace, a new ERP or a significant customer audit finding. #### Does a high score mean we need no software? **Answer:** Not necessarily. A score reflects practice, and software is only one way to support it. Some small shops reach good control with disciplined paper and spreadsheets. The goal is reliable records and fast answers, whichever tool delivers them. ## Search terms foundry process control assessment, forging plant maturity assessment, foundry quality self assessment, casting scrap reduction assessment, heat treat process control audit, foundry digital readiness, metal casting plant self audit, forge shop improvement assessment --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json