Indofen is empowering the aluminum recycling and foundry industry by enabling real-time data visualization and KPI monitoring through Performance Insight, a Siemens Industrial Edge-based application.
Indofen enhanced efficiency and productivity with Siemens' edge computing solutions. At Hannover Messe 2025, Sujith Kumar from Indofen highlighted improved furnace efficiency, reduced downtime and optimized fuel consumption, driving business growth and sustainability.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India play a crucial role in the country's economic growth. However, these businesses often face challenges such as limited infrastructure, low productivity, and insufficient funds. Digitalization solutions can transform these traditional SMEs into more efficient and competitive entities. Digital tools can automate core processes, enhance workforce efficiency, reduce human errors, and provide better control over logistics. By leveraging digital platforms, SMEs can access real-time data, streamline business procedures, and make informed decisions that drive growth and profitability. Digitalization also enables SMEs to reach a broader customer base, improve marketing strategies, and reduce operational costs, ultimately leading to increased revenue and market presence.
As an OEM, Indofen faced several challenges, including ensuring operational transparency and performance intelligence of their machines across various end users, centrally managing and remotely maintaining devices and apps, and improving the productivity of the furnace while maintaining the quality of products.
For Indofen, accelerating IT and OT convergence was key to unlocking valuable data across product and production lines—enabling smarter decision-making and agile responses to evolving customer needs and market dynamics. These challenges were addressed through Siemens’ adaptive manufacturing solutions, part of the Industrial Operations X portfolio, which focuses on seamless IT/OT integration on the shop floor. This includes embedding IT capabilities and advanced software development practices into automation, leveraging technologies such as machine learning, data analytics, and Industrial Edge.
To meet their specific needs, Indofen adopted Siemens’ edge computing solutions, including Industrial Edge Devices and Apps. At the heart of the solution was the Edge Device IPC227E, which provided the hardware foundation for edge computing. Complementing this were the Edge Apps — Performance Insight and Notifier. Performance Insight delivered operational transparency for the furnace, offering analytics on process parameters to enhance quality. Notifier enabled timely alerts for critical alarms and automated scheduled reporting, ensuring proactive operations management.
The integration of Siemens edge computing solutions offered several benefits. Performance Insight helps improve furnace efficiency by tracking fuel use, temperature and material flow in real time. It detects issues, reducing downtime, optimizing fuel consumption and giving operators better control of the melting process. On-premise data security keeps data local for customers who prioritize data control. The solution streamlines machine maintenance and remote management, cutting costs for Indofen and end customers. Custom dashboards and analytics help maximize productivity and machine reliability. This was Indofen’s first project with aluminum furnace machines, a key market in India.
The adoption of Performance Insight from Siemens has led to significant quantifiable benefits for Indofen and its customers. By providing real-time monitoring and analytics, Performance Insight has improved furnace efficiency, reduced downtime, and optimized fuel consumption. These improvements have resulted in increase in overall productivity and reduction in operational costs. Additionally, the enhanced data visibility and control has allowed operators to make informed decisions, further boosting performance and ensuring consistent, high-quality production.
Indofen's integration of Siemens' edge computing solutions has helped them explore newer business models by providing real-time data monitoring and advanced analytics, ensuring their customers to maintain optimal furnace efficiency and achieve consistent, high-quality production.
Siemens Performance Insight provides our customers a comprehensive view of furnace performance — including Production data like metal charging & metal baleout, fuel usage, temperature through real-time data, enabling operational transparency and swift informed decision-making.