Scrap leakage and weak data analysis - two major challenges Europe’s aluminium die casting is navigating

Here we present Part 1 of the exclusive interview with John Stokes, General Manager of IDRA Group. Mr Stokes is a well-known Mechanical and Production Engineer with over 37 years of experience in the die casting industry. The conversation was detailed, candid, and insightful to fit into one piece. So, we are bringing it to you in two parts. The first part highlights our talk about how Industry 4.0 is transforming manufacturing processes, including die casting. Here, Mr Stokes has pointed out that digitalisation and automation are ramping up operations and doing it quite effectively, but he feels the missing area is analysis, where human minds come into play. Mr Stokes’ concern is that the industry is generating more data than ever, but not putting enough into understanding what those data actually mean. His other concern is that the die casting industry has remained relatively small, with only a handful of major players, and knowledge transfer within the sector is still limited. To know more about the challenges in the European die casting industry and how it is moving forward, read the insights of Mr Stokes.

One of John's significant contributions to the industry is the GigaPress machine, which he co-developed in 2016. This innovative technology started production in 2020 and is now revolutionising the automotive industry. The GigaPress machine is a large-scale die casting machine that can produce structural automotive components from aluminium, replacing heavier materials such as steel. This technology is helping to make vehicles lighter, more fuel-efficient, and environmentally friendly.

AL Circle: IDRA group has been active in Europe's non-ferrous die casting industry since 1946. Looking back to this long journey, which two innovations do you consider truly transformative for the European aluminium die casting sector and what makes them revolutionary according to you?

John Stokes:  This year we're celebrating 80 years of IDRA in die casting. We started with the idea of transforming aluminium into useful articles after the Second World War, when much of the aluminium was used for aircraft and other things. So, we had to transform it back into something useful.

Personally, I always like to think of IDRA as making contribution towards society and helping us move forward, not just with automotive but also with a lot of white goods, door furniture, chairs, and all of these kinds of things. However, with much of that manufacturing later moved abroad, mainly to the Far East, we continued making meaningful contributions, especially in automotive. That has been most visible in the last five years through Giga casting, which has reshaped possibilities for automotive body-in-white structures and strengthened both the European automotive and non-ferrous sectors.

One of the things we all worry about is the changes within the geopolitical landscape and the phase-out of internal combustion engines. Against this background, our focus is on creating opportunities for innovation. Fortunately, we have been able to team up with some of the major OEMs around the world and implement changes.

Beyond that, we're also moving towards the tech industry. A big part of IDRA’s pedigree is supplying not only the legacy OEMs but also the global tech industry. There are a lot of opportunities within that area looking forward, even notwithstanding the current oil crisis and political situation.

AL Circle: Industry 4.0 has reshaped manufacturing processes globally. So how has this shift influenced the evolution of IDRA’s aluminium die casting machinery? And if you're asked to pick three technologies or design features that best distinguish your systems from competing solutions in the market today, what would that be?

John Stokes:  This is kind of an interesting question because we are all now a bit inclined towards using Industry 4.0. We are looking at all kinds of sensors on the machine and how to use the data. One of the things that I think is fundamental in this and is fundamental to my values in IDRA is using data that is additive and useful to the customer.

One of the best examples of this is the thermal analysis of the die. Many companies use thermal cameras, but few truly know how to use the massive amount of data generated every cycle. Right now, much of it still needs human interpretation and cannot easily be fed back into the system in a practical way.

So while we continue to provide these tools, we remain focused on the basics. In aviation, they say when there is a problem; first remember to fly the plane. In die casting, first remember to make castings. Technology should support production, not distract from it.

For us, that means focusing on what genuinely improves efficiency, uptime, and OEE. This includes essentials like fluid control, die temperature management, and robot integration to create a stronger production line. Sometimes the industry gets lost in technology for its own sake. We focus on solutions that reduce the total cost of ownership and keep customers producing successfully.

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AL Circle: When you talked about data, you said there’s very little analysis available. I am curious to know how much data is available in the market and how do you access them?

John Stokes:  Here, one needs to understand that before the Chinese manufacturers entered the market, there were only five global players for die casting machine manufacture. Now, with the Chinese companies, this has probably gone up to something like seven or eight players. However, the reality is that it is a small and very conservative industry, and this is a problem going forward because we don't share data.

The die casting associations can contribute to the development of the industry especially for the smaller foundries. So, yeah, there's a lot of work to do, and obviously, like most of the automotive industry right now, the real big risk is that we're going to be left with two or three super groups that will produce the machinery. And so, there is heavy competition. I always like to say that we're the poor cousins of plastics. On plastics, there's a lot of analysis, industrial investment, and investigation. And until we really started getting involved with the Giga casting, where die casting became just a little bit sexier than it was in the past, nobody really cared. It's just something of these dirty industries that's necessary. So, I think one of the big problems is that there is not enough investment in software or in R&D. Every R&D project now has to be project-driven with money behind it.

How many universities have a die casting course? You try to pursue a master's in die casting - just not happening. Our university here in Brescia has always maintained a course, but the subscriptions are small. So, I think this is the big problem: there's not enough data analysis, and there's not enough centralised data gathering.

Another major challenge is energy management. With geopolitical instability, governments need to reassess industrial priorities and provide real incentives to move electric mobility forward. India, Italy, and southern Europe face similar problems: people may buy electric cars, but where do they charge them?

There is strong potential for solar energy, rooftop panels, and more sustainable systems, but this needs policy support and infrastructure. If home charging is limited, then fuel stations should also provide charging points. And just as importantly, roads and infrastructure must be improved to support these vehicles properly.

Yoy may read: Enhance Your Aluminium Casting Efficiency with Used Aluminium Die Casting Cell

AL Circle: Roads are better now, and EV sales and EV consumption are growing in India, which signals a positive change as EVs are necessary for decarbonisation. But it bothers us when we come to think of the sourcing of aluminium. Where will metal come from, as there are so many supply chain disruptions?

John Stokes:  No, no. There's enough aluminium out there right now, together with what we're able to produce outside of China. Let's say we're not dependent on aluminium resources. However, one of the biggest problems for Europe right now is that we are selling too much scrap abroad. We need to keep some of that scrap so that we can recycle it. One of the huge advantages of aluminium is that it is a cyclic material, which means it's infinitely recyclable.

And so, this means that we are probably in some way still recycling the aeroplanes from the Second World War, right? They're now our pots and pans at home. One of the things that I particularly like when I'm talking about these stories, I heard great speech given by somebody in the last few years and he made the point that do you know that the automotive vehicle the horseless carriage was a solution to water pollution which was caused by all the horses in the major cities polluting the water table with horse faeces etc. So the horseless carriage was at the beginning a solution to an environmental problem, and now we've come back around full circle again.

And all the way through that aluminium has been a part of it, and more so now than it's ever been before. I'm really enthusiastic that we're able to do different things with aluminium as our technology and our knowledge grow. A lot of the structural casting was focused on the primary alloy, but that's no longer true. We don't have to use the primary alloy now.

One of the difficulties is that when we use recycled material, we have to refine it a lot to clean it and give it the mechanical properties we need. So, in the end, it costs like a primary alloy. But nevertheless, we're able to do it, right? And we're able to utilise that. And of course, then we open up the big discussion about whether we should reintroduce magnesium again?

Around 15 years ago, we had a huge investment in magnesium. Everybody thought magnesium was the future. And then it just all stopped. There were a couple of fires, people got scared, the price went up, people stopped manufacturing, and so magnesium just died a death, right?

But now it's being promoted as a prerequisite for the objectives of the Chinese automotive industry. I believe that there is a place for magnesium, but the number one material will remain aluminium. I'm sure of it. And I don't think there's so much of a worry about whether we're going to be able to find enough aluminium. I think it's a case of just managing the situation at the moment.

A big part of the problem for you and for us here in Europe is that we don't want to handle scrap because it's dirty. You know we get premiums from the government for being environmentally friendly, not producing any waste. We need to clean the scrap and bring it back in instead of selling it abroad. Basically, the vast majority of our scrap, from you guys and from us, is on its way to Southeast Asia right now. It's feeding the aluminium industry for Vietnam and Southeast China and everything over there. We fill up a container, ship it over there, and then they clean it and reprocess it. So we don’t want to do that because we get problems with environmental activists.

Read our latest e-Magazine ALuminium LeaderSpeak 2026 for current market insights from industry's leading voices

AL Circle: The acquisition of IDRA by LK Technology Holding Ltd. in 2008 must have been a new chapter for the company. What were the most significant operational and strategic changes introduced after 2008, and how did they alter IDRA’s direction compared with the pre-acquisition phase?

John Stokes:  Okay, this is an interesting question, and to be honest, the acquisition was necessary to keep the brand alive. The European financial institutions, such as the banking and government institutions, that would normally support us just held up their hands and said, “Sorry, bye-bye.”

Fortunately, due to the long-sightedness of the Liu Family, the primary shareholders of LK, they saw in IDRA a good future, a solid future.  For them, this clearly gave a market advantage of having a longstanding company within the group.

For the first decade, there was little dramatic change beyond business continuity and steady development during a difficult European industrial period. The first project we did was the development of a new series of modular machines. Those modular machines went forward to do a lot of magnesium work around the world for instrument panels and structural parts. So, we learned about structural castings, and so, it really gave us a solid backing until we arrived around 2016–2018, when we had to jump forward into another risky area. We chose to partner up with one of our customers to move the Giga project forward. It was risky. A lot of people were laughing at us, and a lot of people were criticising us for doing it. However, whether we were lucky or whether we were really good—only history will tell that tale—but we were fortunate enough to be able to move it forward.

At that point, having the infrastructure to globally implement this meant that we, as IDRA, were able to follow the entire legacy of Western global OEMs. Well, we can't really say Western because the Japanese and Koreans are also involved in this. And on the other side, we have all of the resources necessary within the LK group to follow the revolution in the Chinese electric automotive industry.

Whether we like it or not is irrelevant - the reality is that there's been a huge explosion in electric manufacturing in China. And so, being part of a major group like LK group, which had its primary interest in die casting and the aluminium foundry industry, we were able to satisfy both camps. This means that we've really gone forward as a group to being the world leader in die casting technology at all levels. From entry-level machines to 13,000 and 20,000 tonne systems, the question today is less about capability and more about where OEM demand goes next. What do the OEMs want to do? How do they want to move forward? And you know it’s been a tough time for the legacy OEMs. It’s not an easy road.

I realistically think when the dust settles, we’re going to end up with maybe five or six super groups around the world. And being part of the LK group, which I’m particularly proud that we are part of, allows us to respond to those demands, whatever those demands may be.

IDRA is the tech end. We're looking after the tech industry, trying to drive the innovation. But we also have the capability to do, shall we say, mass production of machines. So, yeah, for us, in the long term, it brought great advantages. Clearly, at the beginning, we were all concerned about our jobs, as everybody always is, right? But in the end, I think that this is a perfect demonstration of how, if you work together and collaborate, you can do great things.

Image source: Stock image for representational purposes only

To be continued...