From die management to Die-as-a-Service: how AI is reshaping the economics of wire drawing

How Ailoys and Vassena Filiere are turning drawing dies from passive consumables into intelligently managed assets — unlocking new business models and measurable savings for wire producers.

The hidden cost of “good enough” die management

In most wire drawing plants, die management follows the same pattern it has for decades. Operators replace dies based on fixed schedules, visual inspection, or quality deviations detected downstream. Die inventories are maintained with generous safety stock. And the people responsible for tracking, ordering, and rotating thousands of dies across dozens of drawing lines are among the most experienced — and most expensive — staff on the floor.

It works. But it is far from efficient.

A mid-sized copper wire drawing operation typically holds between 2,000 and 5,000 dies in stock at any time, representing a capital lock-up of EUR 100,000 to 200,000. Die changes happen either too early — wasting usable tool life — or too late, after scrap has already been produced. The personnel dedicated to die logistics, procurement, and quality checks can cost upwards of EUR 70,000 per year. And because no one truly knows how a specific die is performing in real time, decisions remain rooted in experience rather than evidence.

For an industry under constant pressure to reduce costs, improve quality, and do more with fewer people, this represents a significant untapped opportunity.

A new approach: AI-powered die lifecycle management

The technical cooperation between Ailoys GmbH, a Berlin-based industrial AI company, and Vassena Filiere Srl, an Italian precision drawing die manufacturer founded in 1962 and headquartered on the shores of Lake Como, is designed to address exactly this gap.

Building on their initial collaboration announced in mid-2025 — and now fully operational on production lines — the two companies have developed a system that transforms the drawing die from a passive consumable into a digitally tracked, performance-monitored, and predictively managed asset.

The Ailoys system installs directly on existing wire drawing lines without modifications to the machine itself. An edge AI device, integrated inside the electrical cabinet, connects to proprietary acoustic sensors positioned near the deformation zone and interfaces with PLC and machine control signals. Each Vassena die is individually identified via QR code, linking its precise geometric parameters — reduction angle, bearing length, inlet configuration — to the digital system.

All data processing occurs locally at the edge, enabling sub-second inference and real-time monitoring without dependency on cloud infrastructure.

“What we are building with Vassena goes beyond process monitoring. We are creating the infrastructure for a fundamentally different way of managing tooling in wire drawing. When you can see exactly how every die performs in real production conditions — not in a lab, but on the actual line, with real material variability — you unlock decisions that were simply impossible before”, states Sergei Altynbaev, CEO & Co-Founder of Ailoys GmbH.

From acoustic signatures to predictive intelligence

During operation, the system continuously acquires synchronised data streams: acoustic emission patterns generated during deformation, machine speed and torque-related signals, vibration characteristics, and production identifiers. Acoustic sensing is particularly powerful in wire drawing because variations in friction, material flow, and contact conditions generate measurable frequency shifts before visible surface defects occur.

These signals are analysed through embedded machine learning models combined with physics-based digital twin logic. Over time, the system establishes baseline signatures representing stable operation for specific combinations of die geometry, material type, and machine configuration. When progressive deviations appear, the system detects them before conventional limits are exceeded, and generates actionable guidance: recommended speed adjustments, lubrication review, early wear notifications, or optimal die replacement timing.

The critical innovation is the closed feedback loop with Vassena. Performance data from the field is correlated with specific die geometries, enabling systematic evaluation of how certain angle combinations, bearing lengths, or design variants perform under real operating conditions. Because Vassena operates fully automated, Industry 4.0-ready production lines, geometry refinements informed by field data can be implemented with precision and repeatability.

The die evolves from a fixed-specification consumable into a continuously improving, performance-traceable component.

The numbers: quantified impact

Early industrial deployments have demonstrated tangible results that go well beyond incremental improvement:

• Workforce efficiency increase of up to 30% — by automating die condition tracking, replacement scheduling, and inventory management, skilled personnel are freed from routine logistics to focus on higher-value tasks.
• Average die lifetime extension of 10% — condition-based replacement, guided by real-time acoustic data rather than conservative fixed schedules, ensures dies are used to their full potential without risking quality.
• Die stock capital freed: EUR 100,000 – 200,000 — with predictive visibility into die consumption patterns and remaining useful life, safety stock levels can be reduced dramatically.
• Annual die management personnel savings: EUR 70,000 — the combination of automated tracking, digital inventory management, and predictive ordering reduces the headcount and time required for die logistics.

“These are not theoretical projections. They reflect what becomes possible when you replace manual tracking and experience-based guesswork with continuous, data-driven visibility across the entire die lifecycle. The technology is operational today, and the numbers come from real deployment scenarios”, adds Sergei Altynbaev, CEO & Co-Founder, Ailoys GmbH.

Die-as-a-Service: a new business model for wire drawing

Perhaps the most transformative implication of this technology is the business model it enables.

Traditionally, wire drawing factories purchase dies from suppliers, manage their own inventory, and handle the entire lifecycle internally — procurement, storage, tracking, quality control, disposal. This ties up capital, demands specialised personnel, and creates operational complexity that has little to do with the factory’s core competence: drawing wire.

With AI-powered die lifecycle management, a different model becomes viable: Die-as-a-Service.

In this model, the die supplier — in this case, Vassena Filiere — takes ownership of the die stock at the customer’s factory. Using the Ailoys monitoring platform, Vassena can track die wear in real time, predict when replacements are needed, and manage the entire die inventory remotely. The wire producer pays for die performance rather than die ownership — a shift from capital expenditure to operational expenditure, with guaranteed availability and optimised cost.

“This is where the real transformation happens. We are not just helping wire producers run their lines better. We are enabling die suppliers like Vassena to offer an entirely new kind of relationship with their customers — one built on data, transparency, and shared performance incentives. The die supplier becomes a strategic partner, not just a commodity vendor” explains Sergei Altynbaev, CEO & Co-Founder, Ailoys GmbH.

For Vassena, whose signature high-cooling die geometry and custom small-batch production already differentiate them in the market, the Die-as-a-Service model represents a natural evolution — extending their value proposition from precision manufacturing into managed performance.

Looking ahead: wire & Tube Düsseldorf 2026

The Ailoys and Vassena Filiere collaboration represents a tangible step toward what the wire drawing industry has been discussing for years: genuine digitalisation that delivers measurable economic value, not just dashboards and data collection.

As wire & Tube Düsseldorf opens its doors on April 13, 2026, both companies invite wire producers, die suppliers, and OEMs to discover how AI-powered die management is already reshaping production economics. Visitors can explore the technology in action and discuss how Die-as-a-Service could work for your operation.

Vassena will be exhibiting at Hall 10 Stand E78.