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Plant Software
8 min
Getting machine data to the MES without a science project
An edge gateway, a shared data model and three agreed signals per machine are enough to start. Everything else can wait.
Start with three signals
Running, stopped and good parts. With those three, any machine can feed OEE, scheduling and maintenance.
Use an edge layer
An edge gateway translates between old fieldbuses and modern protocols, buffers data when the network drops and keeps the PLC out of IT's way.
- One data model for the whole plant
- Standard protocols such as OPC UA or MQTT
- Security zones agreed with IT on day one
Grow from there
Once the data is trusted, adding energy, quality or traceability is a configuration task, not a project.
Keep reading
More field notes.
Data & OEE
OEE is a product, not an average
Availability, performance and quality multiply. Three good-looking numbers can still hide a line that loses a fifth of its time.
Safety
Designing safety zones people will not bypass
If a guard slows the job, someone will defeat it. Good safety design starts at the operator's workflow, not at the fence.
Retrofit
Retrofit or replace? A five-question test
Most old machines have good iron and tired brains. Five questions tell you whether new controls will give you another fifteen years.