Flexible machine and shop floor data acquisition without months-long IT projects
Empower your team with the right foundation to seamlessly connect your machinery and ERP system. With Heisenware, reliable solutions for machine and shop floor data acquisition are built significantly faster than with rigid off-the-shelf software. You can start small on a single machine and roll the system out step by step.
Manufacturers that trust Heisenware
Isolated systems make reliable analysis impossible
Most machinery has grown organically over time and does not communicate directly with the ERP or MES. When production and machine data are recorded manually or not at all, it blocks production and costs margin.
❌ Missing data foundation for OEE
Cycle times, utilization, and exact downtime reasons often remain invisible. Without reliable machine data, there is no foundation to measure Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and improve processes in a targeted way.
❌ Manual data entry eats up resources
When operators still have to enter shift data, setup times, or scrap quantities manually on paper or in Excel, it ties up valuable time and leads to flawed data in job costing.
❌ Expensive data silos due to missing standards
Every machine speaks a different language. Without native interfaces, consolidating machine data often turns into a complex, tedious, and expensive IT project.
The flexible solution for all your production data
Heisenware provides the technical building blocks to unify machine data and operator inputs without system breaks. Instead of setting up a separate interface project for every piece of equipment, your team uses our ready-made components for connectivity, analysis, and visualization on the shop floor.
✅ Integrated drivers instead of expensive middleware
Connect modern equipment directly via native protocols. Drivers for OPC UA, MQTT, Siemens S7, Heidenhain, SQL databases, or classic file exchange via CSV are an integral part of the platform.
✅ Retrofit for older machines
Even machines without modern controllers can be integrated seamlessly. Using affordable edge hardware like industrial PCs or Raspberry Pis, your team captures classic 24V machine signals safely and galvanically isolated—for example, for simple part counting via optocouplers.
✅ Operator terminals on standard hardware
Shop floor inputs such as downtime reasons, setup times, or scrap quantities are entered digitally right at the machine. The Heisenware interfaces run device-independently on standard commercial tablets or monitors.
Case Study HEDELIUS
Fully automated data acquisition and mobile transparency
The machine OEM HEDELIUS manufactures on its own state-of-the-art machining centers. The setup is so advanced that classic manual data entries by operators are obsolete: the machines already provide all relevant information directly from the controller—from runtimes and order data to specific downtime reasons.
The challenge was to make this wealth of data usable. The machine data needed to be transferred into the existing MES (MPDV Hydra) for detailed analysis. At the same time, production management wanted a quick overview of their equipment.
Instead of outsourcing a rigid interface project to external service providers, the HEDELIUS team uses Heisenware as the central building block. The platform communicates directly with the machine controllers via native drivers and forwards all data in real-time to the MES. In parallel, the internal team built their own mobile app. There, management can now view the current machine status, active orders, target/actual quantities, and historical trends compactly on their smartphones, regardless of location. HEDELIUS has thus not only realized seamless, automated data acquisition but also empowered.
What is the difference between MDA and SFDC, and when does implementation make sense?
In industrial practice, machine data and shop floor data acquisition often merge into one continuous system. Nevertheless, both areas fulfill different tasks on the path to transparent manufacturing.
What is Machine Data Acquisition (MDA)?
Machine data acquisition focuses on the equipment. It fully automatically gathers objective raw data directly from the controller, such as runtimes, cycle times, temperatures, or part counts. This data forms the hard foundation for calculating Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and for capacity planning.
What is Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC)?
Shop floor data collection brings the human factor and the context of the order into the equation. Here, operators book their times to specific production orders, document setup efforts, or qualify scrap and downtime reasons that a machine cannot detect on its own.
When does implementation make sense?
Implementation makes sense exactly when your team no longer wants to make decisions based on guesswork or delayed Excel lists. Whoever combines MDA and SFDC intelligently closes the gap between the shop floor and the ERP system and instantly uncovers hidden inefficiencies.
Components of your custom data acquisition solution with Heisenware
With our modular building blocks, your team captures and combines machine and shop floor data exactly the way you need it. Every interface and analysis can be adapted precisely to your processes on the shop floor.
Connectivity
The edge-to-server architecture connects the shop floor bi-directionally with your IT infrastructure or the cloud via an encrypted channel.
PLC Integration
Native drivers for OPC UA, Siemens S7, Heidenhain, or Modbus capture machine data automatically and without detours.
IT Integration
Connect ERP, MES, and databases seamlessly and bi-directionally via REST APIs, SQL interfaces, or automated CSV exchange.
Edge Devices
If modern interfaces are missing, microcomputers like the Raspberry Pi capture digital signals directly at the machine and forward them to the system.
Central Database
All machine and production data flow with high performance into a tailored data model that is perfectly aligned with your processes.
Operator Terminals
Digital interfaces at the machine show orders, count parts, and automatically request downtime reasons during stoppages.
Browser-based Analysis
Product managers analyze OEE, utilization, and shift data directly in the web browser, supported by individually customizable filters.
Andon Monitors
Large screens on the production floor show the current machine status and historical data for full transparency.
Dashboard Builder
Using drag-and-drop, your team builds its views for all production data—without programming or external service providers.
Mobile App
All live data and KPIs are available location-independently on the smartphone for a quick overview on the go.
The path to your machine and shop floor data acquisition solution
Whether you want the solution delivered completely turnkey or your team steers the implementation, the process remains agile and pragmatic. No months-long pre-projects and rigid specification documents, but fast results on the shop floor.
1. Connect equipment and systems
Initial machines are connected to the platform via native drivers like OPC UA or S7. We integrate older machines in parallel using simple retrofit hardware. At the same time, the interface to the existing ERP or MES is established.
2. Adapt interfaces and logic
In the visual editor, the exact operator terminals and dashboards your production needs are created. The data model is defined, and it is determined precisely which machine data, downtime reasons, or times should be recorded.
3. Test and scale
Data acquisition starts on a pilot machine under real conditions. Once everything runs smoothly, the system is rolled out step-by-step to other machines or the entire shop floor—at your pace and without risk.
Frequently Asked Questions about Implementation
Who implements the data acquisition solution?
You have full freedom of choice: either your technical teams build the solution in self-service themselves, Heisenware takes over the complete implementation as a turnkey project, or an external system integrator deploys the solution for you.
Does the system run in the cloud or locally (on-premise)?
Both are possible. The platform adapts exactly to your IT security guidelines. It can be securely hosted by us in the cloud or installed entirely locally (on-premise) on your servers.
What hardware is required for data acquisition?
There is no obligation to use expensive special hardware. For data acquisition at the machine, affordable industrial PCs or Raspberry Pi-based edge devices are used. Standard commercial tablets or monitors are sufficient for visualization as an operator terminal.
Can older machines without modern interfaces also be connected?
Yes. If modern protocols like OPC UA or Siemens S7 are missing, we pick up simple digital signals. In practice, we transfer classic 24V machine signals via optocouplers, galvanically isolated, to the edge hardware—for example, for simple part counting. This works completely feedback-free and requires no intervention in the PLC.
