Enterprise dashboard platform with custom driver toolkit and DVR-style historian playback across 40 production lines.
Industry: Plastics Manufacturing
Quick Facts
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Production Lines | 40 across 5 facilities |
| Clients | ~80 concurrent web/desktop dashboards |
| PLC Connectivity | Custom driver (Tatsoft Driver Toolkit) |
| Historian | Prediktor APIS Historian Connector |
| Database | ODBC_DSN and SQL Server |
| Architecture | Load balanced with single URL access |
The Challenge
Challenge: Replace older, custom-built dashboards that were difficult to maintain, limited in scalability, and disconnected from ERP and historian systems.
Specific pain points:
- Legacy dashboards difficult to maintain
- Limited scalability for growing operations
- Disconnected from ERP and historian systems
- No standardized, unified view of production KPIs across multiple plants
- Could not easily adapt to new production lines or evolving requirements
- Operators lacked consistent visibility across facilities
Impact: Without unified dashboards, operators could not efficiently monitor production KPIs across plants, and the system could not scale with business growth.
The Solution
Architecture
| Tier | Component | Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Field | Proprietary blown film machines | Custom driver via Driver Toolkit |
| Historian | Prediktor APIS | Trending, DVR playback |
| Database | SQL Server (ODBC_DSN) | Centralized MES data model |
| Central | FrameworX Enterprise | Dashboards, ERP integration |
| Load Balancer | Single URL access | Redirects based on connection count |
| Clients | ~80 concurrent | Web and desktop dashboards |
Scale
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Production Lines | 40 |
| Facilities | 5 |
| Concurrent Clients | ~80 |
| Dashboard Levels | Company / Plant / Line |
Dashboard Hierarchy
| Level | Scope |
|---|---|
| Company | Enterprise-wide KPIs |
| Plant | Facility-level monitoring |
| Line | Individual production line detail |
Key Technical Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Custom PLC Driver | Built with Tatsoft Driver Toolkit for proprietary machines |
| Dynamic Templates | Line template self-adjusts based on number of film layers |
| Reusable Symbols | Rapid deployment across all lines and plants |
| DVR Playback | Historian-backed video-style process replay |
| Load Balancing | Single URL with automatic connection distribution |
Data Integration
- ERP system connectivity
- Historian trending and analysis
- Manual input integration
- Real-time machine data
Key Enablers
FrameworX capabilities that made this solution possible:
| Capability | Application |
|---|---|
| Custom PLC Driver | Driver Toolkit enabled proprietary machine connectivity |
| Dynamic Templates | One template self-adjusts for varying film layer counts |
| Reusable Symbols & Screens | Rapid deployment of company/plant/line dashboards |
| SQL MES Integration | Centralized data model streamlined multi-plant rollout |
| Historian Connectivity | APIS Historian for detailed trending and DVR playback |
| Real-Time Operations | ERP, historian, and manual input unified in dashboards |
The Results
- Replaced Legacy Dashboards — Scalable enterprise platform replaced difficult-to-maintain custom systems
- Standardized KPIs — Unified dashboards across 40 lines and 5 plants
- Reduced Engineering Effort — Reusable symbols and templates accelerated deployment
- Unified Data View — ERP, historian, and machine data visible together in real-time
- Improved Troubleshooting — DVR playback enables detailed process analysis
- Future-Ready Platform — Capable of expanding with new lines and requirements
- Load Balanced Access — Single URL for ~80 concurrent users with automatic distribution
This case demonstrates enterprise dashboard deployment with custom driver development and historian-backed DVR playback for plastics manufacturing.
In this section...