1. The Problem

Plastics Blown Film manufacturer relied on older, custom-built dashboards that were difficult to maintain, limited in scalability, and disconnected from ERP and historian systems. Operators lacked a standardized, unified way to view production KPIs across multiple plants. The system also could not easily adapt to new production lines or evolving manufacturing requirements.

2. The Solution

Tatsoft FrameworX replaced the legacy dashboards with a modern, scalable platform that integrates directly with machines, ERP, and historians. A custom machine driver was developed using the Tatsoft Driver Toolkit to interface with proprietary equipment, ensuring reliable real-time data flow. The project delivered reusable symbols, dynamic screen templates, and standardized company/plant/line-level dashboards enriched with ERP and manual inputs.

The new architecture enabled efficient rollout to 58 production lines across five facilities, with DVR-style functionality for playback and detailed historian-based trend analysis.

Simple Architecture Diagram:

58 Production Lines → Custom PLC Driver (Tatsoft Driver Toolkit) → FrameworX Projects

↓

SQL MES (Quality & PM Data)

↓

ERP (Progress DB Integration)

↓

APIS Process Historian (Trends, DVR)

↓

Company / Plant / Line Dashboards (80+ Clients)

Technical Specifications:

  • Production Lines: 58 across five facilities

  • PLC Connectivity: Custom driver developed with Tatsoft Driver Toolkit

  • Historian: APIS Historian (dual-instance) with DVR functionality

  • Database: Microsoft SQL MES (Quality & PM), Progress ERP database

  • Architecture: Multi-plant FrameworX deployment with load balancing and templated dashboards

  • Clients: ~80 concurrent web/desktop dashboards

  • Integration: Custom PLC driver → SQL MES → ERP → Historian → FrameworX Dashboards

3. Key Enablers

  • Custom PLC Driver: Built with Tatsoft Driver Toolkit to connect proprietary machines

  • Dynamic Templates: One line template self-adjusts based on number of film layers

  • Reusable Symbols & Screens: Rapid deployment of company, plant, and line-level dashboards

  • SQL MES Integration: Centralized data model streamlined multi-plant rollout

  • Historian Connectivity: FrameworX to APIS Historian for detailed trending and DVR playback

  • Real-Time Operations: Integration of ERP, historian, and manual input directly into FrameworX dashboards

4. The Results

  • Replaced difficult-to-maintain legacy dashboards with a scalable enterprise platform

  • Standardized KPI dashboards across 58 lines and five plants

  • Reduced engineering and deployment effort through reusable symbols and templates

  • Enabled ERP, historian, and machine data to be viewed together in real-time

  • Improved troubleshooting and analysis with historian-backed DVR playback

  • Delivered a future-ready platform capable of expanding with new lines and requirements