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Axiotech Automation Ltd
+44 (0)7415 112 892
sales@axiotech.co.uk

Machine data with an explicit contract

Expose production information that operations can interpret, govern and trust.

Axiotech defines machine states, events, counts, quality context, timestamps and ownership before connecting PLCs to OPC UA, historians, MES, OEE or reporting systems.

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Good fit

Use this service when

  • New or existing machines with controllable PLC/data interfaces and named information consumers.
  • Projects needing a bounded data contract, edge gateway, OPC UA model or staged MES integration.

Scope boundary

Not assumed or silently included

  • Promising OEE improvement from connectivity alone.
  • Writing directly into control behaviour from enterprise systems without command ownership, validation and fallback rules.

Why act

The operational risk behind the technical symptom

The first work package is shaped around reducing an explicit risk or enabling a named decision.

01

Ambiguous state models make availability and downtime reports incomparable.

02

Unbounded tag exposure increases load, attack surface and maintenance cost.

03

Timestamp, identity and buffering gaps make event sequences unreliable.

Purchasable entry points

Choose a bounded engagement before expanding scope

Final inclusions, dependencies, location, schedule and commercial terms are confirmed in a formal quotation.

Package 1

Machine-data contract workshop

Decision enabled: Approved meanings, ownership and acceptance for required information.

Typical scope: Consumers, state/count/event definitions, namespace, timing, quality, security and gap register.

Package 2

OPC UA or gateway implementation

Decision enabled: A controlled interface proven against representative consumers.

Typical scope: Server/client design, mappings, certificates, buffering, diagnostics, test and operations guide.

Package 3

MES/OEE integration work package

Decision enabled: End-to-end production transactions with exception evidence.

Typical scope: Interface specification, PLC/gateway changes, message/state handling, test cases, commissioning and handover.

Artefact manifest

What remains after the engineering work

The exact document set scales with risk and the approved work package.

  • Information model and machine-state definition
  • Interface, namespace and ownership specification
  • Security, certificate and access configuration record
  • Store/forward, timing and exception design
  • End-to-end test evidence and operations runbook

Technical and responsibility boundaries

Make ownership reviewable

  • The source of truth for each state, count, order and quality result is named.
  • Enterprise commands do not bypass machine permissives, modes or release authority.
  • Network, identity, PKI and platform-operation responsibilities are agreed with IT/OT owners.

Review and acceptance

Six gates from authority to handover

Gate depth changes with the work; named decisions and evidence remain.

  1. G0
    Scope authorityOutcome, boundaries, roles, assumptions and commercial basis agreed.
  2. G1
    Baseline acceptedKnown installed/source state, dependencies, constraints and unknowns recorded.
  3. G2
    Design approvedRequirements, interfaces, risks and acceptance evidence ready for implementation.
  4. G3
    Release candidateBuild reviewed, verified, versioned and accompanied by defect disposition.
  5. G4
    Site acceptanceCommissioning evidence, deviations and release decision recorded.
  6. G5
    Handover acceptedSource, configuration, records, recovery and residual risks transferred.

Read the complete delivery method

Assurance option

Compliance is a declared scope—not a badge

For regulated data, record meaning, attribution, access, timestamping, retention, audit, review and recovery requirements are captured explicitly. Suitability depends on the complete customer architecture and procedural controls, not the protocol alone.

Review validation services

Relevant engineering evidence

TwinCAT-to-production data contract

A reference pattern connecting deterministic machine state to governed OPC UA events and downstream consumption with exception handling.

Review this evidence

Procurement FAQ

Questions to resolve before quotation

Can you calculate OEE in the PLC?

It is possible, but the correct location depends on the required definitions, context, history, ownership and fleet consistency. The contract is defined before the calculation platform.

Do you support existing OPC UA servers?

Yes. Namespace, security, load, certificate lifecycle, semantic quality and consumer behaviour are assessed first.

Can enterprise systems send recipes or orders?

Yes when command authority, validation, acknowledgement, duplicate handling, fallback and machine permissives are designed end to end.

Next decision

Describe the outcome, installed baseline and constraints you already know.

Use “Not known” where evidence is missing. The first review will separate facts, assumptions and discovery work.

Scope OPC UA, MES and OEE integration