Frontlink

Go live in weeks

Frontlink's implementation follows a proven sequence designed for self-serve onboarding. An SME can reach first value in 1–3 days with little to no consulting.

Before you start

What you need

Edge device

One industrial PC or gateway running Node-RED (or our provided image) per site.

Machine access

OPC-UA access to PLC/SCADA tags, Modbus registers, or direct machine counters.

Network connectivity

MQTT broker connectivity — cloud-hosted or local bridge to your Frontlink tenant.

Two people, half a day each

An 'OT buddy' who knows the machines and an 'ops owner' who defines what to track first.

1

Create your plant hierarchy

Model your factory in minutes using the setup wizard.

  • Define sites, departments, lines, and machines following ISA-95 hierarchy
  • Configure site timezone and shift patterns (2-shift, 3-shift, or custom)
  • Identify the primary counter machine per line for output tracking
  • MQTT topics are auto-generated following the convention: v1/{tenant}/{site}/{line}/{machine}/{signal}
2

Map signals and connect machines

Connect your machines to the platform with guided signal mapping.

  • Map expected signals per machine: good_count (required), scrap_count, run_state, and speed (optional)
  • Paste MQTT topics or select from the discovered topics list
  • Validation rules verify: monotonic counter behaviour, max jump thresholds, and expected publish frequency
  • Counter reset detection handles wrap-around and reset-to-zero scenarios automatically
3

Verify connectivity and diagnostics

Make problems obvious before you go live.

  • Edge device status: online/offline with last heartbeat timestamp
  • MQTT connection status and last message per topic with data freshness indicator
  • Parser validation: schema OK, payload missing, or type mismatch detection
  • Counter sanity checks: monotonic behaviour, no unexpected resets, consistent publish rate
  • Suggested fixes for common issues: topic typos, broker auth, Node-RED flow stopped
4

Set targets and shift calendars

Configure the baselines that make OEE and planning meaningful.

  • Set ideal rates per product-line combination — manual entry or auto-learn from the best 30-minute production window
  • Import shift templates (standard 2-shift or 3-shift EU patterns, or custom)
  • Define planned downtime windows for breaks, cleaning, and maintenance
  • These baselines enable OEE-lite calculations and realistic planning from day one
5

See your first live dashboard

Instant gratification — see your plant running in real time.

  • Line cockpit shows running/stopped state, output today vs target, and ETA to target
  • Plant overview aggregates all lines with drill-down to individual machines
  • OEE-lite calculations start immediately from counter data
  • Last downtime reason appears once reason tagging is enabled (next step)
6

Enable your first workflow

Pick one starter pack and put it on the floor.

Downtime tagging

Recommended

Import a downtime reason template, set detection thresholds, and start collecting structured stop reasons.

  • Import industry-specific downtime reason tree (mechanical, material, changeover, quality, blocked/starved)
  • Set downtime detection threshold (e.g., 60 seconds, 120 seconds)
  • Operators start tagging stop reasons on the tablet

Job start/stop

Create test jobs, have operators start and complete them, and see production counts attach to orders.

  • Create 3 test jobs manually (no ERP connection needed)
  • Operator selects active job on tablet — counts attach automatically
  • Progress vs target tracking goes live immediately

Changeover checklist

Pick a checklist template, require photo evidence on critical steps, and enforce line clearance.

  • Select a basic 10-step changeover template
  • Require photo evidence on 2 critical steps
  • Next job can't start until checklist is complete
7

Load templates and expand

Pre-built templates get you to value faster. Customise as you learn.

  • Downtime reason trees: TPM-style categories (mechanical, material, changeover, quality, blocked/starved)
  • Defect and scrap codes: process-industry-friendly taxonomies
  • Quality checkpoints: weights, viscosity, pH, torque, seal integrity, label checks
  • Batch record templates: mix/pack/clean step sequences
  • Unit conversion tables: kg↔g, L↔mL, pieces↔cases
  • Changeover matrix starter rules: same family vs allergen vs colour change

Week-1 success checklist

By the end of your first week, you should have:

  • ✓At least 1 line live with real-time counts and machine status
  • ✓More than 80% of downtime events reason-coded by operators
  • ✓1 dashboard reviewed daily by the production manager
  • ✓1 improvement action created from the downtime Pareto analysis

Recommended module adoption sequence

Start with what delivers immediate value from machine counters, then layer on quality, traceability, and costing as your team builds confidence.

Must-have — Week 1–2

Deliver the core execution truth without ERP integration.

Live line status + counts

Use MQTT counters to show running/stopped, rate, output, and target progress. Minimal setup: map topics and set ideal rates.

Auto-downtime detection + reason tagging

Detect stops from counter inactivity. Operator prompt for reason. Immediate Pareto and action list.

Job/batch start-stop + progress vs plan

Add a simple dispatch list from the planner. Operator selects job, counts attach to order. Enables schedule adherence.

Should-have — Week 3–6

Add quality and changeover control — big ROI, low integration effort.

Scrap + defect codes

Quick scrap reason capture; optionally map scrap counter. Quality loss integrated into OEE-lite.

Changeover checklist + auto-timed changeovers

Enforce line clearance gate: can't start next job without checklist completion. Uses downtime window timing.

In-process quality checkpoints

Template per product family. Trigger by time or N units (counter-based). Simple alerts, no full QMS.

Nice-to-have — Month 2+

Add traceability and reliability once shopfloor adoption is solid.

Lot-at-start traceability

Scan/enter material lots at batch start. Record FG lot at batch end. Generate basic genealogy.

Maintenance request from downtime

'Create work request' button from downtime event. Minimal PM calendar. MTBF/MTTR from event logs.

Ready to go live?

Book a call and we'll walk through the preflight checklist together.

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