Transform Your Factory into a Smart Factory
Axia SmartFactory helps manufacturing organisations connect machines, operators, quality processes and production information into a unified digital environment—giving management and shop-floor teams the real-time visibility required to make faster and better production decisions.
Digitise Your Manufacturing Operations
- Real-time production monitoring
- Machine connectivity and IIoT
- Production order tracking
- Digital quality management
- OEE and machine performance
- Material and component traceability
- Barcode, QR and RFID integration
- Digital operator instructions
- Inspection and SPC data
- Virtual Gemba and factory digital twin
What is Axia SmartFactory?
Axia SmartFactory is a digital manufacturing platform designed to connect shop-floor activities with actionable production information. Instead of allowing valuable machine and process data to remain isolated, the platform helps manufacturers collect, contextualise, visualise and use that information for everyday production management.
The system can connect machines, EDGE devices, sensors, inspection instruments, barcode systems, RFID equipment and cameras while also capturing information generated by operators and production systems.
This creates a digital connection between the physical factory and management decision-making.
Manufacturers can progressively introduce SmartFactory capabilities without necessarily replacing all existing production equipment. Legacy and analogue equipment can also become part of the connected factory through suitable sensors, interfaces and EDGE connectivity.
It Is Not Only About Collecting Data.
A successful Industry 4.0 implementation must convert production data into information that operators, production managers, quality teams, maintenance teams and management can actually use.
Axia SmartFactory focuses on contextualising shop-floor information so organisations can understand what is happening, where it is happening, why production is being affected and where action is required.
One Digital Platform for the Connected Factory
Build real-time visibility across manufacturing, quality, traceability, equipment and operator activities.
Production Monitoring
Monitor production progress, quantities, machine status and shop-floor activity to understand actual production conditions rather than waiting for end-of-shift reports.
Machine Monitoring
Connect manufacturing equipment and monitor performance, running condition, production signals, downtime and other machine information in real time.
OEE & Performance Analytics
Create better visibility into equipment performance using machine and production information while analysing factors influencing utilisation, availability and output.
End-to-End Traceability
Track products, materials, batches, operators and manufacturing operations throughout the production process for stronger control and faster investigation.
Digital Quality Management
Digitise inspection activities, quality-control plans, measurements, rejections, scrap information and product documentation.
IIoT & EDGE Connectivity
Connect machines, sensors, instruments and other factory equipment using EDGE technology to bring physical manufacturing information into the digital platform.
Production Order Management
Digitally manage production quantities, schedules, machine assignments, labour assignments and the current status of manufacturing jobs.
Digital Work Instructions
Provide operators with visual and paperless instructions that help standardise manufacturing procedures and reduce avoidable operating errors.
Real-Time Alerts
Improve response time by making abnormal conditions and production events visible to the appropriate team instead of relying entirely on manual communication.
How Axia SmartFactory Works in an Industrial Environment
SmartFactory can become the digital information layer connecting machines, people, quality processes and production operations.
Real-Time Shop-Floor Visibility
Production managers should not have to wait until the next morning to understand yesterday's manufacturing performance. SmartFactory can bring machine and production information closer to real-time, allowing teams to identify delays, production losses and abnormal conditions while they are occurring.
Machine Connectivity
Different generations of manufacturing equipment may coexist inside the same plant. Axia EDGE connectivity provides a route for connecting modern machines as well as suitable legacy or analogue equipment using machine protocols, external sensors and EDGE devices.
Production Quantity & Cycle Monitoring
Automatically captured production signals can improve visibility of part quantities and cycle information. Production teams can compare actual output against plans and identify where production is falling behind.
Machine Downtime Management
Unplanned machine stoppage directly affects manufacturing capacity. Connected machine information can help teams recognise downtime, understand equipment operating patterns and create better information for root-cause analysis and continuous improvement.
Digital Quality Inspection
Inspection processes can move away from disconnected paper records. Digital inspection forms can be configured according to manufacturing requirements, allowing measurement and inspection results to become part of the production information flow.
Statistical Process Control
Measurement information can be displayed using SPC techniques to help quality and manufacturing teams identify variation and maintain better control of manufacturing processes.
Rejection & Scrap Monitoring
Digitising rejection and scrap information provides greater visibility of production losses. Teams can analyse rejection patterns by product, machine, process or other relevant manufacturing parameters.
Material & Batch Traceability
Traceability can be built around date, material lot, batch, supplier, production stage and related information. This can significantly simplify investigations when quality concerns or customer complaints occur.
Barcode, QR & RFID Integration
1D and 2D barcodes, QR codes, RFID and other identification technologies can help automate material and product identification, reducing manual entry and improving traceability throughout production.
Connected Measuring Instruments
Suitable scales, calipers, sensors and inspection equipment can form part of connected inspection workflows, helping reduce transcription errors associated with manually recording measurement information.
Camera & Vision Integration
Camera integration can help document shop-floor conditions, capture defects and support error-proofed workstations where visual information becomes part of manufacturing workflows.
Operator Guidance
Digital work instructions can provide operators with the correct manufacturing information at the workstation, supporting standardised work practices, inspection routines and process compliance.
Connect Every Important Layer of Manufacturing
A smart factory is created when relevant information flows between machines, operators, quality systems and decision makers.
Machines
Capture machine information such as production signals, operating status, cycle-related data, downtime and other relevant equipment parameters.
Operators
Provide digital instructions, inspection tasks and production information while allowing operators to contribute contextual shop-floor information.
Quality
Connect control plans, inspection records, measurements, rejection data, scrap information, SPC and documentation.
Materials
Build traceability around material lots, production stages, supplier information, consumption and component movement.
EDGE Devices
Integrate sensors, instruments, cameras, scanners and compatible shop-floor devices into connected manufacturing workflows.
Management
Transform manufacturing activity into useful operational information that management can use to review performance and prioritise improvement.
A Real-Time Virtual View of Your Factory
Axia Virtual Gemba extends smart manufacturing by creating a virtual 3D representation of the factory or warehouse environment and linking that representation with operational information.
Instead of viewing production information only through conventional tables, management can potentially explore factory areas virtually and understand information according to its physical location.
The concept can be particularly valuable for larger facilities, multi-location management, factory demonstrations, remote review and situations where spatial understanding of operations provides additional value.
Digital Twin Possibilities
A factory digital twin can combine a scaled virtual representation with information originating from production equipment and connected systems.
Depending on the use case and implementation scope, this can support remote factory visibility, warehouse visualisation, production monitoring and other data-driven manufacturing applications.
Where Can Axia SmartFactory Be Used?
The platform can support a wide range of discrete and process-oriented manufacturing environments where production visibility, traceability, quality and equipment monitoring are important.
🚗 Automotive Manufacturing
- Production line monitoring
- Part and batch traceability
- Quality inspection
- Machine utilisation
- Operator instructions
- Supplier component tracking
🧩 Plastic Injection Moulding
- Injection moulding machine monitoring
- Cycle and production quantities
- Downtime tracking
- Rejection monitoring
- Material lot traceability
- Quality inspection records
🔩 Machine Shops
- CNC equipment monitoring
- Machine status visibility
- Production-order tracking
- Inspection recording
- Work-in-progress visibility
- Operator guidance
🏗 Engineering Manufacturing
- Job progress tracking
- Digital work instructions
- Production documentation
- Quality management
- Equipment monitoring
- Shop-floor dashboards
⚡ Electrical & Electronics
- Serial-number traceability
- Inspection data
- Assembly guidance
- Component tracking
- Quality-control workflows
- Production monitoring
🏠 Consumer Products
- Production visibility
- Material control
- Quality inspection
- Machine monitoring
- Batch traceability
- Production performance analysis
🛠 Tool Rooms
- Job tracking
- Machine monitoring
- Inspection workflows
- Production status
- Digital documentation
- Resource visibility
📦 Packaging
- Line monitoring
- Batch traceability
- Quality checks
- Production quantities
- Downtime monitoring
- Operator guidance
🏭 General Manufacturing
- Factory digitisation
- Real-time dashboards
- IIoT connectivity
- Quality management
- Traceability
- Continuous improvement
How SmartFactory Can Help Industrial Organisations
The objective is not simply to install another software package. The objective is to improve how manufacturing information is captured, understood and acted upon.
Better Production Visibility
Understand what is happening across machines, jobs and production operations without depending entirely on manual reporting.
Faster Decision Making
Current manufacturing information enables production teams to respond earlier when delays or abnormalities occur.
Reduced Manual Reporting
Automated and digital data collection can reduce dependence on spreadsheet-based and handwritten production reporting.
Improved Traceability
Digital identification technologies improve the ability to determine what material or component passed through each production stage.
Stronger Quality Control
Digital inspection workflows help establish structured quality information that can be analysed and reviewed.
Lower Production Loss
Improved visibility into machine conditions, downtime, scrap and production delays gives teams better information for improvement.
Standardised Operations
Digital instructions and inspection workflows can help operators follow consistent processes.
Better Accountability
Digital workflows make production activities and actions easier to associate with jobs, machines, processes and responsible functions.
Continuous Improvement
Reliable operational information creates a stronger foundation for Lean Manufacturing and productivity improvement initiatives.
From Physical Manufacturing to Management Information
SmartFactory can provide the digital connection between factory equipment and operational decision-making.
How Rheologist Gaze & Solutions Can Help
Smart Factory implementation requires more than software installation. It requires understanding your machines, production processes, quality requirements, people, existing systems and improvement goals.
From Factory Assessment to Digital Implementation
Rheologist Gaze & Solutions works with manufacturing organisations to identify practical Smart Factory opportunities and develop a phased implementation approach.
Our objective is to focus first on manufacturing problems that create measurable operational value rather than attempting to digitise everything at once.
We can support the journey from initial requirement study and pilot selection through connectivity, configuration, deployment, training and ongoing technical support.
Study existing machines, processes, reporting practices, quality systems and digitalisation requirements.
Review available machine interfaces, signals, controllers and possibilities for EDGE or sensor-based connectivity.
Identify high-priority digitalisation opportunities and create a practical phased implementation strategy.
Select a machine, production cell or line where SmartFactory can demonstrate meaningful operational value.
Support connection of selected machines, compatible sensors, scanners, instruments and EDGE devices.
Configure useful operational dashboards based on the information required by production and management teams.
Identify appropriate production indicators such as output, downtime, cycle performance, rejection and related operational KPIs.
Develop appropriate product, component, material and batch identification workflows using barcode, QR or RFID where applicable.
Help convert relevant inspection and quality-control workflows into structured digital processes.
Configure workflows and digital instructions according to specific manufacturing operations.
Train production, quality, engineering and relevant management users to effectively use the implemented system.
Support system adoption, process improvements, additional machine connections and future expansion requirements.
Start Small. Demonstrate Value. Scale Successfully.
A phased implementation can reduce complexity and allow manufacturing teams to validate the solution before extending digitalisation across the factory.
Understand
Understand your manufacturing challenges, existing equipment, production processes and improvement priorities.
Assess
Assess machine connectivity, required production information, quality workflows and infrastructure.
Define
Define the pilot scope, required KPIs, dashboards, workflows, machines and expected operational outcomes.
Connect
Connect selected machines and shop-floor devices using appropriate EDGE connectivity.
Configure
Configure production monitoring, quality, traceability, dashboards and required workflows.
Validate
Validate captured information against actual shop-floor conditions and operational requirements.
Train
Train operators, supervisors, quality engineers, production managers and administrators.
Scale
Extend successful digitalisation to additional machines, cells, departments or manufacturing locations.
Is Your Factory Facing Any of These Problems?
Production data arrives too late
Reports are prepared only at the end of a shift or on the following day.
Too many Excel sheets
Critical production information is distributed across independent spreadsheets.
Manual machine monitoring
Supervisors physically check machines to understand their current status.
Unknown downtime causes
Production is lost but sufficient information is not available to analyse recurring downtime.
Paper quality records
Inspection information is manually recorded and difficult to analyse quickly.
Poor batch traceability
Finding which raw-material lot was used for a particular production batch takes excessive effort.
High rejection
Rejection information is available but cannot easily be correlated with manufacturing conditions.
No live production visibility
Management cannot easily see the actual status of production orders during the shift.
Disconnected machines
Production equipment generates valuable information that is not connected to manufacturing management systems.
You Do Not Need to Digitise the Entire Factory on Day One
Rheologist Gaze & Solutions can help identify a focused pilot that solves a genuine manufacturing problem and provides a foundation for future expansion.
Possible First Pilot Projects
- Monitor 3–5 critical production machines
- Create a real-time production dashboard
- Track machine downtime
- Digitise one inspection process
- Create material batch traceability
- Digitise a production line
- Introduce barcode-based WIP tracking
- Monitor production quantity automatically
- Create digital operator instructions
- Connect measuring equipment
Then Scale Based on Results
Once the pilot is validated, the same digital approach can progressively be extended to additional machines, production cells, assembly lines, quality processes and factories.
This approach helps manufacturers develop their Industry 4.0 infrastructure around real operational requirements instead of implementing technology without a defined business objective.
Why Work With RGS for Your Smart Factory Journey?
A successful Smart Factory project requires knowledge of both manufacturing operations and digital technologies.
Manufacturing Understanding
We understand practical production environments and the importance of implementing solutions around actual shop-floor requirements.
Engineering Expertise
Our engineering background helps us communicate effectively with production, quality, design, tooling and manufacturing teams.
Implementation Support
We can support customers from requirements assessment through pilot, deployment, training and expansion.
Training & Adoption
Technology generates value only when people use it effectively. Operator and management adoption are therefore important parts of the implementation.
Scalable Approach
Begin with a practical pilot and progressively extend implementation based on manufacturing priorities.
Technical Support
Receive local engineering and implementation support for your digital manufacturing journey.
Business-Focused KPIs
Focus dashboards and monitoring around information that supports production and improvement decisions.
Long-Term Partnership
Smart manufacturing is an ongoing journey. We support customers as their digitalisation requirements grow.
Ready to Start Your Smart Factory Journey?
Talk to Rheologist Gaze & Solutions about your machines, production challenges and Industry 4.0 objectives. We can help evaluate your factory and identify a practical Axia SmartFactory pilot project.