Unlock Your Data: Integrate Digital Signage with Manufacturing Systems for Real-time Performance Visibility

Deploying digital signage in a manufacturing facility offers substantial benefits—but to fully realize its vast potential, it needs to be integrated with your Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). 

Understanding the Digital Shift in Manufacturing

The digital shift in manufacturing involves integrating advanced technologies and automation into production processes. This transformation brings numerous benefits, including real-time data access, enhanced efficiency, and improved decision-making.

Manufacturers can monitor machine performance, track production, and respond instantly to issues, reducing downtime and optimizing workflows. Additionally, the digital shift fosters better communication and collaboration across teams by providing a clear, real-time view of operations.

Overall, these advancements lead to higher productivity, reduced waste, and increased flexibility, allowing manufacturers to adapt quickly to changing demands. As you will see, digital signage is increasingly playing a key role in the overall digital shift in manufacturing, especially in relation to delivering highly visible real-time performance data.

Poppulo (formerly Four Winds Interactive) has been a market leader in digital signage for many years and we work with the best manufacturers in the world, so if you’d like to know more about what our digital signage solutions can do for your manufacturing facility, check it out here.

The Importance of Real-Time Data

Why Real-Time Data Matters in Manufacturing

Real-time data is essential in manufacturing because it provides instant visibility into production processes, machine performance, and potential issues. This immediate access allows teams to respond quickly to equipment malfunctions, delays, or inefficiencies, minimizing downtime and reducing waste.

The Role of Real-Time Data in Workflow Optimization

In terms of workflow optimization, real-time data helps identify bottlenecks, track progress, and adjust resources on the fly. It enables manufacturers to fine-tune production schedules, allocate labor efficiently, and ensure that processes are running smoothly.

By making informed, data-driven decisions, manufacturers can continuously optimize workflows, enhance productivity, and meet production targets with greater accuracy.

Digital Signage Brings Real-Time Data to Life

Digital signage plays a crucial role in the digital shift in manufacturing by making real-time data and information easily accessible to workers and managers on the shop floor. It displays key metrics such as production status, machine performance, and safety alerts, helping teams stay informed and aligned.

By providing instant visibility into operations, digital signage enhances decision-making, reduces downtime, and improves communication. It fosters transparency and collaboration by ensuring everyone has access to the same, up-to-date information, enabling faster responses to issues and optimizing workflows.

At Poppulo, we have a front row seat to witnesshow our digital signage drives efficiency and productivity and supports the seamless adoption of digital technologies in manufacturing, because our platform is used by many of the world’s leading manufacturers. 

But, as we said at the outset, to capitalize fully on the many benefits of digital signage in manufacturing, it needs to be integrated with existing manufacturing systems.

Here are the essential systems to integrate with digital signage for maximum impact:

1. Manufacturing Execution System

An MES is the backbone of many manufacturing operations, managing and tracking real-time production data on the shop floor. Integrating your digital signage with your MES allows you to display vital information such as:

• Production progress: How much of a batch is complete and what's left to finish
• Machine performance: Real-time machine status, including any downtime or maintenance alerts
• Work order tracking: Updates on specific jobs or tasks in the production queue

This integration ensures that your digital signage can provide up-to-the-minute operational insights directly on the shop floor, empowering workers and supervisors to respond swiftly to production needs.

2. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

An ERP system is responsible for managing a wide range of business processes, from procurement and inventory management to accounting and human resources. Integrating your digital signage with your ERP system allows you to:

• Track production schedules: Display timelines, delivery targets, and on-time performance
• Monitor inventory levels: Show the availability of raw materials and finished goods in real time
• View order fulfillment: Showcase the status of orders, shipping schedules, and delays

When digital signage pulls data from your ERP, everyone in the facility—from production workers to managers—can see how their efforts are aligned with broader business goals, such as meeting demand or maintaining profitability.

3. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

SCADA systems are used to monitor and control plant floor operations. These systems gather real-time data from machines, sensors, and devices. Integrating digital signage with SCADA allows for:

• Machine condition monitoring: Display alerts for malfunctions, performance degradation, or required maintenance
• Environmental data: Share real-time information on temperature, humidity, or other factors critical to production quality
• Energy consumption: Showcase energy usage metrics and identify where inefficiencies may exist

4. Quality Management System (QMS)

A QMS tracks quality metrics to ensure that products meet specified standards. By integrating it with digital signage, you can make quality control data highly visible across the factory floor. This can include:

• Defect tracking: Show real-time data on defects or rework rates
• Inspection results: Display results of quality checks and inspections for transparency
• Compliance monitoring: Highlight adherence to internal or external quality standards and regulatory compliance

By showcasing this information, your workforce stays vigilant about quality, helping to minimize errors, rework, and product waste.

5. Human Machine Interface (HMI) Systems

HMI systems allow operators to interact with machines and receive feedback from production equipment. Integrating HMI with digital signage can provide:

• Detailed machine feedback: Display real-time operational data from specific machines to optimize performance
• Troubleshooting and alerts: Share alerts or instructions when machines need adjustments or repairs

With this integration, operators and technicians can see important machine data at a glance, allowing for faster issue resolution and better overall machine efficiency.

6. Production Planning and Scheduling Software (PPS) Systems

This system is essential for scheduling manufacturing runs, managing capacity, and aligning resources with demand. Integrating production planning software with digital signage helps:

• Showcase live production schedules: Keep everyone on the floor informed of current and upcoming tasks, shift schedules, and workloads
• Real-time adjustments: Provide updates when schedules change due to equipment issues or shifts in demand

This transparency ensures that teams stay aligned with production goals and any changes that arise throughout the day.

7. Warehouse Management System (WMS)

If your facility involves a significant amount of material handling and logistics, integrating your WMS with digital signage can enhance warehouse operations. With this integration, you can:

• Show inventory status: Display real-time stock levels for components or finished goods, ensuring production has what it needs
• Monitor picking and packing: Track and display order fulfillment progress

This ensures that logistics and manufacturing stay synchronized, minimizing delays caused by material shortages or stock mismanagement.

8. Energy Management Systems (EMS)

Energy usage is a key operational expense in many manufacturing facilities. Integrating an EMS with digital signage allows for real-time visibility into energy consumption:

• Display energy usage: Track overall energy consumption or break it down by machine or production line
• Monitor efficiency: Provide insights into peak usage times and highlight opportunities for energy savings

This integration helps reduce energy waste and ensures that the facility is operating efficiently from an environmental and cost perspective.

9. Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS)

Condition Monitoring Systems continuously assess the health of machines through sensors that track factors like vibration, temperature, and sound. Integrating CMS with digital signage provides:

• Predictive maintenance alerts: Show signs of equipment wear before failure occurs, allowing for proactive maintenance
• Real-time performance metrics: Provide a snapshot of machine health, helping operators prevent breakdowns

By displaying machine health data in real-time, you can significantly reduce downtime and extend the lifespan of equipment.

10. Labor Management Systems (LMS)

Labor management systems track employee performance, task completion, and shift schedules. Integrating LMS with digital signage offers benefits such as:

• Workforce productivity: Display real-time employee performance metrics to keep teams aligned with production targets
• Shift schedules and task assignments: Keep workers informed of their responsibilities and any last-minute schedule changes

This integration fosters better communication between management and workers, boosting productivity and reducing confusion on the shop floor. 

Challenges and Considerations

Navigating Potential Roadblock when Integrating Digital Signage with Existing Systems

Integrating digital signage with existing manufacturing systems can present several challenges. One common hurdle is ensuring data compatibility and interoperability between different software platforms.

Another challenge lies in the complexity of designing and implementing effective digital signage solutions that meet specific manufacturing requirements. Additionally, security concerns arise when connecting manufacturing systems to external networks, necessitating robust measures to protect sensitive data.

Also, scalability is a significant consideration when integrating digital signage with manufacturing systems. As manufacturing operations grow and expand, the digital signage solution must be able to accommodate increasing data volumes, additional displays, new integration requirements, and new use cases.

Here are some scalability challenges to consider:

• Data Volume: The ability to handle large amounts of real-time data from various manufacturing systems without compromising performance
• Display Network: The scalability of the digital signage network to support a growing number of displays across different locations
• Integration Capabilities: The ability to integrate with new manufacturing systems or software platforms as needed
• Content Management: The scalability of the content management system to handle the increasing complexity and volume of content

To address scalability challenges, it's important to choose a digital signage platformthat is designed to handle growth and offers flexible options for expanding the system as needed. Poppulo is that platform, capable of scaling to the largest and most complex of manufacturing enterprises, such as the leading aerospace and defense manufacturer, Northrop Grumman. 

Conclusion:

To ensure you gain the maximum benefits from deploying digital signage in your manufacturing facility, integrating it with key existing systems is essential. These include MES, ERP, SCADA, QMS, HMI systems, production planning software, WMS, EMS, CMS, and LMS.

By connecting these systems with digital signage, you can improve real-time visibility, enhance communication, boost efficiency, reduce downtime, and optimize decision-making across the board.

With the right integrations, digital signage becomes a powerful tool that keeps your workforce informed and engaged, while helping your facility run more efficiently and effectively, with enhanced productivity and ultimately better financial outcomes