FAQs
Have Questions?
Will this work with our older machines?
In most cases, yes. PLCs and CNC controls can typically be read with an external data collector or a small edge device that does not require modifying the control. Very old standalone machines without electronic outputs are harder, but even those can usually be instrumented with sensors that capture the basics like cycle time and machine state. CinchOps inventories what each machine supports during the assessment.
How is OT security handled?
The OT network stays on its own segment. Data collectors send data outbound to a central system in the IT side. Control commands do not flow back unless that is the explicit design intent, in which case the path is documented, monitored, and access-controlled. This is the question most generic IT firms miss in a manufacturing setting, and it is built into the CinchOps assessment from the start.
What does this cost compared to a full MES?
A full manufacturing execution system runs into six or seven figures and takes a year or more to deploy. A focused smart factory build that captures OEE, downtime reasons, and basic scrap tracking is a fraction of that and runs in weeks. Some clients eventually grow into a full MES, but most discover the basic data capture covers eighty percent of what they wanted from the bigger system.
Who owns the data and the dashboards?
The client owns the data. CinchOps builds the system to live inside the client's IT environment, usually inside a Microsoft tenant for the reporting layer. There is no vendor lock-in to a proprietary cloud platform unless that is the explicit choice. If the relationship with CinchOps ever ends, the data stays with the client.
Can we use this data for predictive maintenance?
Yes, once the basic data capture is in place. Predictive maintenance models need a base of historical machine data to learn from, which is what the first phase of the smart factory build creates. Practical predictive use cases typically come online six to twelve months after the initial deployment, once enough data has accumulated to build reliable patterns.
