Real-time production dashboard from shop floor machines in Amsterdam in 2026

The verdict in three sentences

A production director who reads OEE a week after the fact is steering through the rear-view mirror: micro-stops and slow changeovers have already eaten the margin. IoT boxes fitted to existing machines and a custom dashboard deliver OEE per line and per shift in real time, for a market budget of 10,000 to 25,000 EUR excl. VAT before sensors and a timeline of about 8 weeks. A realistic goal is a 5 to 10 point OEE gain in year one, which pays for the project within months.

Paper logs versus machine data

In a 120-employee plant in Amsterdam Westpoort or Zaandam, operators still write downtime on a shift sheet that is re-keyed into Excel on Monday. As a result, 30 to 40 % of micro-stops are never reported and the displayed OEE flatters reality.

The first effect is often a bad surprise: actual OEE sits 5 to 10 points below reported OEE. That gap is exactly what the dashboard helps recover.

Budget and technical options in 2026

On recent machines, PLCs already expose data through OPC UA or Modbus. On a mixed fleet, IoT boxes count cycles and detect stops from current draw or a vibration sensor.

Power BI is enough for weekly analysis. For live shop floor display, alerts and cause entry, a dedicated web app is more reliable. At Kolonell, this type of app falls under the custom grid of 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT) for a standard version, and 7,000,000 to 15,000,000 FCFA (10,670 to 22,870 EUR excl. VAT) with predictive maintenance or multiple sites.

What makes the project succeed

The dashboard does not create OEE points by itself. It needs a routine: a 15-minute stand-up in front of the screen every morning, the top 3 downtime causes tackled each week and an owner per line. Involve maintenance from scoping, since they usually know the PLCs best, and inform the works council, because shift-level data touches work organisation.

Mini case study

Illustrative example: Pieter, production director of a plastic parts plant near Amsterdam, 120 employees, 20 presses. Each OEE point is worth about 45,000 EUR of annual margin on 18 M EUR revenue. The project costs 6,000 EUR in boxes, 18,000 EUR excl. VAT for the dashboard and 4,000 EUR a year in licences and hosting, or 28,000 EUR in year one. With a cautious 5 point gain, extra margin reaches 225,000 EUR, and payback comes in under 2 months of production.

FAQ

Do older machines need replacing to be connected?

No, a 150 to 400 EUR IoT box measures current or vibration and infers cycles and stops. Only machines without their own power supply are an issue, which is rare.

Is Power BI enough as a production dashboard?

For weekly analysis at 14 EUR per user per month, yes. For live shop floor display and downtime cause entry, a dedicated app remains preferable.

How many OEE points can we reasonably gain?

Well-run projects gain 5 to 10 points in year one. Without a daily routine, gains often stall at 2 or 3 points.

Is production data secure?

The boxes run on a network separated from office IT and data is hosted in Europe. A 2 to 3 day audit is advised before go-live.

How soon is the first screen on the shop floor?

A pilot line runs in 3 to 4 weeks, full rollout in about 8 weeks.

Let's scope your project. Share your machine count, PLCs and priority indicators: we price a custom dashboard in the 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA band (6,100 to 10,670 EUR excl. VAT), delivered in 8 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.