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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between PLC, SCADA and MES and why do manufacturers need all three?

PLC, SCADA, and MES each play a distinct role in a modern manufacturing environment. A PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) operates at the machine level, collecting real-time data from equipment and executing control actions such as starting motors, opening valves and regulating process parameters. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) sits above the PLC layer, providing operators with real-time monitoring, visualization, alarms and process control across an entire production line. MES (Manufacturing Execution System) adds a higher level of intelligence by managing production scheduling, traceability, performance analysis and operational workflows. When integrated together, these three layers transform raw machine data into actionable information, helping manufacturers improve productivity, quality, visibility, and decision-making.

Ask any vendor for a reference customer running your specific equipment mix. Centris conducts a pre-engagement technology validation before any contract is signed, documenting exactly which machines, protocols and data sources are in scope. We provide a written integration feasibility assessment so you know what’s possible, what requires custom work and what the risks are.

Most pilots stall for one of three reasons: the solution was over-engineered for the pilot environment, the ROI case wasn’t built alongside the technology or there was no internal champion at the operational level. Centris structures every engagement around a phased deployment roadmap with defined go/no-go criteria at each stage. We embed a dedicated implementation engineer on-site during go-live, not just during sales.

You don’t need to replace anything to start seeing across all three sites. Centris deploys a data aggregation layer that connects to your existing systems and surfaces unified dashboards without touching your core infrastructure. We’ve done this in environments with legacy PLCs and production lines and no shared data standard. The first phase is visibility. Optimization comes after you can actually see what’s happening across all three plants in one place.

A software vendor sells you a license and hands you documentation. A partner is accountable to outcomes. The questions that separate them: Do they do the full software and hardware integration? Will they stand behind go-live timelines? Do they have engineers who’ve worked with your type of equipment or just salespeople who’ve sold to your industry? Centris handles both the software and the system integration under one engagement — one contract, one point of accountability, one team that understands the full stack from the PLC up.

For a single facility with 15-30 machine connections, a realistic deployment runs 90-120 days from kickoff to live dashboard, assuming existing network infrastructure is in place. Budget depends heavily on the number of data sources and whether custom protocol adapters are needed for legacy equipment. Centris can provide a scoped estimate after a half-day discovery session — most mid-size manufacturers are surprised at how targeted the initial deployment can be. You don’t have to connect everything at once to start generating value.

We are both and that distinction matters more than most manufacturers realize. When you separate your software vendor from your systems integrator, you get two parties pointing at each other when something doesn’t work. Core software packages are great tools that help get up and running faster. However, every manufacturer is different and some level of adaptation is always needed to support their specific operations and goals. Centris designs, builds and integrates the full solution — from core software selection, to hardware connectivity to on-site commissioning. One team, one contract, one escalation path. We work across MES, IIoT data collection, automation system integration and custom industrial application development.

They buy a solution for the problem they can describe, not the problem they actually have. The mistake is starting with the technology and working backward to the use case. We recommend starting with a structured operational assessment — before any vendor selection — to document your actual data gaps, process bottlenecks and integration constraints. That document becomes your RFP. Centris offers this as a standalone engagement for manufacturers who want to avoid expensive course corrections after contracts are signed.

This is the most common gap we solve. Most equipment already generates the data — cycle counts, alarm states, temperature, throughput rates — it’s just not being captured or contextualized anywhere you can act on it. Centris deploys data collection strategies that connect to your existing machines using their native communication protocols. No PLC reprogramming. Within few weeks, most plant managers have a live dashboard showing what every connected machine is doing in real time.

Paper OEE hides micro-stoppages — the 90-second jams, the changeover overruns, the slow-cycle equipment running at 85% of rated speed that nobody flags because it’s not technically down. Centris captures machine state at the event level, not the shift level, which means you can see the exact sequence of events that caused a missed target. We categorize every loss against your defined production standards and surface the top five causes automatically. Most plants find their biggest loss is something they already suspected but couldn’t quantify.

Our standard deployment model is designed around minimum production interruption. We work closely with our clients to develop a strategy that minimizes the impact on production. This typically includes:

  1. performing installations and testing in advance using similar equipment in a virtual environment; 
  2. carrying out as much of the installation as possible in parallel with ongoing production; 
  3. implementing phased deployment strategies; 
  4. completing the most thorough validation and testing possible before going live.

Legacy equipment connectivity is one of Centris’s core technical capabilities. We support most modern and legacy interfaces and machine protocols across most major equipment manufacturers. For truly legacy equipment with no digital output, we use retrofitted I/O devices that capture signals and translate them into structured data. The age of the machine is rarely the limiting factor — the limiting factor is usually whether anyone has mapped its communication ports.

The standard Centris production dashboard shows real-time machine state (running, idle, down, changeover), current OEE by machine and line, shift-to-date production vs. target, active alarms with duration and frequency, and a rolling trend of the top loss categories. It’s configurable by role — what you see as plant manager is different from what an operator sees at the line, and different again from what a VP sees in a weekly summary.

Big Automation Brands suppliers build excellent hardware ecosystems. Where they’re limited is mixed-vendor environments — their software works best when most of your equipment is already on their platform. Centris is hardware-agnostic by design, which means we connect devices and equipment’s from many different brands in the same data layer without requiring you to standardize on any one vendor’s hardware. We also build custom software when off-the-shelf doesn’t fit your process. That combination — hardware-agnostic integration plus custom development capability — is where Centris competes in environments that the large platform vendors can’t serve effectively.

Every project we deliver is backed by a warranty on the work performed, giving you a single point of accountability if an issue arises after go-live. No finger-pointing between vendors and no navigating through generic support queues.


For long-term support, clients can choose from three service plans: ESSENTIAL, ADVANCED, and STRATEGIC. Each level provides clearly defined response times and support coverage based on your business needs and operational risk.


Our goal is simple: give you the right level of support for your operation while ensuring the continued reliability, performance, and evolution of your systems.

Centris natively supports OPC-DA, OPC-UA, Modbus RTU and TCP, MQTT, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, DNP3, BACnet, RS-232/485 serial, and MTConnect. For proprietary protocols, we work with platforms that can connect to the vast majority of communication protocols used throughout the industry. When we encounter a protocol we haven’t seen before, we develop a custom adapter as part of the project scope and add it to our library. Protocol support should not be a blocker — if you have a machine with a data interface, we can connect it.

Every custom development engagement includes a technical documentation package delivered at different phases:

 

  • functional description after the design phase including architecture diagrams, detailing all system functions, components and data flows;
  • FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) test plan prior to system delivery;
  • SAT (Site Acceptance Test) test plan for final acceptance on site.

We also conduct formal technical handoff session with your engineering and operations team. Our goal is that your team can handle routine changes without calling us. Centris should be your escalation path for complex changes, not your dependency for basic administration.

Both, at different layers. At the collection layer, we store raw time-series data with millisecond timestamps, preserving the original signal fidelity. At the application layer, that data is contextualized and structured according to ISA95 principles, including asset hierarchy (site > area > line > machine), production orders, material definitions, and operational context. Data can also be classified against your defined loss taxonomy and business objectives.


The raw layer remains available for customers who want direct access to unprocessed signals for data science, advanced analytics, or external integrations. The contextualized layer is what feeds dashboards, reports, KPIs, and operational workflows, making information easier to interpret and act upon.


Customers building their own analytics platforms or enterprise data lakes typically leverage both layers in parallel: raw data for maximum flexibility and contextualized data for faster business value and consistent reporting across the organization.

That depends on what you need your SCADA to do going forward, and we’ll give you an honest answer either way. In most cases, Centris layers on top of your existing SCADA by reading from its historian or data server using OPC-UA or a direct database connection — your SCADA continues to handle supervisory control while Centris adds the production analytics, cross-site visibility, and custom reporting layer above it. 

 

If your SCADA is aging and you’re evaluating replacement anyway, we can discuss a consolidated architecture. But we don’t require SCADA replacement to deliver value, and we’re not going to recommend a rip-and-replace if your existing system is working.

Several signs indicate that a company is ready to implement a Manufacturing Execution System (MES):

 

  • Production data is managed across multiple Excel files.
  • It is difficult to obtain real-time visibility into performance.
  • Employees spend significant time on manual data entry.
  • Product or batch traceability is complex.
  • There are major gaps between production planning and actual production.
  • Performance reports take hours or even days to generate.

An MES connects what is happening on the shop floor with the organization’s operational objectives. It provides real-time visibility into production, quality, downtime, throughput, and key performance indicators.
The important question is not whether you are ready today, but rather which steps will help you get there successfully.

ERP and MES serve complementary purposes.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
An ERP system manages business planning and administration, including:

 

  • Sales
  • Purchasing
  • Inventory
  • Accounting
  • Human Resources
  • Financial Management

MES (Manufacturing Execution System)
An MES manages the execution of manufacturing operations, including:

 

  • Production tracking
  • Work order management
  • Machine data collection
  • Quality control
  • Traceability
  • Performance indicator calculations

In summary, the ERP determines what needs to be produced, while the MES monitors what is actually happening on the shop floor.
Connecting the two systems creates a seamless flow of information and enables better decision-making across all levels of the organization.

The return on investment (ROI) depends on the objectives being targeted and the company’s current challenges.


Benefits often come from:


  • Reducing downtime
  • Increasing production capacity
  • Reducing scrap and waste
  • Lowering energy costs
  • Improving quality
  • Reducing administrative tasks
  • Optimizing inventory levels
Before launching a project, we help our clients quantify potential gains and prioritize initiatives based on their financial and operational impact.
The goal is not to implement technology for the sake of technology, but to create measurable business value.