WHITEPAPER

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by Don Korfhage

President of IGear

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NOV 5, 2025

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Contents

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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1. THE CHALLENGE: DATA-RICH, INSIGHT-POOR OPERATIONS

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2. THE OPPORTUNITY: EMPOWER TEAMS THROUGH NO-CODE VISUALIZATION

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3. THE SOLUTION: IGNITION + SQUEAKS INTEGRATION

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4. USE CASES

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5. RESULTS AND BENEFITS

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6. CONCLUSION

 

                                                                                                                                                     

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Executive Summary

 

Modern manufacturers collect massive amounts of data, metrics, and KPIs – from PLCs, sensors, MES, and ERP systems – but much of it remains locked away in complex dashboards or siloed databases. This limits visibility and slows decision-making at every level of the organization.

By integrating Ignition, the industrial data platform, with SQUEAKS, the factory communication and collaboration hub, manufacturers can rapidly build no-code dashboards that transform complex production data into clear, actionable insights—without burdening IT teams or writing a single line of code.

This integration connects real-time Ignition data directly into SQUEAKS and Microsoft Teams, allowing teams to monitor live KPIs, receive instant alerts, and collaborate around performance issues in one unified workspace.

The result: a transparent, connected factory where KPI/metrics data drives engagement, responsiveness, and continuous improvement.

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1. The Challenge:
    Data-Rich, Insight-Poor Operations

 

Manufacturers today are collecting more operational data than ever before. Every machine, process, and line generates data related to throughput, quality, and performance. Yet, this wealth of data often remains underutilized.

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Key Challenges

   • Data fragmentation: Information is dispersed across SCADA, MES, ERP, and Excel systems.
 

   • Technical barriers: Building dashboards or reports requires IT or programming expertise.
 

   • Delayed insights: Manual reports identify problems hours or days after they occur.
 

   • Limited visibility: Operators and supervisors rarely see live KPIs within their daily workflow.
 

Research shows that up to 60% of manufacturing data is never analyzed or shared, leaving a significant opportunity for process improvement and operational optimization unrealized.

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2. The Opportunity:
    Empower Teams Through No-Code Visualization

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To fully realize the promise of Industry 4.0 and digital transformation, data must flow seamlessly from the machine level to the boardroom – without lengthy development cycles or dependence on scarce IT resources.

 

The Reality on the Plant Floor

Most frontline and supervisory team members are responsible for 6–12 key metrics or KPIs every day, ranging from OEE and downtime to quality, maintenance, and delivery performance. However, these metrics often originate from multiple, disconnected systems such as Ignition, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).

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This fragmentation creates blind spots and delays:

   • Data is stored in multiple silos and formats.

   • Teams struggle to see KPI trends in one unified view.

   • Time is wasted switching between systems to interpret performance data.

As a result, operators and managers often react to issues rather than proactively improving performance.

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No-Code Visualization Enables:

Most frontline and supervisory team members are responsible for 6–12 key metrics or KPIs every day, ranging from OEE and downtime to quality, maintenance, and delivery performance. However, these metrics often originate from multiple, disconnected systems such as Ignition, Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).

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   • Rapid Configuration: Build and deploy dashboards in minutes using intuitive drag-and-drop
      interfaces—no scripting or IT intervention required.
 

   • Enterprise-Wide Visibility: Provide secure, role-based access to live KPIs—ensuring every operator,
      engineer, and leader can view the same real-time data across lines, plants, and enterprise systems.
 

   • Seamless Integration: Connect to Ignition, MES, ERP, and CMMS data sources to consolidate
      performance data without middleware or coding.
 

   • Actionable Insight: Transform complex, fragmented datasets into clear, contextual visualizations
      that drive faster, evidence-based decisions across the organization.
 

When every team member has immediate access to unified, live performance data, conversations shift from 'What happened?' to 'How can we improve right now?'


 

​3. The Solution:
    Ignition + SQUEAKS Integration

 

Ignition + SQUEAKS: Unified Data and Collaboration

Ignition by Inductive Automation provides a powerful industrial platform for acquiring, storing, and visualizing operational data from virtually any device or system. SQUEAKS complements this by enabling No-Code Dashboards that merge Ignition data with information from other key systems such as CMMS, MES, and ERP – and datasets populated through direct connections to SQL and Oracle databases to cite a few – providing a complete, real-time view of factory performance.
 

Through SQUEAKS, Metrics and Datasets can be easily organized into dashboards that present KPIs from multiple systems side by side – without requiring a single line of code. Ignition tags and live process data can be visualized directly alongside maintenance or production KPIs, enabling a unified view of operations.

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Integrated Architecture

SQUEAKS connects people with critical data, metrics, and KPIs by turning machine and process events into visual dashboards, alerts and conversations.  It integrates natively with Microsoft Teams, enabling cross functional collaboration in a tool that millions use every day.

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Machine → Ignition → SQUEAKS Dashboard → Microsoft Teams

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By linking Ignition and SQUEAKS, users can:
   • Bind live Ignition tags and KPIs into customizable SQUEAKS dashboards.

   • Monitor metrics such as OEE, cycle time, scrap rate, and downtime in real time.

   • Automatically trigger alerts when thresholds are exceeded.

   • Share live insights instantly within Teams or on mobile devices.
 

This approach eliminates the traditional barrier between industrial data systems and human collaboration tools, enabling continuous feedback and faster response cycles.

 

Unified Visibility—Anywhere, Anytime

Dashboards built in SQUEAKS are responsive and accessible on any communication device, including desktops, tablets, mobile devices, and Microsoft Teams. This ensures that every stakeholder—from operator to executive—can view performance data anywhere, anytime, driving alignment and faster decision-making across the enterprise.

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​​​​4. Use Cases

 

   • Production Monitoring: Aggregate and visualize real-time production counts, OEE, and cycle times.
 

   • Downtime Detection and Alerts: Trigger event-driven notifications for unplanned stops, accelerating
      root-cause response.
 

   • Quality Tracking: Connect quality metrics directly from Ignition to SQUEAKS dashboards.
 

   • Condition-Based Maintenance: Automate maintenance triggers based on live process or
      sensor data.

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5. Results and Benefits

 

Operational Advantages

   • Real-time visibility: Monitor key metrics the moment they change.
 

   • Faster decision-making: Receive alerts in SQUEAKS or Teams for immediate response.
 

   • Greater engagement: Frontline employees own performance metrics and act faster.
 

   • Reduced downtime: Detect and address issues before they escalate.
 

   • Scalable deployment: Roll out dashboards plant-wide without IT backlogs.

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Business Impact

   • Increased OEE, throughput, and quality.
 

   • Reduced MTTR and maintenance costs.
 

   • Enhanced collaboration between production, maintenance, and quality teams.
 

   • Data-driven culture supporting continuous improvement and operational excellence.

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