Learn how a manufacturing facility eliminated physical inventory count and used groov EPIC, photo-eye sensors, and Ignition SCADA to automate and inventory counting system for extremely accurate inventory tracking.
Manufacturing Production Monitoring with groov EPIC & Ignition Integration
A multi-facility manufacturing operation in the Southern U.S. and New England struggled with production tracking accuracy. Hourly physical inventory counts created inventory discrepancies that affected planning, fulfillment, and operational visibility.
MAC Automation implemented an edge-based inventory counting system using groov EPIC, groov RIO, Codesys, MQTT Sparkplug, and Ignition SCADA to automate production tracking and eliminate guesswork.
Technologies Deployed
Problem: Physical inventory count causing inventory inaccuracies
Production quantities were recorded manually every hour. The physical inventory count process required:
- A manager walking to each station
- Operators verbally reporting production totals
- Handwritten logs recorded and later entered into systems
Over time, physical inventory count led to:
- Inconsistent operator reporting
- Inflated or underestimated production numbers
- Hundreds or thousands of “phantom” units recorded as complete
- Inventory mismatches
- Overselling product that did not physically exist
The core issue was not production capacity, it was a lack of reliable data capture at the line level.
Solution: Edge-based inventory counting system
MAC Automation implemented:
- groov EPIC edge controller
- groov RIO distributed I/O modules
- Photo-eye sensors at production stations
- Codesys runtime (IEC 61131-3 compliant)
- MQTT Sparkplug for data publishing
- Integration into existing Ignition infrastructure
Each product crossing a photo-eye sensor triggers a count event inside Codesys. The automated inventory counting system:
- Tracks units per hour
- Automatically resets counts at the top of each hour
- Publishes data via MQTT Sparkplug
- Displays totals and trends inside Ignition
- Stores historical production data
Approximately 75 I/O points per facility were implemented in a phased rollout across multiple plants.
Why groov EPIC Instead of a Traditional PLC?
For applications centered around counting and data aggregation, traditional PLC platforms can be excessive in both cost and capability.
The groov EPIC platform provided:
- Integrated control and data handling
- Native MQTT support
- Seamless Ignition compatibility
- Lower licensing overhead
- Built-in scalability
The result was a right-sized solution that met technical requirements without unnecessary hardware complexity.
Project Objectives:
- Automate production counts at each station
- Eliminate manual hourly reporting
- Integrate production data into the existing Ignition SCADA system
- Create scalable architecture for expansion across facilities
The client already had Ignition servers deployed. The missing piece was accurate, real-time field data.
Project Execution:
This project was implemented in phases:
- Prove functionality in one production area
- Validate data accuracy
- Expand to additional sections
- Continue plant-wide conversion
This approach reduced risk and allowed gradual integration without disrupting production.
Outcome:
While final comparative metrics are still being collected, the deployment of the automated inventory counting system has already:
- Eliminated handwritten hourly production counts
- Standardized production tracking
- Provided real-time line visibility
- Reduced inventory uncertainty
- Created a scalable template for expansion
The client continues to convert additional plant areas to Opto22 hardware and Ignition integration.
Frequently asked questions
Photo-eye sensors detect each product passing a point on the line, eliminating reliance on manual operator memory or handwritten logs.
Yes. In this case, production data was published via MQTT Sparkplug directly into Ignition, leveraging existing infrastructure.
Yes. The architecture is designed for phased expansion across multiple plants and production lines.
Counts are processed locally in the edge controller. Network connectivity affects visibility, not counting accuracy.
