An approach that delivers value from day one.
We connect to the machines and systems you already have, start small on one line and show you within weeks where the gains are. Only once it works on the shop floor do we build out. Not a years-long IT project, but results you notice straight away.
Data alone changes nothing. This is what we build on top of it.
Collecting data is half the job. The value lies in what comes after it: applications people work in, reports that decisions are made on, and AI and workflows that take over the manual work.
Applications
Custom apps for the tasks that now sit on paper, in Excel or in someone's head. Built on your own data, usable on a tablet at the line.
- Recording downtime, faults and scrap on the floor
- Digital checklists, inspections and work instructions
- Order and batch tracking for planning and logistics
Reports
Dashboards and reports that give everyone the same figures: real-time at the line, per shift for team leaders, per period for management and audits.
- OEE, output, scrap and energy per line, shift and order
- Shift reports and period overviews, ready automatically
- Evidence for audits, certification and subsidies
AI & workflows
Once the data is right, the system can think and act with you. Signals instead of searching, and actions that are set in motion automatically.
- Patterns and deviations you cannot see with the naked eye
- Predictive maintenance based on machine behaviour
- Automatic alerts, tasks and feedback into systems
Five phases, from Quick Scan to ongoing development.
Every phase is described from what you know or can do afterwards. You always know where you stand, what the next step is and what it delivers.
Quick Scan
Half a day on siteWithin a week you get a clear picture of where the biggest gains in your factory are. We spend half a day on site and, together with your team, map out your production environment, data and processes, without you having to prepare anything in advance.
- You know where the biggest gains are
- You have a concrete, logical first step
- You can decide on the evidence whether a follow-up makes sense
- Clarity within a week, with no obligation to continue
Connecting
No production downtimeAt the end of this phase your line delivers data, without your production having stopped or a machine having been replaced. Our own IoT hardware links to your existing machines, PLCs and sensors, including installations that are not yet digitally accessible.
- Your line delivers data, without production having stopped
- Your older, non-digital machines are opened up too
- Your IT knows exactly what has been connected and how
- No machine replaced, no conversion of your machinery
Integrating
One platformYou have one place where all your data comes together, in your own environment. We combine the machine data with your existing systems, ERP, MES, quality software, energy monitoring and manual records, so that the figures finally tell one story instead of standing apart. We connect within your existing network segmentation. The OT layer stays separate and no inbound connections to your machines are needed: data flows one way, into your own environment.
- You have one place where all your figures come together
- Machine data, quality and energy tell one story
- Everything runs in your own Azure or on-premise
- Your data stays yours, your OT layer stays separate
Insight
Real-time & AIYou and your team see in real time what is actually happening: per machine, per line, per shift and per product. From downtime to energy peak, from quality deviation to production pace. AI recognises patterns and warns you before a deviation turns into downtime, so you can adjust while there is still time. At the start we record a baseline and measure the effect of every improvement you make. That way you see in black and white what a change delivers, and you can embed what works. You remain the improver; we supply the measurement layer underneath.
- You see in real time what is actually happening, per line and per shift
- You get a signal before a deviation turns into downtime
- You know what every improvement has delivered
- You compare shifts and lines fairly, on the basis of facts
Embedding & developing further
Long-term partnerThe insight becomes part of your daily routine, and we stay involved. The daily stand-up runs on current figures, and from that base we build further together: more lines, more themes, smarter AI. One point of contact who knows your factory, in year two as well. At CCI that started on one casting line; today it runs at four plants.
- Your daily stand-up runs on today's figures
- You expand at your own pace, to more lines and more themes
- Your improvement projects start with data instead of opinions
- You have one point of contact who knows your factory, in year two as well
Your data flows from the machine to the decision
In most factories data sits scattered across systems that do not talk to each other. We connect those worlds, so your data flows from the machine to everyday decision-making power.
Machines & systems
PLCs, sensors, ERP, MES, quality and energy. Scattered, not connected.
VDS hardware
Our own IoT hardware collects the data, without changing your machinery.
One platform
All sources brought together and linked, in your own environment.
Dashboards & action
Real-time insight and AI signals that the shop floor and management steer by.
The questions you probably have. And our honest answers.
Before you start digitalising your factory, you want to know where you stand. These are the questions we hear most often, and how it works with us.
“Won't this take a year before I see anything?
No. We start on one line and you see the first insights within weeks, not after months. Start small, get results fast, and only expand once it works.
“Does my production have to stop for this?
No. We connect our hardware to your machines while they simply keep running. Your production never stops for the installation.
“Do I have to replace or modify my machines?
No. We connect to your existing machinery, including older machines that are not yet digitally accessible. Nothing changes to the installations themselves.
“Will I become dependent on yet another supplier?
Your data stays yours, in your own environment, on an open Microsoft platform. You are not locked into anything. We stay involved because you want us to, not because you have to.
One partner for your entire factory.
Plenty of suppliers deliver software, install sensors or build a dashboard. VDS delivers the whole chain, from the hardware on your machine to the management on the shop floor, and understands the production process it runs in.
Hardware and software from a single source
VDS supplies both the IoT hardware that collects the data and the software that turns it into insight. One integrated system, not a link between two suppliers pointing at each other.
OT and legacy integration
We connect to your existing machinery, including older machines that are not yet digitally accessible: PLCs, sensors, OPC UA, Modbus, I/O and API. Generic BI or digitalisation providers do not have that technical depth.
Industrial DNA
VDS comes from the manufacturing industry. We understand the production process and the decision-making on the shop floor, not just the IT. That is the difference with providers who come from digitalisation or BI but do not know the factory.
Immediately applicable
Not a months-long IT project, no replacement of your machinery. VDS connects to what you have and delivers insight from day one.
“We supply the measurement layer, not the improvement plan. Your team knows the factory; we make sure they see what is actually happening. We are clear about that from the very first conversation, and it saves a lot of disappointment later on.”
What you can expect from us.
One approach, five results.
This is what the approach looks like in practice.
At CCI, one of the largest private-label confectionery manufacturers in north-west Europe, downtime used to be recorded on paper. VDS installed recording and monitoring on the casting and packing lines and brought all the data together in one dashboard.
Today every day starts with a daily stand-up based on current figures. Planning adjusts on line performance, finance has a grip on the actual cost price, and the team improves in a targeted way.
Read the full CCI case →
“This data is used to improve the daily operation and make it even more efficient.”
What customers ask us most often
What does a project cost?
Most projects start between €10,000 and €50,000. What you need depends on the area you start in, efficiency, quality, energy or the shop floor, and on the number of machines and interfaces. You do not have to tackle everything at once; we start where the biggest gain is and build out from there. In the Quick Scan we determine together where that is for your factory, and what it delivers. That way you know where you stand up front, without surprises afterwards.
How long does an implementation take?
A basic implementation is usually up and running within 4 to 8 weeks. We start with one line or installation, deliver value, and build out from there. Not a multi-year IT project.
Do we have to replace or modify our machines?
No. We connect to your existing machinery. Our own IoT hardware links to PLCs, sensors and systems, and to older machines that are not yet digitally accessible. Your production simply keeps running during the installation.
Is the Quick Scan really free and without obligation?
Yes. We spend half a day on site, map out your production environment and deliver a report with the biggest improvement opportunities within one week. With no obligation to continue.
Do I need to involve my IT department?
For the connection to the network and systems, yes, but we handle the heavy lifting. Not a long-running IT project, just a short technical intake on your side.
Curious where your factory is losing out unnecessarily?
Start with a Quick Scan.
Together we map out the most important improvement opportunities. No thick report, no obligation. Just a clear picture of where the biggest gains are, and what a logical first step is.