Real-Time Production Monitoring Without Sensors - Just Cameras

For decades, manufacturers have depended on PLC integrations and industrial sensors to monitor production. But for many factories - especially SMEs - this approach is expensive, intrusive, and often incomplete. What if you could skip the sensor maze entirely and achieve real-time visibility using nothing more than cameras?

That’s exactly what Vision MES delivers.

Why Sensor-Based Monitoring Falls Short

Most traditional MES systems rely on direct machine integrations to capture runtime, faults, and production data. This typically involves:

• Accessing or retrofitting PLCs

• Running custom cabling across the plant

• Getting buy-in from OEMs or controls departments

• Budgeting for tens of thousands in upfront costs

  
  

For SMEs, and even for large enterprises retrofitting brown-field lines, this creates long timelines and delayed ROI.

Vision MES: AI-Powered Monitoring from Video Only

Vision MES turns everyday IP cameras into intelligent monitoring devices; no machine taps, no sensors, and no disruptions to production. Here’s how it works:

• Edge AI reads production status from the camera, looking into the machine's stack lights, material bins, and human counting, and other visual indicators

• Downtime events are logged instantly and paired with video footage for root-cause analysis

• Data is visualized live on OEE dashboards and customizable reports

  
  

Deployment is fast - most lines go live in a few days using existing camera infrastructure.

Video-Backed Logs: From Guesswork to Ground Truth

One of Vision MES’s most transformative features is video-verified event logging:

• When a machine stops, Vision MES automatically records a video snippet

• Teams can review the exact footage tied to each downtime event

• Manual downtime logs, which are often biased or incomplete, are replaced with indisputable evidence

  
  

• This radically speeds up troubleshooting, accountability, and improvement discussions.

Compliance Without Complexity

In addition to production, also Food and Beverage sector also uses Vision MES's technology.

Vision MES helps:

• Detect hand-wash events and PPE usage

• Log metal detector rejects with timestamped video

• Store all compliance footage for instant retrieval during audits

  
  

👉 Learn more about our compliance solutions for food & beverage plants.

From the Floor to the Dashboard

Vision MES brings clarity to the most overlooked part of manufacturing: the human element. Without wearables or sensors, it delivers full transparency into operator behavior, purely through video.

From the moment cameras are activated, Vision MES enables teams to:

• Track operator cycle times at manual or semi-automatic stations

• Analyze workforce distribution across zones to detect labour imbalance and idle periods

• Count scrap events in real time by detecting part discard motions

• Monitor raw material replenishment and trigger alerts when supply is delayed

• Measure truck loading durations to uncover hidden logistics bottlenecks

  
  

But Vision MES goes beyond visibility:

• Custom alerts flag prolonged idle time, late replenishments, or excessive loading durations

• Shift-based reports, OEE dashboards, and root-cause video logs are all accessible from a simple browser interface

  
  

With Vision MES, factories don’t just watch, they act, correct, and improve.

Use Case: $200K Gain from a Single Station at S.U.S. Cast Products

S.U.S. Cast Products, a U.S.-based factory, deployed Vision MES on a high-impact workstation to better understand hidden productivity losses.

By analyzing downtime events in detail and correlating them with operator cycle times, the team uncovered several recurring issues that were subtly extending process durations.

With video-backed data, they:

• Identified the exact moments and causes of inefficient cycles

• Used the footage to retrain operators and fine-tune standard work

• Implemented process changes that led to an >10% reduction in downtime

  
  

The result? Over $200,000 in recovered capacity - from just one station.

And it all started with a camera.

Watch Caleb from S.U.S. Cast Products explaining the improvements.

Getting Started Is Easier Than You Think

Vision MES is designed to be fast, flexible, and affordable. Most customers start small, prove impact quickly, and scale up with confidence.

We offer quick demos tailored to your needs:

• During the call, we’ll offer a tailored demo, either:

  • Live, using a real-time system, or

  • Video-based, showing how Vision MES analyzes sample footage from your line

    
    

  👉 Request a meeting here to schedule your personalized demo.

  
  

  No pressure. Just a conversation, and a chance to see what’s possible with just one camera.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Can Vision MES integrate with my ERP or quality systems?

Yes. Our platform offers API access and customizable exports, making it easy to connect with your existing systems.

2. What hardware do I need to run Vision MES?

To run Vision MES, you’ll need:

• Standard IP cameras (most existing models are compatible)

• A mid-range, GPU-enabled PC to process the video streams locally

• Basic network connectivity to connect cameras and the processing unit

We don’t sell hardware directly, but we provide clear technical specifications