Device Manager
CAT²’s Device Manager is the middleware that connects your shop-floor equipment with the CAT² Manufacturing Execution System (MES). This tool supports standard industrial protocols, including OPC, MQTT, TCP/IP, RS-232, and Modbus, and enables custom third-party hardware integrations without requiring MES-level programming for each unique device.
Device Manager normalizes incoming signals and publishes them to MQTT topics, which CAT² MES modules can subscribe to for real-time data consumption. This architecture decouples device communication from application logic—giving you scalable, hardware-agnostic connectivity across departments and production lines.
Whether you’re capturing weight from hopper scales, tracking throughput via Multivac X-rays or Cabinplant MHW systems, or integrating with Kromeka box sorters and Moba pallet labelers, Device Manager acts as the universal translator between your equipment and your data platform.
Operational Benefits
- Unify your plant’s device network through a single integration layer, regardless of brand or communication standard
- Eliminate manual entry by automating signal collection from scales, sensors, labelers, and X-ray equipment
- Extend MES functionality to custom hardware with minimal configuration and no complex reprogramming
Key Features
- Supports OPC, MQTT, TCP/IP, RS-232, and Modbus protocols
- Publishes normalized data to MQTT topics for easy MES subscription
- Enables custom 3rd-party integrations without MES code changes
- Connects to equipment like:
- Hopper and bench scales (e.g., filleting and trimming areas)
- MHW weighers (e.g., Cabinplant)
- X-ray and vision systems (e.g., Multivac)
- Box sorters (e.g., Kromeka)
- Pallet labelers (e.g., Moba via CAT² Mobile Palletizing)
- Provides interval-based polling via subscription groups for precision data capture
- Automatically generates line KPIs and signals for use in Factory Analytics and Executive Dashboards
