labs@atheron:~/industries/manufacturing$ connect --plc --mes --floor

Plant floor software

Tools that technicians actually use.

Your production data lives in a PLC, a spreadsheet and on a clipboard. That is three versions of the truth. We build the dashboards for the office, the apps for the floor and the models that watch the line, and join them into one.

Start a project See the example projects

// what you are up against

The problems we hear most.

Data trapped in the machines

Counts, temperatures and faults sit in PLCs and historians that only one engineer can query, so the shift report is typed by hand from a screen.

Quality on paper

Inspection sheets, non-conformance reports and sign-offs are scanned at best, which makes a recall or an audit a week of searching.

Maintenance waits for breakdowns

Work orders arrive by radio, the fix is written on the back of a form, and nobody can see which machine has failed three times this month.

Suppliers in the inbox

Certificates of conformance, lot numbers and delivery changes arrive as attachments, and the one you need is never in the folder.

// example projects

Systems we could build for you.

Each one is hypothetical, labelled as such, and priced live from our rate card. Open any of them in the estimator and make it yours.

Example projectWeb appMobile appMaterials tracking

MES dashboard and technician app

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A three-line plant tracks output, downtime and scrap in a spreadsheet filled in at the end of each shift, so problems are found a day late.

// What we would build

A web dashboard fed live from the lines' PLCs through an edge gateway, with an iOS and Android app technicians use to log downtime reasons, close work orders and photograph faults.

// What is in it

Raw materials and work in progress scanned at receiving and at each station
Production orders and scrap posted to QuickBooks Online, built on the QuickBooks Online API
Live OEE, throughput and scrap per line, per shift and per product
Downtime reasons logged on the phone at the machine, with photos
Work orders raised, assigned and closed from the app, offline on the floor
An edge gateway reading OPC UA and Modbus, with a small on-site server
Shift handover report generated, not typed
Roles for operators, technicians, supervisors and the plant manager

// Stack

Next.js
React Native
PostgreSQL with TimescaleDB
OPC UA and Modbus gateway
AWS

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$176,000 to US$270,000, delivered within 44 weeksCAD 251,100 to 384,000
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month
Hardware: ≈ US$16,400 to US$19,900CAD 23,330 to 28,330

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Data mapping and sandbox connection: 0.4 weeks
Discovery and site walk-through: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 8.9 to 15.4 weeks
Core features: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices: 2.9 to 4.4 weeks
Sync built and reconciled in sandbox: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
Stock, receiving and transfers: 2.4 to 4.4 weeks
Tracking and devices working: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 weeks
Store submission: 0.4 weeks
Pilot site live: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Live cutover: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Hypercare: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Rollout: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

Hardware delivery, after it is ordered: 2 to 6 weeks
App store review: 1 week

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 50,220 to 76,800
Discovery 4.7%: CAD 11,801.70 to 18,048.00
Data mapping and sandbox connection 0.9%: CAD 2,259.90 to 3,456.00
Discovery and site walk-through 3%: CAD 7,533 to 11,520
Design approved 7.8%: CAD 19,585.80 to 29,952.00
Core features 3.9%: CAD 9,792.90 to 14,976.00
Full build 2.6%: CAD 6,528.60 to 9,984.00
First build on devices 10.4%: CAD 26,114.40 to 39,936.00
Sync built and reconciled in sandbox 2.9%: CAD 7,281.90 to 11,136.00
Stock, receiving and transfers 9.2%: CAD 23,101.20 to 35,328.00
Tracking and devices working 6.1%: CAD 15,317.10 to 23,424.00
Testing and fixes 1.3%: CAD 3,264.30 to 4,992.00
Store submission 3.4%: CAD 8,537.40 to 13,056.00
Pilot site live 3%: CAD 7,533 to 11,520
Launch 4.7%: CAD 11,801.70 to 18,048.00
Live cutover 0.9%: CAD 2,259.90 to 3,456.00
Hypercare 0.9%: CAD 2,259.90 to 3,456.00
Rollout 4.3%: CAD 10,797.30 to 16,512.00
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 25,110 to 38,400
Entry server x 1: CAD 4,200 to 9,200. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Rugged barcode scanner x 8: CAD 14,080. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Industrial label printer x 2: CAD 4,760. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
Corded barcode scanner, for our build and testing: CAD 290. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appAICustom LLM

Vision quality check on the line

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Surface defects are caught by a person at the end of the line, who misses some and cannot keep up at full speed.

// What we would build

A custom vision model, fine-tuned on the plant's own images, running on a GPU server in the plant so images never leave the site, with a review screen for quality staff.

// What is in it

Image capture at the station, labelled by your quality team in a simple tool
A model fine-tuned on your defects, measured against a held-out set before it goes live
Inference on a GPU server on site, with no images sent to the cloud
A review queue where staff confirm or overrule what the model flagged
Defect rates by line, shift and supplier lot

// Stack

PyTorch
ONNX Runtime
Python
Next.js
Lenovo GPU server on site

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$164,000 to US$249,000, delivered within 40 weeksCAD 233,400 to 355,000
Hosting: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month
Hardware: ≈ US$47,800 to US$197,000CAD 68,000 to 280,800

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

AI route: Custom LLM
Model running cost: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Data and evaluation plan: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 3.4 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Training: 8.9 to 15.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 weeks
Evaluation and red-teaming: 3.9 to 4.4 weeks
Traceability check passed: 3.9 to 4.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Production: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

Hardware delivery, after it is ordered: 2 to 6 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 46,440 to 70,760
Discovery 1.1%: CAD 2,554.20 to 3,891.80
Data and evaluation plan 7.2%: CAD 16,718.40 to 25,473.60
Design approved 1.1%: CAD 2,554.20 to 3,891.80
Core features 3.5%: CAD 8,127 to 12,383
Full build 2.3%: CAD 5,340.60 to 8,137.40
Training 21.7%: CAD 50,387.40 to 76,774.60
Testing and fixes 1.1%: CAD 2,554.20 to 3,891.80
Evaluation and red-teaming 14.4%: CAD 33,436.80 to 50,947.20
Traceability check passed 8.7%: CAD 20,201.40 to 30,780.60
Launch 1.1%: CAD 2,554.20 to 3,891.80
Production 7.8%: CAD 18,111.60 to 27,596.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 23,220 to 35,380
GPU time for training and testing, at cost: CAD 1,200. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones
GPU server for AI, for the model: CAD 68,000 to 280,800. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appBlockchain

Supplier portal, provenance ledger

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Certificates of conformance and lot numbers arrive by email, and tracing which supplier lot went into which finished batch takes days.

// What we would build

A supplier portal where certificates and lot data are uploaded against purchase orders, recorded on a private permissioned ledger the plant and its key suppliers each run a node of, so the trace is minutes and nobody can quietly edit it later.

// What is in it

Supplier sign-in, purchase orders and certificate upload in English and French
Each lot and certificate recorded on a private chain with a node per party
Trace from a finished batch back to every supplier lot, and forward to every customer
Alerts when a certificate is missing or expires
Export for auditors and customers

// Stack

Next.js
PostgreSQL
Hyperledger Besu (private, permissioned)
S3-compatible storage
AWS

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$140,000 to US$213,000, delivered within 31 weeksCAD 198,700 to 303,900
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Architecture: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 4.4 to 7.9 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
Devnet: 3.4 to 5.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 weeks
Testnet: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Traceability check passed: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Mainnet: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

ERP test access from your IT team: 1 to 4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 39,740 to 60,780
Discovery 2.2%: CAD 4,371.40 to 6,685.80
Architecture 5.9%: CAD 11,723.30 to 17,930.10
Design approved 2.2%: CAD 4,371.40 to 6,685.80
Core features 6.6%: CAD 13,114.20 to 20,057.40
Full build 4.4%: CAD 8,742.80 to 13,371.60
Devnet 17.7%: CAD 35,169.90 to 53,790.30
Testing and fixes 2.2%: CAD 4,371.40 to 6,685.80
Testnet 11.8%: CAD 23,446.60 to 35,860.20
Traceability check passed 8.7%: CAD 17,286.90 to 26,439.30
Launch 2.2%: CAD 4,371.40 to 6,685.80
Mainnet 6.1%: CAD 12,120.70 to 18,537.90
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 19,870 to 30,390

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appAIOpen-source model

Maintenance manuals assistant

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Technicians search through hundreds of PDF manuals and old work orders to find how a fault was fixed last time.

// What we would build

An assistant that answers from the plant's own manuals and work order history, with the page it came from, built on an open-source model hosted in your own cloud account so the documents stay yours.

// What is in it

Manuals, drawings and past work orders indexed and kept in sync
Answers that cite the manual page or the work order they came from
Tools to look up a machine's history and open a work order
Evaluation set from real questions, run before every change
An open-source model served on rented GPUs you control

// Stack

Llama or Qwen (open-source)
vLLM
PostgreSQL with pgvector
Next.js
DigitalOcean GPU

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$96,100 to US$147,000, delivered within 22 weeksCAD 136,800 to 209,100
Hosting: ≈ US$4,360 a monthCAD 6,210 a month
Support: ≈ US$1,000 a monthCAD 1,425 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

AI route: Open-source model
Model running cost: ≈ US$4,190 a monthCAD 5,960 a month

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Specification and evaluation plan: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.4 to 3.4 weeks
Core features: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Working pilot: 3.9 to 6.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.9 to 1.9 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Production: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 27,300 to 41,760
Discovery 1.8%: CAD 2,457.00 to 3,758.40
Specification and evaluation plan 10.5%: CAD 14,332.50 to 21,924.00
Design approved 1.8%: CAD 2,457.00 to 3,758.40
Core features 5.6%: CAD 7,644.00 to 11,692.80
Full build 3.7%: CAD 5,050.50 to 7,725.60
Working pilot 31.7%: CAD 43,270.50 to 66,189.60
Testing and fixes 1.8%: CAD 2,457.00 to 3,758.40
Launch 1.8%: CAD 2,457.00 to 3,758.40
Production 11.3%: CAD 15,424.50 to 23,594.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 13,650 to 20,880
GPU time for training and testing, at cost: CAD 300. Billed up front, at cost, outside the milestones

Start from this example

Example projectWeb appAPI

ERP and shop floor integration

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A plant prints work orders from its ERP, operators write counts and scrap on paper, and someone types it all back into the ERP the next morning, so inventory is always a day behind.

// What we would build

An integration that sends released work orders from your ERP to the shop floor, collects good counts, scrap and downtime from machines and operator screens, and posts them back to the ERP as each order runs.

// What is in it

Released work orders sent to the shop floor
Counts, scrap and downtime collected as they happen
Production posted back to the ERP during the shift
A status screen showing every message and any failure

// Stack

Node.js
PostgreSQL
OPC UA
OpenAPI
DigitalOcean

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$96,500 to US$148,000, delivered within 25 weeksCAD 137,400 to 210,200
Hosting: ≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.4 to 3.4 weeks
API contract agreed: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
Core features: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Full build: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Core resources built: 2.4 to 4.4 weeks
Security, gateway and connections: 1.9 to 3.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.4 to 0.9 weeks
Docs, SDKs and load tests: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch and first callers: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

Edge gateway delivery: 2 to 6 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 27,480 to 42,040
Discovery 2.3%: CAD 3,160.20 to 4,834.60
Design approved 2.3%: CAD 3,160.20 to 4,834.60
API contract agreed 6%: CAD 8,244 to 12,612
Core features 7%: CAD 9,618 to 14,714
Full build 4.7%: CAD 6,457.80 to 9,879.40
Core resources built 18.3%: CAD 25,144.20 to 38,466.60
Security, gateway and connections 12.1%: CAD 16,625.40 to 25,434.20
Testing and fixes 2.3%: CAD 3,160.20 to 4,834.60
Docs, SDKs and load tests 6%: CAD 8,244 to 12,612
Launch 2.3%: CAD 3,160.20 to 4,834.60
Launch and first callers 6.7%: CAD 9,205.80 to 14,083.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 13,740 to 21,020

Start from this example

Example projectWeb app

Production scheduling tool, rebuilt

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A fabricator schedules its shop with a desktop program a former employee wrote years ago; it runs on one old PC, nobody can change its rules, and the planner keeps a backup on paper.

// What we would build

A rebuild of the scheduler as a web app: we read the old program and the planner's habits, write the rules down and test them against real past schedules, then deliver a board the whole shop can see, with the old tool kept until the planner is confident.

// What is in it

The old program's rules recovered and written down
Tested against real past schedules before go-live
A scheduling board the whole shop can see
The old tool kept running until the planner signs off

// Stack

Next.js
PostgreSQL
TypeScript
Playwright
DigitalOcean

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$92,600 to US$142,000, delivered within 16 weeksCAD 131,800 to 201,600
Hosting: ≈ US$344 a monthCAD 490 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved: 2.4 to 4.4 weeks
Core features: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 2.4 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

Edge gateway delivery: 2 to 6 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 26,360 to 40,320
Discovery 7.7%: CAD 10,148.60 to 15,523.20
Design approved 7.7%: CAD 10,148.60 to 15,523.20
Core features 23.3%: CAD 30,709.40 to 46,972.80
Full build 15.5%: CAD 20,429 to 31,248
Testing and fixes 7.7%: CAD 10,148.60 to 15,523.20
Launch 8.1%: CAD 10,675.80 to 16,329.60
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 13,180 to 20,160

Start from this example

// by service

Go deeper on one kind of work.

Pages for the services we have the most to say about in this industry.

~/apps

MES and floor apps

Custom MES dashboards and iOS and Android technician apps for manufacturers: live OEE from your PLCs, downtime logged at the machine, work orders that work offline.

~/ai

AI for manufacturing

Custom vision models for defect detection on the line and maintenance assistants over your manuals, on open-source or custom models that keep your data on site.

~/chains

Plant lot traceability

Supplier portals and private permissioned ledgers that trace every lot from supplier certificate to finished batch, with a node for the plant and each key supplier.

// questions

What buyers in this industry ask us.

Do you work with plants outside Canada?

Yes. We are in British Columbia and work with clients anywhere; prices are in Canadian dollars.

Can you work alongside our controls engineers?

Yes, and we prefer to. They know the machines; we bring the software. We agree the boundary at the edge gateway.

How do payments work?

A deposit to start, then payments at agreed milestones, with 10% held until 30 days after launch. The deposit is a smaller share on larger projects.

Who owns the code and the models?

You do, once the work is paid for, including models trained on your data.

// other industries

Nearby industries.

~/logistics

Logistics

Dispatch boards and driver apps, booking agents for the inbox, shared bills of lading on a private ledger and load bots.

See the examples

~/warehousing

Warehousing and 3PL

Warehouse management with handheld scanning, 3PL client portals and billing, RFID at the dock doors and agents for the inbound inbox.

See the examples

~/supply-chain

Supply chain

Inbound control towers, multi-tier sourcing ledgers with supplier portals, supplier risk agents and sustainability data portals.

See the examples

All industries

// where we work

Find your market.

We work from Kelowna with clients across Canada, the United States and further afield. Each market page covers working hours, hosting, the privacy law that applies, and prices in your currency.

Every market

// next

Not quite your project?

Tell us what you have in mind. We will come back to you with a range and the questions that would narrow it. Or book a call and talk it through.

Start a project Book a call