An OSGi-based production process monitoring system for SMEs

The present paper proposes an architecture for a product process monitoring system suitable for SMEs (Small-Medium Enterprises). The monitoring system is the main means by which decision-making systems based on intelligent automation technologies are aware of the state of the system on which they will take decisions. Methods and tools from best-practice and best-effort approaches are proposed in the context of SMEs, where the requirements of low cost, low initial level of digitisation and high production flexibility often coexist and contribute to the complexity of management and control problems in these companies. The paper focuses on the design of the monitoring system using an OSGi framework to meet industry standards and Industry 4.0 requirements, taking into account the peculiarities of SMEs as design constraints. The proposed architecture was first tested using a simulation tool and then implemented on a full-scale production line used for data collection.