Platforms and vendors
- ISA-95
- B2MML
- REST APIs and web services
- Staging databases
- Ignition
- SQL databases
Plant Intelligence · 09
ERP and SAP Integration with the Plant Floor
Metromotion Controls integrates plant systems with ERPs such as SAP, Pronto Xi, Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite, so production orders and recipes flow down to the line and counts, consumption, scrap, downtime and batch results flow back up without re-keying.
How we approach it
Engineered for your site and support model
Your ERP knows the order. Your line knows what happened. In many plants a person connects the two, typing orders into the HMI and production results back into ERP at the end of the shift. Metromotion Controls connects them in both directions using an ISA-95 integration model and transaction rules agreed with finance, planning and the plant. The integrations we have delivered connect plant events to a CMMS and PLC events to SQL stock records; an ERP integration uses the same event pattern, and we scope each first integration around the ERP interface your site has.
01
Production order release from ERP to the line
02
Production confirmations, consumption and scrap posted back
03
ISA-95 integration model and B2MML where supported
04
Transaction rules for backflush, partials, duplicates and outages
05
Store-and-forward interfaces with an audit log
06
Coordination with your ERP partner
Delivery context
Relevant experience
- Same pattern, delivered at Remedy Drinks: plant events in Ignition create work orders in the MEX CMMS automatically, through a controlled interface.
- Same pattern, delivered at Tibaldi: stock movements recorded from PLC events into a SQL database across raw material, work-in-progress and finished goods.
- Same pattern, delivered at Real Pet Food: ISA-88 batch control from production scheduling through to live plant-floor batch visibility.
Section 01
What moves between ERP and the line
An ERP to plant integration has two directions, and each needs its own rules. Down to the line go the orders and the information needed to run them. Up to ERP go the results needed for stock, costing and planning.
- Down: production orders with SKU, quantity, due date and line.
- Down: recipe or bill of materials version, and material lots allocated to the order.
- Up: good output, rejects and scrap by order.
- Up: material consumption and the lots consumed.
- Up: start, finish and downtime by order, and batch results and quality status.
Section 02
An ISA-95 integration model
ISA-95 defines the boundary between business planning at Level 4 and manufacturing operations at Level 3, and the objects that cross it: orders, materials, equipment, personnel and production performance. We use it to decide which system owns each record, so the ERP remains the source of truth for orders and stock and the plant remains the source of truth for what happened. Where both sides support it, messages follow the B2MML schemas; where they do not, the same objects are carried over the ERP API or a controlled staging database.
Section 03
Transaction rules agreed before code
ERP integration usually fails on the edge cases, so we agree them first with finance, planning and production. We test each rule against normal and abnormal scenarios before go-live, including communication loss and restart.
- Confirmations: when a result is posted, by order, by pallet or at shift end.
- Backflush timing: when consumption is posted against the bill of materials, and how variances are handled.
- Partial completions: orders that run across shifts or are paused and resumed.
- Duplicates: every message carries an ID so a retry cannot post twice.
- Communication loss: messages are queued and sent in order when the link returns.
Section 04
ERPs Australian plants run
Australian food and beverage plants run SAP, Pronto Xi, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite and a range of smaller ERPs. Each exposes production orders and confirmations differently: through standard interfaces such as SAP IDocs and APIs, through web services, or through import tables. Metromotion Controls integrates plant systems with these ERPs through their documented interfaces, and works with your ERP partner, who owns the ERP configuration while we own the plant side.
Section 05
Scoping a first integration
We scope a first ERP integration around one line and one or two transactions, usually order release and production confirmation, and prove them in daily use before adding consumption, quality or maintenance. The scoping covers the ERP interface available, the transaction rules, the master data that must match on both sides, and who supports each part after go-live.
- One line, with order release and confirmation first.
- The ERP interface confirmed with the ERP partner.
- Material, SKU and equipment master data aligned on both sides.
- Support responsibilities written down for ERP, integration and plant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions
Have you delivered an SAP integration?
The integrations we have delivered to date connect plant events to a CMMS (MEX at Remedy Drinks) and PLC events to SQL stock records (Tibaldi). An SAP or other ERP integration uses the same event pattern, and we scope it with your ERP partner around the interface your SAP system exposes.
Which ERPs can you connect to?
Any ERP with a documented interface for production orders and confirmations, including SAP, Pronto Xi, Microsoft Dynamics and NetSuite. We confirm the interface with the ERP partner at the start.
Do we need an MES between ERP and the line?
Not always. For a single site with a few lines, order release and confirmation can run between ERP and the SCADA and SQL layer. A dedicated MES earns its place when genealogy, scheduling or batch records exceed what that layer handles.
What is the difference between MES and ERP?
ERP plans and accounts for the business: orders, stock, purchasing and cost. MES runs and records manufacturing: what was made, on which line, from which materials and with what losses. The integration passes orders down and results up between them.
Related Work
Connected services, industries and proof
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Plant Intelligence: factory data and OEE
OEE, reports, quality, CIP, maintenance and energy data from the team that builds and programs the lines.
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Production scheduling from line data
Live line status, actual rates, stops and CIP in front of the scheduler, for re-planning in real time.
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Maintenance from plant data
Plant events that raise CMMS work orders, condition alerts before a stop, and runtime counts for preventive maintenance.
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MES for mid-size food plants
The MES functions a mid-size food plant uses, what it can skip, and whether to build on Ignition or buy enterprise MES.
Insight
ISA-95 and the Purdue model for food plants
The ISA-95 levels and the Purdue model explained on a food line, with where each piece of context lives.
Service
Industrial systems integration Melbourne
Connect OEM equipment, production lines, line controls, data systems and site standards into one operating environment.
Project
Remedy Drinks MEX CMMS integration
Ignition to MEX integration generating automatic work orders from plant events for a beverage producer.
Project
Tibaldi automated inventory management
Automated inventory tracking integrated with production controls for real-time stock visibility and traceability.
Project
Real Pet Food raw materials handling
Pet food raw materials automation covering batching, handling and production control requirements.
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Ignition SCADA integrator Melbourne
Ignition Gold Certified System Integrator for Ignition SCADA, historian, reporting and MES functions.
Insight
MES and SCADA integration in food plants
The ISA-95 levels, the SCADA-to-MES boundary, production tracking and genealogy, B2MML and ERP integration for food manufacturers.
Industry
Food and beverage automation Australia
Automation, traceability, CIP, SCADA and production data for Australian food and beverage plants.
Related work
Related project proof
Project
Remedy Drinks
Remedy Drinks is one of Australia's fastest-growing beverage producers, known for its kombucha and low-sugar drink range. As production volumes grew, the maintenance team needed a tighter connection between the plant floor and their MEX CMMS system. Metromotion Controls designed and delivered the integration between the Ignition SCADA platform and MEX, enabling automatic work order creation from plant events and giving the maintenance team structured visibility of asset status without manual data re-entry.
Project
Tibaldi
Tibaldi needed better stock visibility as production volumes increased and manual stock tracking struggled to keep pace with rising throughput. Metromotion Controls implemented automated inventory management integrated with the existing production controls, taking stock movements directly from PLC events into a SQL database rather than relying on manual entry. This kept the inventory record in step with what the line was actually doing, reducing manual entry and improving stock traceability as throughput grew.
Project
Real Pet Food Company
Real Pet Food Company needed automated raw materials handling with stronger batch traceability and scheduling, across a plant where mechanical, electrical and automation scope all had to be brought together by one team before startup. Metromotion Controls structured the batch control to ISA-88, breaking each product into recipe phases and validating the transfer route and ingredient at each step so material moved against a confirmed path rather than an assumed one. The team supplied, installed and commissioned the system, coordinating mechanical, electrical and automation scope through simulation, FAT and startup.
Related pages
Plant Intelligence
Plant Intelligence
Factory data, OEE, reports, quality, CIP, maintenance and energy from the team that builds and programs the lines.
Plant Intelligence
Production Scheduling from Line Data
Live line status, actual rates, stops and CIP fed to the schedule, with adherence and forecast finish times, so schedulers can re-plan during the shift.
Plant Intelligence
MES for Mid-Size Food Plants
A practical MES scope for mid-size food plants: the functions that earn their keep, the ones you can defer, and whether to build on Ignition and SQL or buy an enterprise MES.
Service
Industrial Systems Integration
Filling, checkweighing, wrapping, CIP and batching tied together through defined machine handshakes, line states, PLC networks and data interfaces.
Want your ERP and your line to agree?
Speak directly with an engineer about scope, timing and technical constraints.