Empowering Operators with Real-Time Clarity on Production Quality

INTRO

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Enabling Insight-Driven Production at Orbix

Orbix, a pioneer in sustainable material solutions for the construction sector, partnered with VersaSense to go beyond traditional automation and monitoring practices, by giving its operations team direct access to critical production insights, right when and where they need them.

When launching a new material product, Orbix needed real-time insight into how moisture content and machine behaviour influenced product quality. Traditional lab testing, while accurate, was inherently delayed, and existing automation systems offered limited visibility into key process variables across the production environment.

VersaSense provided not just the IoT-based sensing infrastructure, but the complete toolkit for local teams to explore, interpret, and act. In just hours, Orbix deployed a full sensor network and operator-facing platform, enabling true insight-driven production control.

CHALLENGES

Limited Insight, Missing Instrumentation, and Difficult to Act

Traditional automation infrastructure at Orbix provided only partial visibility into the production process. Critical product-related parameters, like moisture levels and machine behaviour, were not continuously monitored. Instrumenting these variables with conventional methods was complex, costly, and often unfeasible.

As a result, operators had to rely on lab results that arrived too late for real-time intervention. There was no way to see issues as they developed, let alone respond immediately.

But the challenge wasn't just about collecting more data — it was about solving three core problems:

1. Deploying IoT sensors where none existed, especially in hard-to-instrument areas and remote assets

2. Accessing the right data in real time, across the entire production flow

3. Empowering operators with tools to explore, understand, and act on that data instantly

SOLUTION

From Deployment to Action in Minutes

Orbix's production site in Genk, a harsh industrial environment marked by shifting stockpiles, rugged terrain, and heavy machinery, posed serious challenges for traditional monitoring solutions. Deploying new instrumentation was typically complex, slow, and disruptive.

VersaSense overcame these barriers by installing a wireless mesh-based IoT network across the full 1 km² site in just two hours, delivering >99.999% end-to-end data reliability and NIST-certified cybersecurity without trenching, cabling, or reworking existing infrastructure.

Sensors were activated and delivering data within minutes, proving that even in tough conditions, real-time industrial monitoring can be deployed rapidly — without compromising operations.

By the numbers:

• 35+ IoT sensors installed across production site

• 2.6 Mio unique sensor measurements analysed per year

• IT/OT direct integration with existing IT/OT systems

  
  

A Self-Service Platform for Production Teams

Beyond reliable connectivity, VersaSense delivered a platform built for operations teams, and not just IT teams. The VersaSense IoT platform gave local teams intuitive access to:

• Clear, easy-to-use dashboards and time-series exploration tools

• Cross-sensor correlation and drill-down, enabling deeper analysis

• Configurable alerts and real-time notifications, tailored to operational needs

• In-field access through a simple, responsive web and mobile interface

Real-time data and intuitive tools gave Orbix's operators the power to explore, understand, and control production quality, directly from the floor.

Turning Insight into Operator Actions

VersaSense didn't just provide data; it enabled local teams to act on it. By combining real-time sensing with intuitive tools, the solution addressed all key needs for insight-driven production control:

• Real-time monitoring of pump vibration and temperature, detecting anomalies before they escalate

• Continuous moisture tracking through seamlessly integrated third-party sensors

• Operator-facing tools to explore, correlate, and understand process behaviour in context

• Live alerts, delivering actionable insight up to 100x faster than traditional lab workflows

This tight integration of data, tools, and people transformed how Orbix managed production, putting real-time decisions in the hands of those who know the process best.

"VersaSense gave us a reliable and operator-friendly way to monitor critical parts of our production process in real time. By bringing this process under control, we have been able to launch a whole new product line."

Robin Meo

Maintenance Manager Orbix Genk

The result: frontline teams were no longer passive observers. Instead, they became active drivers of production performance, fine-tuning and adjusting in real time based on live data.

From Delayed Feedback to Real-Time Insight

With the VersaSense platform, Orbix engineers and operators now have real-time access to the production parameters that matter, all within an environment they control themselves.

Instead of relying solely on lab data that arrives after the fact, teams can now explore live sensor readings, identify process trends as they develop, and make informed decisions on the spot.

• 25+ sensors installed across critical and interesting machines

• 2.6 million data points analyzed yearly

• Direct integration with MES and process historians

• AI-powered anomaly detection and trend analysis

Whether it's diagnosing vibration issues or correlating machine behaviour with product quality, Orbix teams are now equipped to act independently, with clarity, confidence, and speed.

RESULTS

Turning Operators into Real-Time Decision Makers

The most significant outcome of this project wasn't just faster data, it was giving the people closest to production the ability to steer it directly.

Where operators previously had to rely on delayed lab results or indirect signals, they now work with live IoT data and intuitive exploration tools. Moisture levels, machine behaviour, and process dynamics are no longer invisible but monitored in real time, explored visually, and acted on immediately.

This shift has created a new dynamism on the shop floor:

• Operators don't just react, instead they anticipate and adjust settings based on instant feedback from IoT sensors.

• Quality deviations aren't caught after the fact, instead they're prevented or addressed before they escalate.

In short, by embedding IoT data and tools into daily operations, production is no longer controlled remotely; it's continuously fine-tuned by the people running it.