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The Guidewheel blog is your hub for insights on factory performance and the future of manufacturing. From product releases to customer wins and expert takes, explore how teams use Guidewheel, the practical operating platform for manufacturing, to get more from the equipment and people they already have.

Featured playbook

Shop-Floor Management: A Real-Time Playbook

Build a daily operating rhythm around shared machine data, clear handoffs and a response plan your team can use while the shift is still running.

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Ideal Cycle Time vs Actual Cycle Time: Set a Defensible OEE Baseline

Set a defensible OEE baseline with validated stable-run data, product and machine segmentation, and documented ideal cycle times.

Energy by Shift and Product: A Guide to Machine-Level Energy Intensity

Compare machine energy fairly with kWh per runtime hour, product-mix normalisation, and idle energy tracking to uncover real efficiency gains.

Guidewheel vs Ignition SCADA: Fast Visibility vs Configurable Control

Compare Guidewheel’s fast, PLC-free machine visibility with Ignition’s configurable SCADA control to choose the right fit—or combine both.

Machine-Level vs Line-Level OEE: Which View Finds the Constraint?

Choose machine- or line-level OEE based on asset coupling, separate starved and blocked states, and find the true constraint without double counting.

Machine Monitoring for Food and Beverage Processing Lines: Buyer's Guide

Compare machine monitoring platforms for food and beverage lines, with guidance on micro-stops, changeovers, sanitation, coverage and pricing.

Machine Visibility RFP Checklist for Plants With SCADA or MES

Build a stronger machine-visibility RFP with control boundaries, coverage evidence, pilot criteria, pricing checks, and clear ownership requirements.

Where Should OEE Data Live: SCADA, Historian, MES, or BI?

Assign OEE ownership field by field across SCADA, historians, MES and BI to create trustworthy metrics and eliminate reporting disputes.

Best Machine Monitoring Software for CNC and Mixed-Machine Plants

Compare machine monitoring software for CNC and mixed-machine plants, from broad sensor-based coverage to deep controller-native CNC data.

How to Pilot Guidewheel Beside Existing PLC and SCADA Controls

Pilot Guidewheel beside PLC and SCADA controls with clear boundaries, ownership, baselines, and scale-or-stop criteria.

Production Monitoring vs Condition Monitoring: Output Losses vs Asset Health

Production monitoring finds lost output; condition monitoring detects asset degradation. Learn which question each approach answers and how to evaluate the signals your team needs.

Machine Monitoring vs CMMS: Which System Finds and Fixes Downtime?

Machine monitoring finds and measures downtime; a CMMS manages the fix. See which system your plant needs first and how they close the loop.

Guidewheel vs SCADA: Where Each Fits and Why Plants May Need Both

Guidewheel and SCADA solve different plant problems. See where each fits, why they work better together, and how to close visibility gaps.

Slitter-Line Downtime Monitoring Software Compared

Compare downtime monitoring software for slitter lines, including Guidewheel, MachineMetrics, Vorne XL, Evocon, and Redzone. See what matters most.

Production Tracking, Scheduling & Management Software Compared

Compare production tracking software for your plant. Evaluate OEE inputs, downtime workflows, scheduling requirements and deployment scope.

Best Production Monitoring Software for Roll Forming & Metal Lines

Compare production monitoring software for roll forming and metal lines, including OEE inputs, downtime tracking, alerts and equipment connectivity.

PLC Monitoring vs. Clamp-On Current Sensors

Compare PLC monitoring vs clamp-on current sensors for factory data, OEE, downtime tracking, installation effort, cybersecurity, scalability, and time to value.

Manufacturing KPIs: The Metrics Every Plant Should Track

Learn the manufacturing KPIs every plant should track first, from OEE and downtime to throughput, quality, delivery, labor, inventory, and energy.

Remote Machine Monitoring: Multi-Site & OEM Buyer's Guide

Evaluate remote machine monitoring for multi-site and OEM use, including equipment signals, access roles, alerts, connectivity and service scope.

Best IIoT Platforms for Manufacturing (2026)

Compare the best IIoT platforms for manufacturing in 2026, including Guidewheel, PTC ThingWorx, Siemens Insights Hub, and AWS IoT SiteWise.

Machine Uptime & Availability Tracking Software

Compare machine uptime monitoring, downtime alerts and OEE tools. Define the signal, equipment fit and site requirements for a useful pilot.

First Pass Yield & Scrap Rate: Measuring Quality on the Floor

Learn how to calculate first pass yield and scrap rate, separate rework from scrap, set clean measurement boundaries, and pinpoint quality losses by line, product, and shift.

How to Calculate OEE (With Worked Examples)

Calculate OEE with worked examples for availability, performance and quality. Check the data and definitions before comparing results.

Shop-Floor Management: A Real-Time Playbook

Learn how to run shop-floor management in real time with live KPIs, daily tier meetings, fast escalation, and lightweight shop floor control software.

OEE vs. Utilization vs. Capacity: What to Track and When

Learn the difference between OEE, machine utilization, and capacity, plus when to use each metric for monitoring, improvement, and planning.

What is a MES - and the Visibility-First Alternative

Learn what an MES does, how execution and production visibility differ, and when a monitoring layer can complement existing manufacturing systems.

How to Cut Factory Energy Costs (Without New Equipment)

Find factory energy waste in existing equipment, distinguish base load from production use and include measurement costs in the business case.

Is Your Machine Data Safe on the Network? OT Security for Clip-On Monitoring

Evaluate connectivity, access, data flows and control boundaries when adding machine monitoring to your operation.