Two software worlds — IT and OT
Plant IT (ERP, MES) and machine control (PLC, SCADA) are historically separated. Without a clean bridge via OPC UA, every data request costs days — and every service incident doubles the effort.
Industry · Mechanical Engineering
Mobile and Backend Software for DACH Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is the core domain of the German Mittelstand — and one of the most mature application areas for Industry 4.0. OPC UA with Companion Specifications, driven by the VDMA-umati consortium, is today the cross-vendor standard for machine-to-IT communication. Service apps, MES integrations, and platform solutions plan against it.
Industry context
DACH mechanical engineering is globally leading and regionally anchored: many manufacturers with 50–500 employees, highly specialised, family-owned. This structure shapes software requirements: pragmatic, long-lived, with service and lifecycle data as differentiator — not a "tech stack showcase".
The umati initiative (universal machine technology interface) by VDMA and VDW has, since 2020, published around 25 OPC UA Companion Specifications — from machine tools through robotics, woodworking, to plastics — with another 30 in development. OPC 40501 for Machine Tools was finalised in late 2025. The specifications are freely available, lowering the entry barrier for Mittelstand manufacturers.
Typical challenges
Remote service with data protection
End customers want fast service but not full access to their plant network. VPN credentials on Post-its are reality — and a GDPR/data-protection liability.
Lifecycle data in Excel
Commissioning, service history, incidents, spare parts — often in per-machine Excel sheets. A unified lifecycle data model is the prerequisite for predictive maintenance and EU-Data-Act-compliant data access.
Regulatory framework
EU Data Act
Glossary →The Plattform Industrie 4.0 has repeatedly emphasised that the Data Act has far-reaching implications for mechanical engineering: end customers have a data access claim on the telemetry generated by their machines. Manufacturers must technically enable access — typically via a self-service portal.
Applicability: Applicable since 12 September 2025
EU Cyber Resilience Act
Machines with digital elements on the EU market fall under the CRA. Manufacturers must establish vulnerability management, security updates over the typical usage period, and incident reporting.
Applicability: Fully applicable from 11 Dec 2027
IEC 62264 / ISA-95
Glossary →International standard for integration of enterprise and control systems. Defines the 5-level model (Level 1 control to Level 4 ERP) and the activity model between MES (Level 3) and ERP (Level 4). IEC 62264-2:2026 (3rd edition, published March 2026) is the current edition.
- ISA-95 / IEC 62264 Series — ISA
- IEC 62264-2:2026 — IEC
Architecture pattern for B2B apps
Machine edge
OPC UA server · umati Companion Specs · MQTT bridge · edge gateway
An OPC UA layer directly on the machine or at the edge gateway — vendor-neutral, with standardised data models for job management, KPIs, and energy monitoring.
MES integration
ISA-95 Job Control · OPC UA for Machinery (Job Management) · REST/GraphQL
Bidirectional exchange of job data, NC programs, and tool management — based on ISA-95 Job Control. Standardised, not proprietary.
Service & lifecycle backend
Typed API layer (e.g. NestJS, Go, Rust) · relational DB (PostgreSQL) · append-only event log · webhooks for third-party systems
Service tickets, maintenance planning, spare-parts ordering in a single platform. Event log for traceable lifecycle history per asset. We pick language and framework by data volume, latency budget, and existing team skills.
Service app & customer portal
Cross-platform app (e.g. Flutter) for technicians · web portal for customers · offline-first data model
Technician app works offline (factory floors without reception). Customer portal for machine overview, service history, and data export. Web frontends typically with a mature TS framework (Next.js, Astro, Remix) — the concrete choice follows data shape and team.
How we pick the stack
The concrete stack is decided per project — driven by data volume, compliance, existing systems, and team skills. This table lists the capabilities we cover and two to three tools we have shipped in production for each.
| Capability | How we deliver it |
|---|---|
| Offline-capable service app for the shop floor | One codebase for technicians' iOS and Android devices, with a local event log for dead zones on shop floors and in cabinets. Typical pick: Flutter, with native bridges where hardware proximity (printers, BLE machines, NFC) demands it. |
| Typed backend with OPC UA bridge | Structured API layer with clear module separation for ISO 9001 and audit trails. Performant OPC-UA-to-HTTP bridge. Language picked by load and team — shipped in TypeScript (NestJS, Fastify), Go, and Rust. |
| Relational storage with lifecycle event log | PostgreSQL for machine master data, service history, orders — paired with an append-only event log in the same schema. For time-series-heavy use cases (energy monitoring, OEE) we add TimescaleDB; analytical load goes to ClickHouse where needed. |
| Open-source OPC UA stack | OPC UA implementations under open licences (e.g. open62541, node-opcua, Eclipse Milo) — maintained by the OPC Foundation and community. Server and client side swappable; vendor-neutral machine language instead of proprietary plug-ins. |
| EU-hosted infrastructure for plant data | Compute and database in an EU region — critical for Mittelstand where plant and machine data are treated as sensitive. We have shipped on Hetzner, DigitalOcean (Frankfurt), AWS Frankfurt, and on-prem Kubernetes among others; the choice follows data sovereignty, contracts, and SRE skills. |
Sources
- umati — universal machine technology interface — VDMA / OPC Foundation
- ISA-95 / IEC 62264 Series — ISA
- IEC 62264-2:2026 (3rd edition) — IEC
- OPC UA — official overview — OPC Foundation
As of: 2026-04-30
Read on
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Industry 4.0 platform development & software for connected production: Asset Administration Shell, OPC UA, EU Data Act and Cyber Resilience Act — built for the DACH Mittelstand.
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IoT platform development, B2B apps, and backend software for connected devices — from BLE sensors to EU Data Act-compliant telemetry platforms.
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Automotive software for Tier-1 suppliers and connected vehicles — companion apps, OTA backends, diagnostics tools, and telemetry platforms that carry UN-R155, UN-R156, and ISO/SAE 21434 from the first line of code.
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Facility management software & platforms for CAFM, smart building, and EU energy-efficiency compliance — aligned with GEFMA 444/445.
Construction & Trades
Custom handwerker app and construction software for DACH Mittelstand businesses — mobile-first, offline-capable, from on-site measurement and site diary through e-invoicing (ZUGFeRD / X-Rechnung) to BIM connectivity.
Concrete project in this industry?
We build software that fits the regulatory, technical, and organisational realities of your industry — without excess complexity.