How to Design an Open‑Source Architecture for a Modern Manufacturing Company

 

A practical guide using the 5‑layer MES model, FUXA SCADA, and ERPNext

Manufacturing companies today face a familiar challenge: they need digital systems that are flexible, scalable, and affordable—but traditional industrial software often comes with high licensing fees and vendor lock‑in.

Fortunately, the open‑source ecosystem has matured to the point where manufacturers can build full‑stack digital operations—from PLC connectivity to MES and analytics—without relying on proprietary platforms.

In this guide, we’ll walk through how to design a complete open‑source architecture using the 5‑layer MES model, with a special focus on:

• FUXA – a modern, web‑based SCADA/HMI platform

• ERPNext – a powerful open‑source ERP/MES system

• InfluxDB + Grafana – for historians and monitoring

• MQTT / Node‑RED – for integration and automation

By the end, you’ll have a blueprint you can apply to real factories—whether you’re modernizing a single production line or building a multi‑site digital ecosystem.

Why Open Source for Manufacturing?

Open‑source tools offer several advantages that align perfectly with modern manufacturing needs:

• Cost‑effective: No per‑tag, per‑client, or per‑user licensing

• Flexible: Customize logic, dashboards, and workflows

• Interoperable: Works with Siemens, Allen‑Bradley, Modbus, OPC UA, MQTT, and more

• Future‑proof: No vendor lock‑in

• Cloud‑ready: Deploy on‑prem or hybrid

The key is designing the architecture correctly—using the right tools in the right layers.

The 5‑Layer MES Architecture Overview

The traditional ISA‑95 / MES architecture can be adapted beautifully to open‑source technologies. Here’s the structure we’ll follow:

1. Layer 0 – Physical Devices

2. Layer 1 – Control Layer (PLC/SCADA)

3. Layer 2 – Supervisory & Data Collection

4. Layer 3 – MES / Operations Management

5. Layer 4 – Business Planning (ERP)

Let’s walk through each layer and map the open‑source tools that fit best.

Layer 0: Physical Devices & Sensors

This is the foundation of any manufacturing system:

• Machines

• Sensors

• Drives

• Robots

• Conveyors

• Vision systems

Most modern factories use Siemens S7‑1200/1500, Allen‑Bradley CompactLogix, or Modbus‑based PLCs.

Open‑source systems integrate with all of them through OPC UA, S7 protocol, or Modbus TCP.

Layer 1: Control Layer (PLC + SCADA/HMI)

This is where FUXA shines.

Introducing FUXA: A Modern Web‑Based SCADA/HMI Platform

FUXA is an open‑source , browser‑based SCADA/HMI system designed for modern industrial environments. It provides:

• Native drivers for Siemens S7, Modbus, OPC UA, and more

• A drag‑and‑drop HMI/SCADA editor directly in the browser

• Real‑time dashboards

• Alarm management

• Built‑in historian support

• Lightweight deployment (Docker‑friendly)

FUXA replaces traditional SCADA tools with a clean, modern, web‑native experience.

How FUXA fits into Layer 1

• Reads/writes PLC tags

• Displays operator HMIs

• Provides alarm & event screens

• Logs data to InfluxDB or its internal historian

• Acts as the real‑time interface for operators

Because it’s web‑based, it works on tablets, HMIs, and desktops without installing software.

Layer 2: Supervisory Control, Data Collection & Integration

This layer handles:

• Data acquisition

• Historian storage

• Edge logic

• Event processing

• Integration between SCADA and MES

The best open‑source tools for this layer are:

1. InfluxDB (Historian)

A high‑performance time‑series database ideal for:

• Machine states

• Counters

• Temperatures, pressures, speeds

• OEE metrics

• Energy monitoring

2. Grafana (Monitoring & Dashboards)

Grafana connects to InfluxDB and provides:

• Real‑time dashboards

• OEE visualization

• Downtime analysis

• SPC charts

• Alerts (email, Slack, Teams)

3. Node‑RED (Integration & Logic)

Node‑RED acts as the “glue” between layers:

• Connects SCADA to MES

• Transforms data

• Triggers workflows

• Publishes events to MQTT

4. MQTT Broker (Optional but powerful)

Using Mosquitto or EMQX, MQTT enables:

• Event‑driven architecture

• Lightweight communication

• Multi‑site scalability

• Cloud integration

Together, these tools form the backbone of your data and integration layer.

Layer 3: MES – Manufacturing Operations Management

This is where ERPNext becomes the star.

ERPNext as an Open‑Source MES

ERPNext is a full ERP system, but its Manufacturing module is strong enough to serve as a complete MES for many factories. It includes:

• Work orders

• BOMs & routing

• Production planning

• Material consumption

• Quality inspections

• Maintenance (CMMS)

• Inventory & warehouse management

• Traceability

• Shop floor interface

How ERPNext fits into Layer 3

• Receives production data from SCADA

• Sends work orders and schedules to the shop floor

• Tracks WIP, scrap, and cycle times

• Manages quality checks and non‑conformances

• Provides operator interfaces for manual inputs

• Integrates with purchasing and inventory

ERPNext’s REST API makes it easy to connect with Node‑RED or FUXA.

Layer 4: Business Planning (ERP)

ERPNext also covers this layer:

• Sales orders

• Purchasing

• Inventory

• Accounting

• HR

• Costing

• Forecasting

This means you can run MES + ERP in one unified open‑source platform, reducing integration complexity.

Putting It All Together: The Complete Architecture

Here’s the full open‑source manufacturing stack:

Layer 0 – Physical Devices

• Sensors

• Machines

• Robots

• Siemens S7 PLCs

Layer 1 – Control Layer

• PLC logic

• FUXA SCADA/HMI

• Operator screens

• Alarms & events

Layer 2 – Supervisory & Data Layer

• InfluxDB (historian)

• Grafana (monitoring)

• Node‑RED (integration)

• MQTT broker (optional)

Layer 3 – MES Layer

• ERPNext Manufacturing

• Work orders

• Routing

• Quality

• Maintenance

• Traceability

Layer 4 – ERP Layer

• ERPNext ERP

• Purchasing

• Inventory

• Finance

• HR

Example Data Flow

1. PLC → FUXA Real‑time tags, alarms, machine states.

2. FUXA → InfluxDB Historian logging.

3. InfluxDB → Grafana Dashboards for OEE, downtime, scrap.

4. ERPNext → FUXA/Node‑RED Work orders and production schedules.

5. Node‑RED → ERPNext Production results, scrap counts, cycle times.

6. MQTT (optional) Event‑driven communication across layers.

Why This Architecture Works

• 100% open source

• No licensing limits

• Scales from one line to multiple factories

• Works with Siemens PLCs out of the box

• Cloud‑ready and container‑friendly

• Easy to customize

• Strong community support

It’s a modern, modular, future‑proof approach that mirrors the capabilities of commercial platforms—without the cost.

Conclusion

Designing a manufacturing system with open‑source tools is not only possible—it’s increasingly the smartest path for companies that want flexibility, transparency, and control over their digital operations.

By combining:

• FUXA for SCADA/HMI

• InfluxDB + Grafana for data and monitoring

• Node‑RED + MQTT for integration

• ERPNext for MES + ERP

…you can build a complete, enterprise‑grade architecture that follows the proven 5‑layer MES model.

This blueprint gives you a foundation you can deploy today—and scale for years to come