Case Study
Zero Additional Infrastructure Cost: Deploying a Production Floor Management Platform Into a Live Manufacturing Environment
How netMethods deployed a real-time production management platform for a Southern California manufacturer — using existing VMware infrastructure and repurposing retired Raspberry Pi hardware to deliver full production floor visibility without a dollar of additional infrastructure spend.
The Situation
A Southern California manufacturer had identified a production floor management platform — used globally by manufacturers including Bosch, Philips, and Audi — that could give their operation real-time visibility into output, machine performance, and workflow status. The platform surfaces live production data through configurable dashboards, enabling faster decisions and reducing the downtime that comes from working without visibility into what’s actually happening on the floor.
The challenge wasn’t the software. It was the deployment. The manufacturer needed the platform live in an active production environment without disrupting operations, and leadership was firm: no new server hardware. A previous initiative had also left a collection of Raspberry Pi single-board computers sitting unused — purchased for a solution that never worked out. The question was whether those could be put to use.
The Challenge
• Deploying into an active production environment without downtime or workflow disruption
• Hard requirement from leadership: no new server hardware spend
• Existing VMware environment needed capacity assessment before any commitment
• Retired Raspberry Pi devices required custom configuration to function as reliable display terminals
• Production floor displays needed live, accurate data at all times — reliability non-negotiable
The Approach
Infrastructure Assessment & Virtual Server Deployment
netMethods assessed the existing VMware environment to confirm available compute and storage capacity. The environment had sufficient headroom to host the platform’s server components as virtual machines without impacting existing workloads. New virtual servers were provisioned within the existing infrastructure — no new hardware, no rack space, no additional licensing. The platform was up on dedicated virtual resources within the existing footprint.
Repurposing Raspberry Pi Devices as Dashboard Terminals
Each Raspberry Pi was configured with a lightweight OS, locked-down browser environment, and auto-launch settings that brought the production floor dashboard up automatically on boot. Auto-recovery settings ensured displays reconnected and resumed after any network interruption or restart without floor staff involvement. What had been a sunk cost became a functional component of the deployment.
Platform Deployment & Go-Live
The platform was deployed and integrated into the production environment in stages timed to planned downtime windows. Operators and supervisors were trained on the dashboard interface. Management was walked through reporting and configuration capabilities. Go-live proceeded without disruption to active production runs.
The Outcome
The production floor management platform went live with zero disruption to operations and zero additional infrastructure spend. Virtual servers handled the platform load within the existing VMware environment. The retired Raspberry Pi devices became reliable, always-on dashboard terminals delivering live production data across the facility. For the first time, the team had real-time visibility into what was happening on the floor without waiting for end-of-shift reports.
Results at a Glance
• Production floor management platform fully deployed into a live manufacturing environment
• Virtual servers provisioned within existing VMware infrastructure — zero new hardware required
• Retired Raspberry Pi devices repurposed as live dashboard terminals on production floor displays
• Real-time production visibility delivered to operators, supervisors, and management
• Zero production disruptions during deployment
• Zero additional infrastructure spend
About netMethods
netMethods is a managed IT services provider headquartered in Lake Forest, CA, with over 25 years of experience supporting organizations across Orange County and Southern California. We specialize in managed IT, cloud infrastructure, IT security, and practical AI solutions for healthcare, manufacturing, public sector, and professional services organizations.