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Brand Evolution 2022
Siemens solution

Mendix on Edge - low-code apps on the shop floor

This architecture shows how Mendix on Edge brings the speed and flexibility of low-code development directly to the factory floor. Containerized apps run on industrial edge devices at the field level, processing data closer to the source with lower latency and full offline resilience.

Overview

Pre-configured OT connectors enable vendor-agnostic integration without custom protocol development. At the management boundary, the Industrial Edge Hub and Industrial Edge Management work together to handle app distribution, licensing, and device lifecycle across sites. The result is a single path from rapid prototyping to production deployment, with enterprise-wide data visibility built in

Low-code apps on the shop floor

Connect

Connect vendor agnostic shopfloor equipment to Industrial Edge via pre-configured connectors.

Execute

Execute containerized low-code applications directly on the shop floor for decentralized, real-time data processing.

Streamline

Streamline the developer journey by uploading and managing app versions directly from Mendix Studio Pro to the Edge ecosystem.

Leverage

Leverage a vas library of building blocks and templates to build custom industrial applications without extensive IT knowledge.

For most manufacturers, deploying and maintaining operator-facing applications on the shop floor has meant custom development for every line, machine, or site. Each interface is expensive to build and hard to update. This architecture eliminates that problem by standardizing on containerized low-code apps, open OT connectivity protocols, and a managed edge platform that decouples app development from device-level complexity.

Industrial Edge Devices connect to equipment from any vendor and run local Mendix apps for operator interaction, data visualization, and real-time processing. A semantic data model provided by the Industrial Information Hub ensures that raw PLC tags are mapped to clean, consistently named data objects before any app consumes them. At the management boundary, the Industrial Edge Hub and Industrial Edge Management handle distinct responsibilities across the app lifecycle. The Mendix portfolio then connects that execution layer to local app development, a rich module marketplace, and enterprise data flows.

The result is a scalable, maintainable path from PLC tag to operator UI, built on open standards and repeatable across many sites without requiring deep IT expertise at the factory level.

    Architecture hub - Mendix on edge detailed graphic showing data flow from Field Level to Factory to IT/Enterprise Mendix

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    Field level: Industrial Edge as the execution foundation

    Industrial Edge Devices sit directly on the shop floor and connect to PLCs, drives, robots, and any other automation equipment using pre-configured connectors for EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP, OPC UA, PROFINET, S7, and others. The connector library removes most of the integration work that traditionally slows down shop floor application rollouts, and because it covers equipment from any vendor, it fits brownfield environments without requiring hardware replacement.

    A set of local components runs on each device:

    • Mendix on Edge, which runs one or more containerized Mendix application instances directly on the device, enabling real-time data processing and operator interaction without cloud dependency
    • Industrial Information Hub, which provides a unified semantic data model so that raw PLC tags are mapped to meaningful, consistently named data objects before any app consumes them
    • OT Connectors, pre-configured for the full range of industrial protocols, providing the physical and logical connection to automation equipment

    Factory level: the app lifecycle management layer

    This is the layer where app distribution, versioning, and device management are handled. Two components manage this boundary, and they serve distinct purposes across the app lifecycle.

    Industrial Edge management: local app repository and device management

    Industrial Edge Management is the on-site hub for distributing Mendix apps to field-level devices. It receives license allocations from the Industrial Edge Hub, maintains a local repository of available Mendix app versions, and pushes app deployments to the Industrial Edge Devices on the factory floor.

    Use Industrial Edge management for:

    • Distributing Mendix on Edge applications to specific devices or device groups across the site
    • Managing device health, connectivity status, and app version state across all edge devices on the factory floor
    • Receiving and applying license allocations from the Industrial Edge Hub for Mendix app deployments
    • Coordinating with Mendix Studio Pro via the Industrial Edge Plugin to accept new app versions published by developers

    Industrial Edge Management is the operational control plane for the factory floor. It does not develop apps, it does not host the global marketplace, and it does not manage licensing procurement. For everything above the factory boundary, the Industrial Edge Hub and Mendix Platform handle those responsibilities.

    Industrial Edge hub: global app repository and license management

    The Industrial Edge Hub operates at the IT and enterprise level. Its job is to maintain the global catalogue of Mendix apps available across all sites, manage license procurement from the Industrial Edge Marketplace, and allocate those licenses down to individual Industrial Edge Management instances.

    Use the Industrial Edge hub for:

    • Maintaining a global repository of approved Mendix app versions available across all sites
    • Allocating licenses to Industrial Edge Management instances at individual factories
    • Providing a single point of governance for which app versions are approved for deployment across the fleet

    The Hub is not a deployment tool. It does not push apps to devices directly, and it does not manage device health or connectivity. For everything at the factory and field level, Industrial Edge Management is the right path.

    Why both are used together

    A realistic deployment uses both in parallel because they handle different scopes. Consider a new Mendix app being rolled out to an assembly line:

    • A developer builds the app in Mendix Studio Pro, using modules from the Mendix Marketplace for OT connectivity and Industrial Information Hub integration
    • The developer publishes the app to the Industrial Edge Management via the Industrial Edge Plugin, without needing to leave their familiar integrated development environment (IDE)
    • Industrial Edge Management distributes the app to the target Industrial Edge Devices on the factory floor
    • The app runs containerized on the device, reading live PLC values via OT connectors, consuming the semantic data model from the Industrial Information Hub, and displaying operator-facing information in real time
    • Shopfloor data flows up to the Mendix Platform in the cloud, making it available for enterprise reporting and cross-site analytics

    Without Industrial Edge Management, there is no controlled path for distributing app versions to devices. Without the Industrial Edge Hub, there is no centralized governance of licensing and approved app catalogues across multiple sites.

    IT and enterprise level: the Mendix portfolio

    Once apps are running and data is flowing, the Mendix portfolio connects field execution to the broader enterprise:

    • Mendix Platform: Runs Mendix apps in the cloud and receive shopfloor data flowing up from Industrial Edge Devices, enabling enterprise-level visibility and analytics
    • Mendix Marketplace: Provides modules for IT Connectivity, the ML Kit, and Industrial Information Hub integration that developers use inside Mendix Studio Pro during app development
    • Mendix Studio Pro with the Industrial Edge Plugin: The primary development environment for building Mendix on Edge apps, versioning them, and publishing them directly to the edge ecosystem

    Lifecycle management across the stack

    Industrial Edge management and the Industrial Edge hub together provide a shared operating model for OT and IT teams. OT teams retain control of device health and on-site distribution. IT teams retain control of licensing governance and global app catalogue management. App updates are pushed to devices without requiring on-site developer intervention, and new app versions move through a controlled path from Studio Pro to Hub to Management to device.

    Values & benefits

    Components