Factory software should not cost a fortune.

The old model makes manufacturers pay for complexity

A missing workflow can turn into a large project involving discovery, configuration, customization, integration, testing, deployment, and repeated change requests. The manufacturer pays not only for the application, but also for the delivery machinery around it. When the operation changes, another software change can become another project.

Software is easier to create and adapt than it used to be. Manufacturers should not be trapped by the economics of an older delivery model.

Building internally does not remove the burden

The application interface is only the visible part of the job. An internal team still has to take responsibility for:

• Connecting ERP, SCADA, spreadsheets, email, and other operational systems.
• Deploying and hosting the application across reliable environments.
• Implementing authentication, permissions, and access controls.
• Protecting data, credentials, and system connections.
• Monitoring releases, writes, failures, and changes.
• Maintaining backups, recovery procedures, and restorable versions.
• Testing, supporting, and maintaining the application as the operation changes.

Those responsibilities are real software infrastructure work. A manufacturer should not have to assemble and operate an internal software team just to fix a workflow on the factory floor or between the inbox and ERP.

Software should fit the operation

Manufacturers should be able to describe the exact application they need, connect it to the systems they already use, and change it as the operation changes. The software should conform to the work instead of forcing the work into a generic module.

Custom factory software should be affordable, adaptable, and normal. Its cost should reflect the value of the application, not technical complexity imposed on the customer.

Noren takes responsibility for the technical details

Noren connects to a manufacturer's existing systems and represents them as one data layer. Applications are built on that layer and refined around the way the operation actually works.

Noren handles the responsibilities that otherwise fall on consultants or internal teams:

• Data integrations required by the application.
• Application deployment and hosting.
• Security, authentication, and access controls.
• Tenant isolation, backups, and disaster-recovery procedures.
• Audit trails for releases and writes.
• Previous versions that can be restored.
• Software engineer review before deployment.
• Application changes, customer support, and incident handling.

Important actions require human approval before execution. Customers can export their data, application logic or source code, configurations, and audit history.

The Noren position

Manufacturers should decide what their software needs to do. Noren should carry the technical burden required to make that software connected, secure, deployed, maintainable, and dependable.

That is the alternative to buying more generic software, funding another consultant-led project, or turning an operations team into a software company.