Industrial IoT platform for manufacturers

Your plant is running. Your data too — live on one industrial IoT platform, existing equipment stays.

Instead of Excel exports and estimates: energy, utilization, and faults from every machine on one dashboard — in real time for the first time, without touching a single machine. eco2lot connects PLCs, meters, fieldbuses, and ERP through open protocols. eco2iot supplies the matching industrial hardware, preconfigured and ready to run.

  • Open OT protocols — OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT, BACnet, M-Bus, Profibus in one platform
  • Legacy equipment integration — presses, furnaces, compressors without Ethernet via eco2iot gateway
  • GDPR-compliant — SaaS in German data centers, on-premise, or hybrid

Protocols: OPC UA · Modbus · MQTT · BACnet · M-Bus · Profibus · REST
Author: Andreas Babel, founder of BS-Systeme · Updated: June 2026

15+
years of industrial experience
7+
OT protocols, natively
TOP 100
Innovator 2026
ISO 27001
data center standard

Our first line was live in 5 weeks — without a single change to the PLC.

Production manager, metal processing company, Bavaria, ~180 employees

We finally have numbers instead of estimates. The compressed-air leak paid for itself within three weeks.

Energy officer, food manufacturer, Baden-Württemberg, ~320 employees

A press built in 1994, no Ethernet — live in eco2lot anyway. That surprised me the most.

Plant manager, packaging company, North Rhine-Westphalia, ~90 employees
The journey

From data silos to the connected plant.

Three stages in which we meet industrial companies — and the path you take with eco2iot and eco2lot from each of them.

Act 1

Data silos and handwritten notes.

Machines run. Meters tick. But the data ends up in separate PLC logs, in shift books, or nowhere at all. Anyone who wants to know a line’s utilization asks the machine operator. Comparing sites is impossible, and fault causes are hard to trace.

Act 2

First connections.

An eco2iot gateway goes into the control cabinet. Three to five data sources go live: PLC, main meter, compressed-air sensor. eco2lot shows the first dashboards — utilization and consumption in real time, on one screen, with the Excel detour gone. Gaps in machine data collection become visible and get closed step by step.

Act 3

The connected plant.

All machines, meters, ERP data, and external systems run on one platform. Shift comparisons, site benchmarks, fault correlations — all live. On this data foundation, eco2lot actively intervenes: peak loads are capped, self-consumption is optimized, AI control strategies run automatically. Dashboards replace shift books.

Your added value

Four reasons industrial companies choose eco2lot as their IIoT platform.

Beyond the buzzwords: concrete impact on operating costs, decision quality, and scalability.

Vendor-independent
open instead of locked in

Free choice of infrastructure.

eco2lot reads Siemens PLCs just like Beckhoff, Allen-Bradley, or Wago. Meters from ABB, Janitza, Schneider, Eastron — all connect via Modbus or M-Bus. You pick the best hardware for your plant, rather than the hardware that suits a platform vendor. eco2iot supplies curated add-on hardware wherever gaps appear.

Impact: Existing infrastructure worth several hundred thousand euros stays in use — incompatibility stops being a reason to replace it.
Legacy equipment
integrated as it is

What you have, stays.

Older machines without an IP connection get an eco2iot edge gateway with analog or pulse inputs. Existing PLCs are read through their native protocol interface — with the control software untouched. Production keeps running while the connection is made.

Impact: A press built in 1992 delivers complete operating data after gateway installation (3 h) — with the PLC staying as it is.
Real-time visibility
on one platform

One dashboard for everything.

Energy consumption, machine utilization, production counters, fault messages, and ERP order progress — united in one data foundation. Zero exports between systems, zero time lag. Shift leads, energy officers, and management see the same numbers — at the same time.

Impact: Fault cause (compressed-air leak on line 2) identified within 8 minutes — instead of surfacing in the next monthly report.
Active energy management
real time · intervention · automation

Measure, understand, intervene.

The IIoT connection is the first step. On the same eco2lot platform you then activate active energy management (peak shaving, self-consumption), load management under §14a EnWG (Germany’s rule for controllable loads), or AI-based control strategies — on the same system, with your data staying put.

Impact: The IIoT pilot grows into a full control platform — same data set, additional modules.
Which of your machines still runs without data today?

Describe the case — within 4 hours we tell you whether and how a connection is possible.

Ask us now
Definition

What is an industrial IoT platform?

An industrial IoT platform (IIoT platform, Industrial Internet of Things) connects the machines, sensors, and equipment of a manufacturing plant through open protocols such as OPC UA, Modbus, and MQTT. It captures all machine data centrally, presents it in real-time dashboards, and enables active control — with existing equipment staying in place.

OT level Machines & equipment Siemens S7, Beckhoff Wago, Allen-Bradley Energy meters, M-Bus Legacy equipment ≥ 1992 Modbus · OPC UA · RS-485 eco2iot Edge gateway Protocol converter Analog · pulse · RS-485 preconfigured, plug-in Equipment stays unchanged eco2lot IIoT platform Real-time data pipeline Historical time series Config. dashboards Active EMS control GDPR · DE hosting SaaS · On-premise · Hybrid Outputs & benefits Live dashboard Load profile, OEE, consumption per cost center / shift Energy management Peak shaving, §14a EnWG Self-consumption, load control API & export SAP, Power BI, CSRD reports CSV · JSON · REST
From machine to decision: eco2iot connects your existing equipment, eco2lot turns the data into value.
Definition in brief

An IIoT platform (Industrial Internet of Things) is a software layer that connects machines, sensors, controllers, and equipment in a manufacturing plant and captures, stores, and analyzes their data centrally, making it available for active control. It links the OT worldOperational technology — plant-floor technology: PLCs, fieldbuses, SCADA, control systems. Historically separate from the IT world, today increasingly connected through IIoT. (PLCs, fieldbuses, meters) with the IT world (databases, dashboards, ERP).

Unlike general cloud IoT services such as Azure IoT Hub or AWS IoT Core, industrial IoT platforms are built for the OT protocols, real-time requirements, and security standards of production — rather than for IT-native REST/MQTT devices such as smartphones or consumer sensors.

IIoT platform versus cloud IoT versus SCADA

Characteristic Cloud IoT
(Azure, AWS, Telekom)
SCADA / control system eco2lot IIoT platform
OT protocols (Modbus, BACnet, OPC UA) middleware required ✓ proprietary ✓ native & open
Legacy equipment without IP connection own gateway required ✓ depends on SCADA ✓ eco2iot gateway
Vendor-independent ✓ on the IT side mostly proprietary ✓ OT + IT
Ready-made industrial applications custom development needed control, without reporting ✓ energy, OEE, EMS
On-premise / GDPR-compliant extra effort for EU compliance ✓ typically on-prem ✓ all models
Active control (peak shaving, EMS) custom logic required ✓ control ✓ from the EMS module

Bottom line: Hyperscaler services fit IoT-native IT projects well. SCADA systems control individual plants, yet they work as control tools rather than data platforms. eco2lot closes the gap in between — open OT protocols, ready-made industrial applications, GDPR-compliant, and free of vendor lock-in. The data already exists in your machines; eco2lot makes it usable.

eco2iot — industrial hardware

The right hardware for every connection point.

eco2iot is a curated selection rather than a hardware brand kept in stock. We deliberately pick components that have proven themselves in continuous industrial operation and that connect to eco2lot without custom development. Every component arrives preconfigured and ready to use.

Edge gateway

The heart of every eco2iot installation. The gateway sits in the control cabinet or near the machine, speaks the OT protocols of the field level (Modbus RTU/TCP, OPC UA, M-Bus, BACnet, KNX, SNMP, serial interfaces), and transmits the data securely via MQTT or HTTPS to eco2lot — to the cloud, the local network, or an on-prem server.

Installation: DIN-rail mounting in the control cabinet, typically half a working day per measuring point. The PLC software stays untouched.

Protocol converters for legacy equipment

Older machines without an Ethernet connection get a protocol converter: analog inputs (4–20 mA, 0–10 V) for sensor signals, pulse inputs for older pulse meters, RS-485/RS-232 for Modbus RTU devices, and digital inputs for operating-status signals. The gateway translates these signals into a structured data telegram for eco2lot.

Typical use: a press, hardening furnace, compressor, or forging line without a PLC — live in eco2lot, with the machine unchanged.

Energy meters & metering devices

Where sub-meters are still missing, eco2iot supplies MID-certified electricity meters (3-phase, up to 400 A direct or with current transformers), heat meters, compressed-air flow meters, and water meters — all Modbus-capable and directly connectable to the eco2iot gateway.

Advantage: purchasing, delivery, and configuration from one source — compatibility between meter vendor and platform is settled before delivery.

Control-cabinet sets for new installations

For new measuring points or retrofits, eco2iot delivers prefabricated control-cabinet sets: gateway, power supply, meter, and wiring plan in one box. Electricians install by wiring diagram, with zero eco2lot knowledge required — BS-Systeme configures remotely after the initial installation.

Advantage: installation time under one day per measuring point — standard electrical skills are all your installer needs.
eco2lot — platform features

Industrial IoT software: from the first live measurement to active energy management.

Connectivity is step 1. On the same platform you then activate energy management, load optimization, and AI control — on the same system, with your data staying in place.

Most common entry point
1

Real-time dashboards & load profiles

Every connected data point appears in configurable dashboards — load profiles, time-series charts, bar comparisons, tables. Resolution down to the second, historical data stored without limits. Access via browser, with zero client installation.

Your advantage: shift leads, energy officers, and management see the same real-time numbers — on screen, tablet, or smartphone.
2

Protocol-open machine data collection

eco2lot receives data via OPC UA, Modbus TCP/RTU, MQTT, BACnet, M-Bus, KNX, SNMP, and REST/JSON. Several protocols run in parallel in one instance. New data sources are added through the configuration interface — code-free.

Your advantage: Siemens PLCs, Janitza meters, SAP production messages, and PV inverters in one data foundation — with zero middleware development.
3

Energy monitoring module

Machine data instantly turns into energy KPIs: consumption per line, shift, cost center, order. Normalization against production volume. Sankey diagrams of energy flows. EnPIs (energy performance indicators) per ISO 50001 — configurable without programming skills.

Your advantage: your ISO 50001 data foundation emerges as a by-product of the IIoT connection — a separate monitoring tool becomes redundant.
4

Production management & OEE

OEEOverall equipment effectiveness. The product of availability, performance, and quality rate. A standard KPI in manufacturing. (overall equipment effectiveness) is calculated directly from PLC operating signals and production counters: availability, performance, and quality rate in real time. Downtime logging, shift curves, machine comparison.

Your advantage: an OEE metric without an MES rollout — your PLCs already deliver the required signals.
5

Alarm & notification system

Threshold alarms, failure notifications, and process deviations are forwarded by email, SMS, or webhook. Configurable per data point, per shift, or per site — with escalation levels and an acknowledgement workflow.

Your advantage: a compressed-air drop on line 2 at 3:12 a.m. instantly triggers an SMS to the on-call technician — well before the shift report.
6

API & data export

Every data point is available through a REST API — for custom applications, BI tools (Power BI, Tableau), SAP integration, or external reporting systems. Data export as CSV, Excel, or JSON. Streaming integration via MQTT broker.

Your advantage: eco2lot as your data backbone — your existing BI tools receive real-time machine data, with a single source of truth instead of duplicated storage.
3–4 weeks to the first live measurement
from €6,000 effective with the BAFA subsidy
0 machine rebuilds existing equipment stays untouched
Architecture & integration

Existing infrastructure stays — eco2lot integrates.

The biggest blocker in IIoT projects is rarely the software — it is the fear of rebuilding running equipment. eco2lot is designed as a non-invasive integration layer: the platform passively reads data from existing systems, leaving their control logic untouched. Control interfaces are activated optionally and only for active regulation (EMS module) — after explicit approval.

Supported protocols

Protocol Typical devices Mode
OPC UASiemens S7-1200/1500, Beckhoff TwinCAT, WagoClient/server + pub/sub
Modbus TCPEnergy meters, variable frequency drives, compressorsMaster
Modbus RTUOlder meters, RS-485 devicesvia eco2iot gateway
MQTTEdge gateways, IoT sensors, eco2iot hardwareBroker/subscriber
BACnet IP/MSTPBuilding automation, BMS systems, HVACClient
M-BusHeat meters, heat cost billingMaster via gateway
REST / JSONSAP, MES, ERP, modern cloud systemsPush/pull

Hosting options

eco2lot runs in three deployment models — your choice, depending on IT policy, OT security requirements, and data protection needs:

Model Description Suited for
SaaS DE Hosted instance in an ISO 27001-certified German data center. Zero infrastructure effort. Automatic updates. Mid-sized companies, multi-site, fast start
On-premise Installation on your own infrastructure. Air-gap capable, zero outbound traffic. Full data sovereignty. Critical infrastructure, KRITIS (Germany’s critical-infrastructure rules), OT security policies
Hybrid OT-critical data layer at the plant, analytics layer and dashboards in the cloud. Low latency locally, full analytics power centrally. Large companies with several plants, separated OT/IT networks
Entry & pricing

IIoT pilot in 4–8 weeks — fixed price, risk-free.

Classic MES project
€150,000–500,000
12–24 months to roll out
IIoT pilot with eco2lot
€10,000–20,000
4–8 weeks to live data
BAFA subsidy

30–40% grant on hardware + software under Germany’s BAFA EEW program, Module 3. For SMEs: an effective pilot price from about €6,000. We supply the technical description for the funding application.

IIoT projects often fail because the first step is too big. Our pilot model is deliberately small: one machine, three to five data points, one concrete question. At the end of the pilot you have live data, a rollout quote, and an honest assessment of whether and how the business case holds.

Pilot timeline: workshop week 1 → hardware delivery week 2 → first live measurement weeks 3-4 → evaluation weeks 4-8 → rollout quote
Step 1

Requirements workshop

Joint survey of the plant: Which machines should be connected? Which data sources already exist? Which use case gets solved first? Result: technical concept and hardware list.

Step 2

Hardware delivery & installation

eco2iot hardware arrives preconfigured. Your electrician installs by wiring diagram — typically half a day per measuring point. BS-Systeme configures the platform side remotely after the initial installation.

Step 3

Live dashboard & rollout quote

First live measurement in 3–4 weeks. Full pilot with use case and evaluation in 4–8 weeks. At the end of the pilot you receive a concrete rollout quote for further measuring points or sites.

More on the software platform: eco2lot in detail · eco2iot hardware overview

Funding under BAFA EEW Module 3

IIoT hardware (eco2iot gateways, sensors, control-cabinet sets) and eco2lot software licenses qualify for Germany’s federal subsidy for energy and resource efficiency in industry (BAFA EEWEnergy and resource efficiency in industry — Germany’s federal funding program. Module 3 funds measurement and control technology plus energy management software with a 30–40% grant. ), Module 3. Funding rate: 30% for large companies, 40% for SMEs. We supply the technical description and savings forecast for the application.

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Frequently asked questions

Industrial IoT platform — questions & answers.

What is an IIoT platform?
An IIoT platform (Industrial Internet of Things) is a software layer that connects machines, sensors, controllers, and equipment in a manufacturing plant, captures their data centrally, and makes it available for analysis, visualization, and active control. It links the OT world (operational technology: PLCs, fieldbuses, meters) with the IT world (databases, dashboards, ERP). Unlike general cloud IoT services, industrial IoT platforms are built for the protocols, real-time requirements, and security standards of production environments.
What is IIoT and why does it matter for manufacturers?
IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) means connecting industrial equipment, machines, and sensors through IP-based standards. Why it matters for manufacturers: machines that used to run in isolation now deliver a combined real-time picture of utilization, energy consumption, downtime, and quality deviations. This becomes the basis for decisions that today still rely on estimates — and for automating processes that today still run manually. Typical first use cases: energy monitoring (eco2lot module), machine utilization (OEE metric), condition monitoring of drives, compressors, and pumps, predictive maintenance signals, and process data collection for quality reporting.
What is the difference between an IIoT platform and SCADA?
SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) is a classic control-system architecture: tightly bound to one plant, usually proprietary, built for control rather than cross-system analysis. An IIoT platform is technology-agnostic. It connects equipment from different manufacturers through open protocols and provides data for analysis, machine learning, and active control. eco2lot complements existing SCADA systems rather than replacing them — it reads their data and provides it in one unified data model. That avoids an expensive and risky SCADA replacement.
What are eco2iot and eco2lot — and how do they fit together?
eco2iot is a curated selection of vendor-independent hardware components: edge gateways, sensors, control-cabinet sets, and protocol converters — all proven in continuous industrial operation and designed for connection to eco2lot. eco2lot is the IIoT software platform: it receives, stores, processes, and visualizes the data from eco2iot hardware and any third-party hardware. Together they form a complete solution from sensor to dashboard — usually with your existing equipment staying in place.
Which machines and equipment can be connected?
Any equipment reachable through a fieldbus or an IP interface: PLCs (Siemens S7, Beckhoff, Allen-Bradley, Schneider, Wago), meters (electricity, gas, compressed air, heat, water), variable frequency drives, condensers, compressors, cooling systems, heating systems, heat pumps, PV inverters, EV charging stations, and higher-level control systems. Equipment without an IP connection — older presses or furnaces, for example — connects through an eco2iot edge gateway with analog or pulse inputs. The existing machine stays unchanged.
Which OT protocols does eco2lot support?
eco2lot is protocol-open and supports the common industrial standards: OPC UA (open OT/IT integration standard), Modbus TCP and RTU (widespread in energy meters and PLCs), MQTT (IoT publish/subscribe protocol, ideal for edge-to-cloud), BACnet (building automation and real estate), M-Bus (heat cost billing, heat meters), KNX (building control), SNMP (network hardware and IT infrastructure), plus REST/JSON APIs for modern systems. For legacy protocols such as Profibus, PROFINET, or S7 coupling we use eco2iot gateways as protocol converters at the machine.
What does an industrial IoT platform cost for a mid-sized manufacturer?
Entry via an IIoT pilot typically costs €10,000–20,000 as a fixed price for 4–8 weeks. Included: requirements workshop, selection and delivery of the eco2iot hardware, connection of three to five data sources, a live dashboard on eco2lot, a first use case (e.g. energy monitoring of one line), and a rollout quote. License costs in the rollout depend on the number of data points and sites — volume-degressive, with no per-sensor subscription. Germany’s BAFA EEW Module 3 subsidy (sensor technology and energy management software) applies to hardware and software costs.
Is eco2lot GDPR-compliant and where is the data hosted?
Yes. eco2lot is offered in three hosting models: SaaS in ISO 27001-certified German data centers, on-premise on the customer’s own infrastructure (air-gap capable, including closed OT networks), and hybrid with an OT-secure data store at the plant and an analytics layer in the cloud. All models meet GDPR requirements. Machine data counts as non-personal under data protection law — even so, every instance can be configured to the customer’s data protection requirements (works council, data protection officer).
How long does commissioning take?
3–4 weeks to the first live measurement, 4–8 weeks to the full pilot with a first use case. The shorter rollout times compared with classic MES projects come from eco2lot’s protocol-open architecture and from the prepared eco2iot hardware sets: gateways arrive preconfigured, and cabinet installation typically takes half a day per measuring point.
How is eco2lot different from Azure IoT Hub, AWS IoT, or Telekom IoT?
Hyperscaler IoT services (Azure IoT Hub, AWS IoT Core, Telekom Cloud of Things) are IT-first: strong on REST/MQTT and cloud connectivity, weak on OT protocols such as Modbus, BACnet, or Profibus. They require custom middleware development for every field integration, and ready-made industrial applications such as energy management or OEE must be built from scratch. eco2lot is OT-first: it ships with ready-made drivers for the key industrial protocols, with prepared dashboards for energy monitoring and production management, and with the support model of a German mid-sized company — direct access to the developer team instead of a hyperscaler ticket system. GDPR-compliant without extra configuration effort.
Can legacy equipment without its own IP interface be connected?
Yes. Older presses, furnaces, compressors, or forging lines without an Ethernet connection connect through eco2iot edge gateways. The gateways provide analog inputs (4–20 mA, 0–10 V), pulse inputs for older meters, serial interfaces (RS-485, RS-232) for Modbus RTU, and optional digital inputs for operating-status signals. The machine stays unchanged — the gateway is mounted in the control cabinet or near the machine and sends the data to eco2lot via MQTT.
Does eco2lot connect to existing ERP and MES systems?
Yes. eco2lot offers interfaces to SAP (S/4HANA, ECC), Microsoft Dynamics, Infor, DATEV, and common MES systems via REST APIs and OData endpoints. Linking machine data with order and production data from the ERP/MES is the prerequisite for EnPI calculation (kWh per ton/unit/batch) and for full OEE analysis. Integration happens during the pilot step rather than as an upfront condition.
What is IoT monitoring and how does it differ from classic machine monitoring?
IoT monitoring means continuously monitoring machines, equipment, and utility consumption through the connected data points of an IoT platform. The difference from classic single-machine monitoring: all signals — energy, condition, utilization, process values — flow into one central data model and can be compared across machines, lines, and sites. In eco2lot this includes traffic-light dashboards for condition monitoring, alarm rules with escalation, and KPIs such as OEE or energy per unit. The glossary entries on condition monitoring and process monitoring explain the fundamentals.

Ready for active energy management?

The IIoT connection is step 1. eco2lot accompanies you from the first live measurement to fully automatic control — on the same platform, with zero system changes.