OEM Machine Manufacturers — Integrate Remote Maintenance into Your Offering

The machine you deliver is the result of months of development, engineering, and testing. Its sale generates a profit margin. Its maintenance generates little revenue but incurs significant costs—travel, technicians, logistics.

Remote maintenance turns this equation on its head: it reduces corrective maintenance costs, generates recurring revenue, and strengthens your competitive position with your customers.

Why Remote Maintenance Has Become Essential for OEMs​

Changes in Customer Specifications​

In the special-purpose machinery, automation, packaging, food processing, and pharmaceutical industries, the demand for remote maintenance has become widespread. Clients are including it in their specifications as a selection criterion.

What Your Enterprise Customers Are Asking for Today:

  • Service Level Agreement (SLA) for restoring production in the event of a failure: 4 hours, 8 hours, or even 2 hours for continuous-operation industries
  • Traceability of service interventions for quality systems (ISO 9001, GMP, HACCP)
  • Access to operational data to optimize their production
  • Customer dashboard to monitor the status of their machines without calling technical support

An OEM that cannot offer these features loses market share to competitors who do — even if its machine is technically superior.

Economic Transformation​

Traditional model:

  • Equipment sales: one-time margin
  • Corrective maintenance: costs (travel + technician) > revenue (customer billing)
  • Maintenance contracts: renegotiated annually, often under pressure

Connected model:

  • Machine sales: margin unchanged (or even higher)
  • Monitoring subscription: recurring revenue, renewal rate > 90%
  • Data-driven preventive maintenance: fewer breakdowns → lower costs → positive margin
  • Insight into the actual installed base: invaluable R&D data

Technical Architecture: From the Machine to the Cloud​

Hardware Integration into the Machine​

The Eziwan gateway is installed in the machine's main control cabinet just like a variable-frequency drive or a communication module:

Power Supply Recommendation: Derive the 24V DC for the gateway from a continuous power source, before the machine's main power switch. The gateway must remain accessible even when the machine is powered off. It is precisely in these situations—when the machine is shut down and the operator calls technical support—that remote access is most useful.

Two partitioned access areas​

FeatureOEM (Manufacturer) AreaCustomer (Operator) Area
Real-time process variables✓ All✓ Authorized only
Commissioning parameters✓ Read + write✗ Hidden (protected know-how)
PID parameters / calibration✓ Read + write✗ Hidden
PLC program (TIA Portal)✓ Access via VPN✗
PLC firmware (download)✓✗
Complete history✓ All variables✓ Authorized variables
Alerts and notifications✓ All machines✓ Their machines
Fleet view✓ Entire fleet✗ Their machines only
Data API✓ Full access✓ Authorized variables

This separation is cryptographic—not just organizational. Compromising a client credential does not grant access to the OEM space.

Security and GDPR Compliance​

Protecting Your Know-How​

Your PLC program contains the logic that sets your machine apart from your competitors'. Remote maintenance must not expose this know-how.

Technical Protection:

  1. Hidden Variables: Recipe parameters, calibration values, and PID parameters are declared as access_client: hidden in the Eziwan configuration—they are not visible to the customer portal
  2. PLC protection: Enable Know-How Protection on the S7-1500 and access protection on the M340—even if someone gains client VPN access, they cannot read the program
  3. Communication encryption: OpenVPN AES-256-GCM — data in transit is unreadable even to a network administrator

GDPR Compliance for Customer Data​

The operational data collected from your customers’ machines may contain information about their production. As a manufacturer, you are a processor under the GDPR: your customer is the data controller, and you process the data on their behalf.

What this qualification entails:

  • You must sign a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) with each client
  • You must be able to comply with requests for access to or deletion of data
  • Data must be hosted within the EU (Eziwan’s infrastructure is hosted in France and Germany)
  • A data breach must be reported to the CNIL within 72 hours

Eziwan provides OEM partners with a pre-filled DPA template that complies with the GDPR.

REST API for integration into your customer portal​

Why Integrate the API​

If you have a proprietary customer portal (a customer portal on your website, a mobile app, or an ERP system with a maintenance module), you can integrate Eziwan data directly into your interface—without your customers needing a separate Eziwan account.

Examples of How to Use the API​

import requests
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

BASE_URL = "https://api.eziwan.com/v1"
API_KEY  = "your_oem_api_key"
HEADERS  = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# ─── List all machines in the OEM fleet ───────────────────────────────
def get_all_machines():
    resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/organization/sites", headers=HEADERS)
    return resp.json()["data"]  # List of all sites (machines)

# ─── Real-time machine status ───────────────────────────────────────
def get_machine_status(site_id: str):
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/sites/{site_id}/variables/latest",
        headers=HEADERS
    )
    return resp.json()["data"]  # Current values of all variables

# ─── 30-Day History of a Variable ──────────────────────────────
def get_variable_history(site_id: str, variable_name: str, days: int = 30):
    end   = datetime.utcnow()
    start = end - timedelta(days=days)
    
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/sites/{site_id}/variables/{variable_name}/history",
        headers=HEADERS,
        params={
            "from": start.isoformat() + "Z",
            "to":   end.isoformat() + "Z",
            "resolution": "1h"  # Hourly Aggregation
        }
    )
    return resp.json()["data"]  # List of (timestamp, value) pairs aggregated by hour

# ─── Active alerts in the park ─────────────────────────────────────────
def get_active_alerts():
    resp = requests.get(
        f"{BASE_URL}/organization/alarms/active",
        headers=HEADERS
    )
    return resp.json()["data"]  # List of active alarms on all machines

# ─── Example: Fleet Health Report ──────────────────────────────────
def rapport_sante_parc():
    machines   = get_all_machines()
    alertes    = get_active_alerts()
    alertes_ids = {a["site_id"] for a in alertes}

    print(f"\nRapport santé parc OEM — {datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')}")
    print(f"Total machines : {len(machines)}")
    print(f"Machines avec alarme active : {len(alertes_ids)}\n")

    for machine in machines:
        status = "⚠  ALARME" if machine["id"] in alertes_ids else "✓  OK"
        print(f"  {machine['name']:<30} {status}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    rapport_sante_parc()

Webhooks for Real-Time Events​

For real-time integrations (instant notification of an alarm in your ticketing system, triggering a maintenance workflow):

// Webhook payload sent by Eziwan when an alarm is triggered
{
  "event": "alarm_triggered",
  "timestamp": "2024-03-18T14:23:07Z",
  "site": {
    "id": "machine-xyz-001",
    "name": "Machine XYZ — Client ACME Toulouse"
  },
  "alarm": {
    "variable": "temperature_zone_1",
    "value": 892.3,
    "threshold": 850.0,
    "direction": "above",
    "severity": "critical",
    "message": "Température zone 1 : 892°C (seuil : 850°C)"
  }
}

Business Model and Partner Pricing​

Suggested Pricing Structure for Your Customers​

──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
SUPERVISION OFFER — Operational Visibility
  Access to the real-time customer dashboard
  SMS/Email Alerts for Machine Malfunctions
  Historique 1 an
  2 utilisateurs client inclus
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CONNECTED MAINTENANCE OFFER
  All Supervision +
  OEM Technician Remote Access (Unlimited)
  Remote SLA Diagnosis: 4 business hours
  Remote Firmware Update
  Historique 3 ans
  5 utilisateurs client inclus
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
OFFRE PERFORMANCE GARANTIE
  All Connected Maintenance +
  Monthly Machine Performance Report
  Data-Driven Preventive Maintenance (Deviation Alerts)
  Contractual Machine Availability Guarantee
  API Access for Customer Integration
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Performance Metrics to Track​

To manage your connected maintenance operations:

KPITargetData Source
MTTR (Mean Time To Repair)< 4 hoursTime from alarm to resolution
% of incidents resolved remotely> 60%VPN sessions without on-site visits
Subscription Renewal Rate> 90%Sales follow-up
Number of Prevented Failures> 2 per machine per yearDeviation alerts → scheduled maintenance
Customer Satisfaction> 4/5Annual survey

Eziwan OEM Partner Program​

What's Included​

Volume-based tiered pricing:

  • Tiers based on the number of gateways ordered annually
  • Increasing discounts on hardware and subscriptions

Development Tools:

  • Development account with test gateways
  • Access to the full API (including beta endpoints)
  • Staging environment for testing integrations
  • Comprehensive and up-to-date technical documentation

Dedicated Technical Support:

  • An integration engineer assigned to the first 3 projects
  • A dedicated Slack channel for technical questions
  • Support SLA: response within < 2 business hours

Sales Tools:

  • Co-branded sales materials (presentations, technical data sheets)
  • Connected maintenance contract templates
  • ROI calculator that can be customized with your logo
  • Featured on the Eziwan partners page

Eligibility Criteria​

The OEM Partner Program is open to industrial machine manufacturers who:

  • Ship at least 10 machines per year
  • Have customers with contractual maintenance requirements
  • Wish to include the gateway as standard equipment (not as an option)

OEM Partner FAQ​

Q: Can we customize the customer dashboard with our own colors? Partial white-labeling (logo, primary colors) is available upon request as part of the advanced partner plans. The dashboard URL can be a subdomain of your website.

Q: What happens if a customer cancels their subscription? Access to the cloud is suspended. The gateway remains on the customer's machine and continues to operate locally. If the customer reactivates the subscription, the history is restored.

Q: Can third-party sensors (not on the controller) be integrated? Yes. The Eziwan gateway has an RS-485 port for Modbus RTU (directly connected field instruments) and the ability to receive MQTT data from nearby IoT sensors.

Q: How do I handle the end of a machine's lifecycle and the transfer to a new customer? The site can be transferred from one customer account to another via the partner portal, without any action required on the gateway. The history can be retained or deleted in accordance with the privacy policy.

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See also: OEM Machine Remote Maintenance — Complete Guide for a more detailed overview of the business model and use cases.

👉 Get Started

Do you manufacture industrial machinery and want to incorporate remote maintenance into your next product line?

Join the OEM Partner Program →

Qualification interview (30 min), partner rates, and starter kit (development gateway + OEM test account).

Frequently Asked Questions​

How can remote maintenance be integrated into a production machine?​

A DIN-rail gateway is installed in the machine's control cabinet at the factory; Zero Touch Provisioning automatically links each machine to your OEM account the first time it is powered on at the end customer's site.

Who owns the machine data?​

The model is contract-based and flexible: the OEM oversees the fleet for after-sales service, and the end customer can be granted delegated access to their own machines. RBAC strictly isolates the scopes.

Can we offer white-label remote maintenance?​

Yes: a multi-client portal featuring your brand identity, separate subaccounts for each end customer, and per-machine billing—the infrastructure continues to be operated by Eziwan.

What Business Model Should the OEM Adopt?​

Most manufacturers offer connectivity and monitoring as a subscription service (service contract or extended warranty), turning an after-sales service cost center into a source of recurring revenue.