Overcoming System Integration in ASEAN

How smart integration helped two struggling facilities transform operations and what you can learn from them
As more ASEAN factories and warehouses look to upgrade, the biggest hurdle they face is rarely the hardware — it’s integration. Older machines, multiple legacy systems, rising complexity, and rapid growth often create silos instead of a cohesive, data-driven ecosystem. Below are two real-world-style scenarios that we can tackle, each showing a different challenge, and how integration strategies turned them into lansting gains.

The Problem
A medium-sized parts manufacturer upgraded to a modern MES (Manufacturing Execution System) to get better visibility over production. But many of their existing CNC machines and test rigs were 10–20 years old and used proprietary or outdated communication protocols. Because of this, the MES could not interpret their output data. That resulted in data silos, manual reporting, inconsistent production tracking, and regular downtime whenever manual handoffs failed.

For many firms in Malaysia, this is a common pain point: integrating new automation or information systems with legacy operational technology (OT) is often complex and costly.

How We Solved It
Instead of recommending a full equipment overhaul (which would be expensive and wasteful), our engineers can implement a custom integration gateway that bridges the communication gap. We can install I/O modules on the legacy machinery, and deploy protocol converters so data from old machines could be standardized into OPC-UA (or similar). Making them compatible with modern MES/SCADA. A middleware layer handled data normalization and error-handling.

Over time, this integration:

• Restored full real-time visibility over every production cell
• Eliminated manual data-entry and reporting
• Reduced downtime caused by data mismatches or lost traceability

The Problem
A logistics warehouse-equipped conveyors, barcode scanners, handheld terminals, and even Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). However, each system lived in its own bubble: the Warehouse Management System (WMS) tracked stock, conveyors had their own controllers, AMRs used fleet-management software, and packing stations used yet another tool.

The result was confusion. Inventory counts didn’t match between systems, order fulfillment experienced delays, and staff were forced to manually reconcile data, defeating the purpose of automation. As many warehouses report, even with equipment, a lack of true integration reduces efficiency gains dramatically.

How We Solved It
Factronics can implement an integration layer that connects WMS, AMR fleet manager, conveyor PLCs, and scanning terminals into a unified data network. We built APIs and a central middleware network that allowed real-time data exchange across systems, so whenever a pallet was moved, picked, or packed, every connected system updated simultaneously. On top of that, we provided a live dashboard summarizing order progress, robot utilisation, inventory accuracy, and throughput metrics.

This integration allowed:

• Real-time stock visibility across all systems
• Automated order assignment and routing to AMRs or conveyors based on live data
• Consistent tracking of item location and order status from receipt to shipping

The Result
Instead of dealing with fragmented data and manual reconciliation, the warehouse gained a single source of truth. Picking accuracy improved, order fulfilment became faster, and overhead from manual checks dropped. The facility became scalable, new robots or conveyors could be added without risking data mismatches.

These Cases Illustrate Why Integration and Upgrades Are Important

• In many ASEAN factories and warehouses, modern automation is combined with antiquated machinery, making integration more feasible than complete equipment replacement.

• Real-time visibility, decreased downtime, and increased data reliability can all be achieved with a well-designed middleware/integration layer, frequently at a fraction of the price of a complete system replacement.

• Successful automation requires connecting devices, software platforms, and procedures so that everything functions as a single, cohesive system.

This is especially important because many companies operate on tight budgets, show reluctance to discard usable equipment, and need solutions that scale.

How Factronics Helps Your Company Overcome Integration Challenges

At Factronics, we design end-to-end system integration in addition to manufacturing machines. When taking on a new project, we:

• Audit existing equipment and identify legacy systems needing protocol conversion
• Design custom middleware or gateways to connect machines and software
• Ensure new automation works seamlessly with current MES / WMS / ERP systems
• Provide dashboards and data-layer integration for real-time visibility
• Future-proof solutions so new equipment can be added without disruption

Our goal is to make automation adoption easier by transforming disjointed systems into a unified, data-driven, adaptable operation that expands with your company.