What does it cost to make an existing machine smart?

Why companies think this is expensive

Many manufacturing companies start with the same assumption: if a machine does not have a modern interface, digitization must become expensive. Then the choice quickly seems to be about a new machine, a new control package, or a large industrial IoT platform.

That thought is logical, but often exaggerated. The question is not whether the machine suddenly needs to be fully modern. The question is which information is currently missing in Odoo and which decision is therefore made incorrectly or too late.

With an existing lathe, press, packaging line, or saw machine, it usually starts with simple but valuable facts: is the machine running, is it stopped, has the work order started, is the operation finished, and how much actual runtime belongs to this order? That data is often enough to significantly improve planning, post-calculation, and maintenance.

The real comparison: connecting or replacing existing machines

The costs of making a machine smart should not be compared to doing nothing. You compare them with the alternatives: replacing a machine, an expensive retrofit through the machine builder, or placing a separate platform next to your ERP.

If a machine is still producing well, replacement is rarely the first rational step. You are then buying capacity again while the real problem is information. Linky Business therefore starts with the equipment that is already in place. If it produces a readable signal, we can connect it to what Odoo needs.

This is where the difference lies with many software-only ERP projects. An ERP partner can set up work orders, routings, and dashboards. But actually connecting a machine also requires reading an electrical diagram and working safely in the control cabinet. That is precisely the part between the machine and Odoo where the business case is often won.

More about that approach can be found on our page about machine connectivity with Odoo.

Fixed costs without device-by-device surprises

A practical cost model must be predictable. For an initial project, we therefore agree on the scope: which machines, which signals, which Odoo registration, and which decision needs to be improved. This way, you know in advance what the pilot is about and when it will be ready.

The commercial approach is simple: a low, fixed, and predictable monthly fee per location for the gateway and per additional node. The gateway and nodes are provided by Linky Business as part of the subscription; the customer owns their own machines, their own data in Odoo, and the results. Support, adjustments, and later expansions can be agreed upon separately.

Publishable amounts do not belong in a blog, as rates can change. The current cost structure can be found on the pricing page. More important for the initial decision is the format: start small, agree on a fixed starting scope, and only expand when the data shows visible value.

What is one-time and what can continue later

The one-time effort mainly lies in understanding what the machine is already telling and what Odoo needs to do with it. Think of a technical quick scan, reading the diagram, determining which existing signals are usable, and setting up the correct registration in Odoo.

Modbus, MQTT, and OPC UA are useful when a machine is purchased with them. Then the connection is often simpler. But they are not a requirement. Many older machines have never had such a protocol, and retrofitting a modern control interface is often expensive, depending on the machine builder or practically unfeasible.

That is why Linky Business also works with the electrical reality that already exists: digital and analog I/O, relay and contactor contacts, limit switches, light screens, and power consumption measured with a clamp around an existing cable. The machine itself remains untouched. Nothing is modified inside, warranty or certification is not affected, and the machine builder does not need to cooperate.

The ongoing part is not about proving the same machine over and over again. It is about support, monitoring, changes, or expansion to additional machines when that makes sense. This keeps the difference clear between a pilot, daily use, and further growth.

Example: getting a lathe from 1995 into Odoo

Take a metal company with a lathe from 1995 and a modern saw machine. The lathe still produces well, but the actual runtime only comes into Odoo at the end of the day, retyped from paper. The planner calculates with 45 minutes per operation, while the actual average turns out to be 58 minutes.

In a two-machine pilot, readable signals from the existing machine environment are connected to the Linky gateway. For the lathe, it concerns existing electrical signals; for the saw machine, a modern protocol is available and thus the easy route. Odoo then receives the actual start and stop per work order, without the operator having to guess times afterward.

After 30 work orders in a month, the difference is concrete: 13 minutes deviation per order is 390 minutes, so 6.5 hours of capacity that was not previously in the planning. The decision changes immediately. The planner adjusts the standard time, sales promises no delivery date on a too short routing, and maintenance sees which machine is really running more than expected.

This is not a theoretical integration. It is the chain from signal to gateway, from gateway to Odoo record, and from Odoo record to a better planning. A machine from the nineties without a digital interface can still start and stop a work order in Odoo.

When expanding is worthwhile

Not every machine needs to be connected on day one. Expanding is worthwhile when the initial data shows that a recurring decision can be improved: planning lacks capacity, post-calculation deviates structurally, maintenance is scheduled too late, or operators lose time on double registration.

Therefore, do not start with a list of twenty machines. Start with the two machines where the most discussion about runtime, downtime, or output occurs. Once that data becomes visible in Odoo, you can make an informed choice about which next machine provides the most value.

This prevents a classic digitization problem: connecting a lot of technology before it is clear which decision it improves. The best business case is usually small, measurable, and linked to an operational problem that everyone recognizes.

How to start small

A realistic first step is a technical quick scan followed by a two-machine pilot. Expect about two weeks until the first real data in Odoo, depending on access to the machines, available schedules, and the desired Odoo registration.

The scope remains deliberately limited: one modern or relatively simple machine and one older machine without a usable protocol. This way, you immediately see the difference between the easy route and the route that always works when there are only raw signals.

After that pilot, you don't need an abstract advisory report. You can see in Odoo which work orders have actually started and stopped, which time deviates from the routing, and which decision is improved as a result. From there, you can choose: expand, just monitor, add maintenance, or first adjust the planning.

Do you want to know if your machine park is suitable? First, check how Linky Business connects machines and existing equipment with Odoo and then request a concrete quick scan.

Conclusion

Making an existing machine smart is usually not a large replacement project. It is a targeted connection between what the machine can already show and what Odoo needs to make planning, maintenance, and post-calculation more reliable.

Protocols like Modbus, MQTT, and OPC UA make it easier when they are present. But they do not determine whether a machine can be connected. If there is a readable signal, Linky Business can translate that into usable information in Odoo.

The wisest question is therefore not: what does it cost to digitize everything? The better question is: which two machines will provide enough data within two weeks to make a better decision?