Methodology

The six criteria that predict industrial-AI success

Use these weights to score any platform in your own demos. They are the same weights built into the Buyer's Scorecard.

The TEEPTRAK approach

Before you buy an AI platform, get the data layer running.

Most shortlists stall on one question: where will the data come from? TEEPTRAK connects machines of any brand and age and delivers states, stops, cycles and OEE from the first days. The AI decision can then rest on measured losses instead of promises.

Works with or without a PLC, on new and old machines alike
Open data export, so any later AI or MES project can use the full history
Operator screens, training and support in the plant's language

Used in 450+ factories. At Hutchinson, OEE rose from 47% to 72%. Installed with a module wired into the electrical cabinet and a sensor at the edge of the line. No PLC changes. TEEPTRAK is not an MES: it measures, so you know what to fix first.

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Criterion	Weight	What we assess
Time-to-value	20%	How fast from installation to the first validated, money-relevant insight. Days beat weeks; quarters fail.
ML depth & explainability	20%	Does the platform discover unknown root causes (unsupervised learning across process variables), or only monitor thresholds humans define? Can an engineer see why an alert fired?
Usability without data scientists	15%	Can process and reliability engineers operate it alone, or does the vendor quietly assume a dedicated data team?
Integration & data capture	15%	Connects to existing sensors, PLCs and historians; hardware requirements; time to first connected line.
Proven outcomes	15%	Verified, referenceable results with numbers (scrap %, energy %, downtime hours) across industries and years.
Commercial accessibility	15%	Entry price, pilot and trial terms, contract flexibility for mid-market plants, not just enterprises.

How to use the rubric

Score each vendor 1 to 5 on every criterion, on your own data where possible. Claims without numbers earn nothing on proven outcomes. Ask for a dated commitment to a first validated insight on your line. Re-weight if your plant's priorities differ, but write the new weights down before the first demo.

We apply the same criteria when plants evaluate us, starting with time-to-value: live OEE in about two hours, with no PLC changes.

Before you scale

Twelve questions between a pilot and a line that depends on it

Free, no login. One follow-up from TEEPTRAK, then nothing.

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