Apvine 40

There's a scale right next to the workstation. It shows 247 grams. The operator looks at the screen: it says 243. He waits. Now it says 247. He confirms. But he's not sure anymore. Was it 247 when he pressed the button, or did it change again?

So he writes it down on paper. Just to be safe. This happens more than anyone likes to admit. Mendix Workstation is  the solution!

The workaround culture

When systems don't keep up with the pace of work, people find their own solutions. A paper note to double-check a weight. An Excel sheet that gets updated manually because "it's faster." A process that technically runs through the system, but actually depends on what someone wrote down ten minutes ago.

The frustrating part is: operators are often right. The system is too slow. The barcode scanner does lag. The label printer does fail at the worst moments. And when they report it, IT says it's a network issue, or a cloud thing, or something that "shouldn't happen."

Meanwhile, operators still need to hit their numbers.

Why this keeps happening

Most modern production applications run in the cloud. That makes sense for maintenance, updates, and access across locations. But the devices operators use - scanners, printers, scales, badge readers - are physically next to them.

There's a fundamental mismatch. The application runs in the cloud, but the devices are right there on the shop floor. They can't talk directly. Every scan, every weight reading, every print command travels to a server somewhere in Frankfurt or Dublin, gets processed, and comes back. That round trip takes time. Sometimes a second but sometimes more.

A second doesn't sound like much. But when a scale sends 20 readings per second and you need the stable weight, a one-second delay means the operator sees outdated information.

What Mendix Workstation does

This is the problem Mendix Workstation addresses.

Mendix Workstation is software that runs locally on the operator's workstation. It acts as a bridge between the Mendix application in the browser and the local devices. Data doesn't travel to the cloud and back, it stays local. Response times drop from seconds to milliseconds.

The scale shows 247 grams. The screen shows 247 grams. Instantly. The operator confirms, and the label prints. The delay is gone. Operators can trust what they see, and the paper backup becomes unnecessary.

And another big benefit is security: Your data stays local and doesn't leave the plant, no need to open up connections to physical devices to the outside world.

Devices supported by Mendix Workstation

Mendix Workstation supports the devices you'd expect on a production floor:

  • Barcode scanners for product or order registration
  • Label printers: Zebra integration works out of the box with included templates
  • Industrial scales, such as Mettler Toledo
  • Smartcard readers for operator identification at shift start
  • Andon lights for visual feedback when something needs attention

Connections run through standard interfaces: serial, TCP/IP, Bluetooth, or USB. For common devices, Mendix provides ready-made connectors. For specific hardware, you build the integration based on the protocol.

What you should know about Mendix Workstation

Mendix Workstation isn't a cloud-only solution. Software needs to be installed on every workstation. That requires coordination with IT. A hundred workstations across multiple sites means a hundred installations. You can manage device configuration centrally, but the physical rollout is still work.

The licensing model, however, is designed for manufacturing. You pay per workstation, not per operator. With shift work, where multiple people share the same PC,  that adds up quickly in your favour.

Is Mendix Workstation right for you?

Mendix Workstation isn't the answer to everything. It's worth exploring if you recognise some of these patterns:

  • Your operators work intensively with local devices, and speed matters
  • Your current setup feels slow or unreliable, and workarounds have emerged
  • You have multiple workstations, possibly across locations, with varying equipment
  • Operators work in shifts and share workstations, making per-user licensing expensive
  • You already use Mendix, or you're considering it for shop floor applications
  • your mendix app should communicate with devices but security policies don't allow for connections leaving the plant.

If your applications mainly run in offices, or device interaction is occasional, this solves a problem you probably don't have.

What's next

In a follow-up article, we'll go deeper into the technical architecture: how the bridge works, which components you need, and what to consider for network and security.

Want to discuss whether Mendix Workstation fits your production environment? Get in touch, we're happy to think along.