Inductive Automation recently released a new customer case study featuring Tree Top’s MES implementation with CedarTech — and we’re excited to share it.
The story highlights how Tree Top, a farmer-owned food and beverage manufacturer, used Ignition and Kanoa MES to move from disconnected production data toward real-time operational visibility across complex manufacturing environments. Working with CedarTech, Tree Top implemented Kanoa MES on top of Ignition to support production scheduling, OEE, downtime tracking, performance metrics, custom dashboards, and management reporting.
For us at Kanoa, this case study is especially meaningful because it reflects the way we believe MES should be delivered.
Kanoa MES is built for manufacturers who already see the value of Ignition and want to extend that foundation into production operations. It gives teams immediate MES functionality while preserving the flexibility to model real-world operations, integrate with existing systems, and adapt to the specific needs of each facility.
That balance comes through clearly in the Tree Top story. CedarTech was able to start with an enterprise-first architecture, bring production order data from Tree Top’s ERP system into Ignition, validate and pass that information into Kanoa’s database schema, and build custom reporting around Tree Top’s operational requirements. The case study also notes that Kanoa’s standard scripting libraries made it easier to interact with the MES system without directly modifying SQL.
Just as importantly, the implementation delivered practical value for the people using the system every day.
Tree Top is now using Kanoa Ops on Ignition to manage production schedules, track OEE, monitor downtime, compare performance against schedule, and create a clearer view of plant-floor efficiency. The case study describes how Tree Top uses dashboards, interactive views, break-room TV displays, and management reports to give operators, engineers, maintenance teams, and leadership access to the information that matters for their role.
One of the strongest takeaways from the story is that MES value is not just about collecting more data. It is about creating trusted data that supports better decisions.
In the case study, Tree Top describes moving away from gut-feel decision-making and toward decisions based on reliable operational information. They also share an example of using OEE data to evaluate equipment investment decisions with more confidence and less effort.
That is exactly the kind of outcome Kanoa MES is designed to support: helping manufacturers turn Ignition-based plant-floor data into actionable production intelligence.
We’re proud to see Kanoa MES included in this story alongside Tree Top, CedarTech, and Inductive Automation. It is a great example of what can happen when an end user with a clear operational vision, an experienced Ignition systems integrator, and a flexible MES platform work together.
Watch the video case study on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/TLNjwsnnXDI?si=aWuI71b-esdExKe-
Read the full Inductive Automation case study here: https://inductiveautomation.com/resources/casestudy/treetop