Building a cloud-native Smart Factory platform for scalable MES delivery
Key takeaways
- A legacy, fragmented application platform was rebuilt into a coherent cloud-based foundation supporting future MES growth.
- Manual deployments and operational uncertainty were replaced with fully automated, repeatable delivery processes.
- Platform ownership and DevOps responsibilities were clarified and stabilised through architectural redesign and team reorganisation.
ANT Solutions is a recognised provider of Manufacturing Execution System (MES) solutions operating at the intersection of IT and industrial environments. As its product portfolio and client base expanded, the existing application platform increasingly limited further development, scalability, and operational reliability.
The organisation faced a situation common to technology companies growing around a successful product. Applications had evolved over time, architectural assumptions no longer held, and operational processes struggled to keep pace with delivery expectations. At the same time, clients expected higher availability, predictable releases, and faster onboarding of new functionality.
The objective of the project was to create a new Smart Factory platform capable of supporting current MES solutions while providing a stable foundation for future development, delivery, and operations in a public cloud environment.
The challenge
The starting point was a heterogeneous application landscape that had grown organically. Some applications required a fundamental architectural redesign and partial rewrites to function reliably in a cloud environment. Others could be migrated, but only after careful planning and preparation of the target platform.
Several challenges had to be addressed in parallel:
- existing applications were not designed for cloud-native operation,
- deployment and release processes relied heavily on manual steps,
- operational responsibility between development and infrastructure teams was unclear,
- the client-side DevOps setup lacked the capacity and structure to support large-scale transformation,
- further development was constrained by platform limitations rather than business priorities.
The transformation required not only technical change, but also clear ownership, disciplined processes, and organisational alignment.
Solution overview
A new ANT Smart Factory platform was designed and implemented as a cloud-based, containerised environment built on Microsoft Azure.
The solution combined architectural redesign, infrastructure automation, and delivery process standardisation. It was not approached as a one-time migration project, but as the creation of a long-term operating model for application development and delivery.
The scope included:
- analysis of existing applications and their transformation paths,
- design of the target platform architecture,
- major reconstruction of platform components,
- automation of deployment and release processes,
- migration of applications to the newly built environment,
- ongoing development and operational support.
The platform was built using Azure Cloud, Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), and CI/CD pipelines to ensure repeatability, transparency, and operational control.
How the work was executed
The work started with a detailed assessment of applications in use, identifying which components required architectural changes and which could be migrated with limited modification. Based on this analysis, a phased platform construction and migration plan was developed.
Architectural work focused on enabling scalability, resilience, and operational clarity. Kubernetes-based orchestration was introduced to standardise application runtime, while Infrastructure as Code ensured that environments could be recreated and managed consistently.
Deployment processes were redesigned around full automation. CI/CD pipelines replaced manual releases, enabling controlled changes, traceability, and rollback capability. This significantly reduced operational risk and improved release predictability.
In parallel, Onwelo supported the reorganisation of DevOps responsibilities. A single manager was responsible for coordinating work across both Onwelo and client-side teams, ensuring alignment between development, infrastructure, and operations.
The engagement operates as a continuous service rather than a fixed-scope project, providing ongoing development, maintenance, and platform evolution.
Operational results
The application platform was transformed into a cloud-based environment capable of supporting current and future MES solutions.
Key outcomes included:
- successful migration of applications to a new cloud platform,
- establishment of a fully automated deployment and release process,
- improved stability and scalability of the application environment,
- structured administrative and operational processes,
- reorganisation and stabilisation of the client-side DevOps function.
The new platform removed infrastructure-related constraints from product development, allowing teams to focus on functionality and client needs rather than operational workarounds.
Business value
The Smart Factory platform created a foundation for scalable MES delivery without increasing operational complexity. Automation reduced dependency on manual effort and individual expertise, lowering risk and improving predictability.
Clear platform ownership and structured DevOps processes improved accountability and collaboration between teams. At the same time, the cloud-based architecture enables faster onboarding of new solutions and clients, supporting ANT Solutions’ growth strategy.
By shifting from a constrained legacy setup to a controlled, automated platform, the organisation gained flexibility, stability, and readiness for further expansion in industrial IT environments.
By rebuilding its application platform as a cloud-native, automated foundation, ANT Solutions established a scalable operating model that supports reliable MES delivery and long-term product growth