CLEVELAND, OH — November 8, 2026 — Expert Tech Pilot, a Northeast Ohio software engineering and technology consulting firm specializing in industrial automation, enterprise software development, and systems integration, is highlighting its manufacturing technology work with Zircoa Inc., a Solon, Ohio-based manufacturer of advanced technical ceramics.

The newly published case study, “From the Production Floor to Quality Intelligence at Zircoa,” demonstrates how specialized measurement applications can connect production-floor instrumentation with manufacturing operations, enterprise systems, and laboratory quality information.

The work encompasses a portfolio of custom National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW applications designed to automate physical measurements, evaluate product-specific quality requirements, and integrate information across multiple manufacturing platforms.

Rather than treating laboratory instruments, production equipment, and business systems as isolated technologies, the engineering approach connects measurements to the production jobs, batches, materials, and operating conditions that give those measurements meaning.

Connecting Manufacturing Equipment With Enterprise Information

Modern manufacturers often operate multiple specialized systems, each serving a different purpose. Programmable logic controllers and industrial equipment manage physical processes. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) platforms monitor production conditions. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems manage manufacturing jobs and business information. Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) organize laboratory testing and quality records.

The challenge is making these systems work together.

At Zircoa, Expert Tech Pilot developed specialized LabVIEW applications incorporating manufacturing information from Ignition SCADA and SYSPRO ERP, with SQL-based measurement records, Statistical Process Control (SPC) analysis, and LIMS integration for selected laboratory workflows.

The applications help connect physical test results to the appropriate manufacturing context, enabling more consistent quality evaluation, historical analysis, and traceability.

A Portfolio of Industrial Measurement and Quality Applications

The Zircoa case study highlights five areas of manufacturing software engineering:

Press-Mix Batch Qualification: Custom LabVIEW software integrates moisture and pressability measurements with mixer process information from Ignition SCADA and job, batch, and composition information from SYSPRO ERP. The application communicates with measurement instruments and evaluates acceptance criteria to provide operator feedback.

Green Density Measurement: Automated measurement workflows collect data from scales, apply product-specific density limits, support calibration checking, and preserve quality results in SQL databases for review and statistical analysis.

Large-Crucible Dimensional Inspection: Custom LabVIEW applications interface with Keyence laser measurement devices to evaluate critical ceramic component dimensions and display measurement tolerances.

Sintered Density Measurement and LIMS Integration: Post-process density testing connects laboratory measurement information with production and enterprise records, supporting traceability through a Laboratory Information Management System.

Vision-Based Ceramic Bead Inspection: Image-analysis applications use high-resolution DSLR photography and LabVIEW to identify, segment, and measure ceramic beads, with results available for statistical evaluation and process analysis.

Together, these applications demonstrate how custom engineering software can extend the capabilities of existing manufacturing instruments while connecting measurements with the systems that support production and quality decisions.

From Raw Measurements to Manufacturing Intelligence

A measurement alone provides limited business value without knowing which product, batch, process, or specification it represents.

By associating test results with manufacturing identifiers and relevant process conditions, manufacturers can build more useful quality histories and reduce reliance on disconnected manual data handling.

This approach can support automated acceptance checks, consistent data capture, statistical process monitoring, and improved access to manufacturing quality information.

For manufacturers facing aging applications, disconnected test stations, or fragmented quality records, the Zircoa work illustrates an alternative to replacing entire software platforms: integrating and extending existing technology where it makes operational sense.

Supporting Northeast Ohio Manufacturing Modernization

Expert Tech Pilot provides manufacturing software automation and integration services across Cleveland, Akron, Solon, and surrounding Northeast Ohio communities.

Its capabilities include industrial instrument interfacing, LabVIEW application development, SQL Server database engineering, custom .NET applications, enterprise API integration, manufacturing data transformation, and Microsoft Azure architecture.

The company focuses on helping manufacturers bridge the gap between operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT), enabling production measurements and quality records to become reliable information for engineering, operations, and business decision-making.

The Zircoa case study is one example of how specialized industrial software development and enterprise systems integration can work together to support complex manufacturing environments.

Read the Complete Zircoa Case Study

The full case study, including application examples, manufacturing workflows, technical integrations, and screenshots of custom measurement systems, is available at:

https://experttechpilot.com/zircoa-production-floor-to-quality-intelligence.html

Manufacturers interested in improving production data acquisition, quality automation, laboratory integration, or connectivity between existing systems can also schedule a complimentary 40-minute technical working session.

https://experttechpilot.com/book.html

About Expert Tech Pilot

Expert Tech Pilot is a Northeast Ohio software engineering and technology consulting firm founded by Eugene Farber, a Microsoft Certified Azure Solutions Architect with approximately 20 years of experience in enterprise software development, industrial systems integration, and Microsoft technologies.

The company specializes in custom .NET development, Microsoft Azure consulting, manufacturing software automation, LabVIEW development, SQL Server engineering, legacy application modernization, and enterprise systems integration.

Expert Tech Pilot provides direct access to senior-level engineering expertise, with on-site support available throughout Northeast Ohio and remote services for clients beyond the region.

Media Contact

Eugene Farber
Founder & Principal Software Architect
Expert Tech Pilot
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (216) 236-3987
Website: https://experttechpilot.com