Blog
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What is 5S Checklist: Definition, Benefits, Implementation, and Template

Manufacturing environments face increasing pressure to eliminate waste, improve safety, and maintain quality standards. Disorganized workspaces contribute to production delays, safety incidents, and quality defects that directly impact operational performance. The 5S methodology addresses these challenges through systematic work area organization, but implementation requires consistent evaluation and measurement. A 5S checklist provides the structured framework necessary to assess, maintain, and improve work area organization standards across manufacturing operations.
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IT vs OT: Key Differences, Security Risks, and IT/OT Convergence
IT vs OT explained for manufacturing (2026). Learn the key differences, security risks, and how to securely converge IT and OT systems without downtime or safety issues. -

Preventive Maintenance in Manufacturing: Avoid Multi-Million Dollar Equipment Failures
Unplanned downtime costs manufacturers millions. Learn how preventive maintenance software and data platforms like FlowFuse cut failures, boost OEE, and deliver lasting ROI. -

How to Create a Pareto Chart for Manufacturing Data
Learn how to create a Pareto Chart to identify the vital few defects in your production data. Step-by-step guide with live data integration, visualization, and actionable insights. -

FlowFuse API for Industry: Automating Node-RED Instances, Devices, and CI/CD Tasks
Use the FlowFuse API to simplify industrial automation, reduce manual tasks, and streamline deployments. -

Pareto Chart & Diagram: What It Is, Formula, Examples & Manufacturing Applications
Learn how Pareto Charts and diagrams help manufacturing teams reduce defects by 80%. Includes formula, real examples, and applications in quality control & maintenance. -

FlowFuse 2.21: AI-Assisted SQL, Low-Code Custom Nodes, and Remote Instance Performance Insights
Introducing FlowFuse Assistant functionality in Tables to do natural language queries of your databases, Remote Instance observability to improve performance monitoring, Team Broker nodes to make MQTT even easier to work with, a new Energy Monitoring Blueprint, Annual Billing for Self-Service, AI-Generated Snapshot Summaries, and new subflow version control to provide low-code development of custom nodes -

Orchestrating Virtual Power Plants: How Low-Code Platforms Bridge the Gap
learn how low-code platforms like FlowFuse and Node-RED simplify the integration and management of distributed energy resources, making Virtual Power Plants a scalable reality. -

Save with FlowFuse Annual Billing – Now Available!
FlowFuse now offers annual billing for Starter and Pro plans with one month free. Lock in current pricing, simplify administration, and support long-term planning. -

Building Historical Data Dashboard with FlowFuse Tables
Learn how to Build a powerful historical data dashboard for your Industrial IoT applications using FlowFuse Tables. -

Winning Through Open-Source Software in Manufacturing Digitalization
Explore how open-source software can help manufacturers overcome vendor lock-in, accelerate digital transformation, and regain competitive advantage in Industry 4.0 -

OPC UA Tutorial: Advanced Monitoring with Subscriptions, Alarms, and Historical Data
Learn advanced OPC UA techniques in Node-RED: real-time subscriptions, alarm handling, historical data queries, and method calls for production-ready industrial systems. -

FlowFuse's New Database: The Easiest Way to Store Industrial IoT Data
FlowFuse now includes a built-in PostgreSQL database, making it easier to manage Industrial IoT data directly within your Node-RED projects. Learn how to enable the feature, create tables, run SQL queries, and use dynamic parameters with the Query node. -

The Evolution of Business Automation: Why Pricing Models Matter
The importance of a predictable pricing model in workflow automation -

FlowFuse 2.20: AI-Assisted Node-RED & New Database Service
Introducing FlowFuse Tables for data storage, Tables nodes for dashboard visualization, Smart Suggestions in the Node-RED editor, More Powerful Starter tier, Retrieval Augmented Generation Blueprint for intelligent applications, and a redesigned Applications page for better workspace management. -

FlowFuse AI Assistant: Let Your Engineers Build Automation, Not Write Code
FlowFuse AI Assistant helps manufacturing teams write Node-RED function nodes, parse machine data, and create custom dashboards. Learn how it works with real examples. -

Statistical Process Control (SPC): Benefits and Implementation Guide
Learn how to build real-time SPC charts using Node-RED and FlowFuse for manufacturing quality control. -

OPC UA Tutorial: Connect and Exchange Data with Industrial Equipment
OPC UA tutorial: Connect Node-RED to industrial PLCs step-by-step. Configure Kepware endpoints, read/write Siemens S7 tags, browse Allen-Bradley data. Free guide. -

Node-RED Serial Port Tutorial: Connect RS232/RS485 Manufacturing Equipment
Learn how to connect manufacturing equipment using serial interfaces like RS-232/422/485 in Node-RED with FlowFuse. Enable monitoring, data collection, and automation—no hardware changes required