Belden and Tulip Help Manufacturers Act on Data From Legacy Equipment for Measurable OEE Gains

Key Terms

oee technical

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a single percentage metric that combines how much a machine or production line runs, how fast it runs compared with its ideal speed, and the quality of the output to show total manufacturing efficiency. Think of it like a car’s trip score that reflects how often the car is used, how fast it goes relative to the speed limit, and whether it reaches the destination without problems; higher OEE means fewer breakdowns, slower runs, or defective parts. Investors use OEE as a quick indicator of operational health and capacity to produce goods reliably, which can affect costs, revenue, and profitability.

brownfield digitization technical

Upgrading and integrating digital technologies into existing facilities, equipment, or legacy IT systems while keeping them running, like renovating a house room-by-room instead of rebuilding it from scratch. It matters to investors because it changes projected capital spending, operational efficiency, downtime risk, and the timeline for realizing productivity or cost benefits from modernization efforts.

track-and-trace compliance technical

A set of legal and technical requirements that force companies to record and exchange unique identifiers and movement data for products as they move through the supply chain, so each item can be traced from manufacturer to end user. Like a digital chain of custody or package tracking system, it matters to investors because it affects a company’s operating costs, ability to sell in regulated markets, inventory accuracy, and exposure to fines or recalls.

See more from StockTitan in Google Search and AI answers. Adds StockTitan as a preferred source · opens Google

Add on Google Not now

Operations and quality teams can now act on real-time production data without replacing equipment or disrupting lines.

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), a leading global provider of complete connection solutions, is proud to announce a partnership between its connected brand, CloudRail, and Tulip, a provider of frontline operations platforms for manufacturing. Together, Belden and Tulip are helping life sciences and consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers accelerate brownfield digitization by connecting legacy equipment to modern frontline operations applications without disrupting production.

Most legacy equipment was never designed to be connected, making it difficult to capture reliable, real-time data to inform performance monitoring, quality control, process management and traceability. As manufacturers attempt to digitize production lines, their efforts to modernize remain fragmented and hindered by inconsistent data and partial visibility.

Addressing these obstacles requires a different approach to how production data is collected and used. Belden’s secure, vendor-agnostic OT data acquisition and edge contextualization solution lets customers connect and structure data from thousands of sensors across diverse industrial protocols. Then, Tulip’s Frontline Operations Platform enables manufacturers to transform this production data into connected frontline artifacts that guide operators, digitize workflows, capture traceability records and drive continuous improvement. Performance monitoring, quality optimization, autonomous process management and track-and-trace compliance come together within a single frontline operations environment.

By unlocking production data trapped in equipment, operations teams can deliver measurable improvements in operational performance, visibility and real-time OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) in weeks. Leaders achieve rapid time to value without large-scale overhauls, optimizing performance of existing systems by extending equipment lifecycles and ensuring return on investment.

So far, early deployments of Belden’s CloudRail and Tulip demonstrate significant gains, including:

• OEE improvements of between 5% and 15%
• Defect reductions of between 15% and 20%
• Throughput gains of between 10% and 15%

“Whether they’re running a pharma line or a high-volume CPG operation, most modernization efforts across manufacturing struggle to bridge legacy equipment with digital applications in a fast, scalable and practical way,” says Randy Romanaux, Technology Partner Manager for Belden. “By working with Tulip, we’re fixing that problem: giving teams a holistic view of performance and empowering those closest to operations to solve problems based on accurate, real-time data without the burden of complex integration.”

“Manufacturers can’t afford gaps between their machines, people and processes,” says Tulip Head of Partnerships Roey Mechrez, PhD. “Belden’s CloudRail unlocks valuable production data from existing equipment, while Tulip turns that data into connected frontline applications that guide operators, capture traceability records, improve quality and provide real-time visibility into operations. Together, we're helping manufacturers modernize without replacing the systems they already rely on.”

Available through Belden’s technology ecosystem, manufacturers and integrators can source, configure and deploy these integrated solutions through the same trusted providers they already use for critical infrastructure.

About Belden

Belden Inc. delivers complete connection solutions that unlock untold possibilities for our customers, their customers and the world. We advance ideas and technologies that enable a safer, smarter and more prosperous future. Throughout our 120+-year history we have evolved as a company, but our purpose remains – making connections. By connecting people, information and ideas, we make it possible. We are headquartered in St. Louis and have manufacturing capabilities in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com; follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and X/Twitter.

About Tulip

Tulip, the leader in frontline operations, is helping companies of all sizes and industries equip their workforces with connected, composable, and intelligent tools. With Tulip’s AI-native platform, manufacturers can digitize processes, collect real-time data and drive continuous improvement—by using AI and without writing a line of code. Tulip is headquartered in Somerville, MA, with offices in Munich, Budapest, Singapore, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Learn more at https://tulip.co/.

Belden and the Belden logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Belden Inc. or its affiliated companies in the United States and other jurisdictions. Belden and other parties may also have trademark rights in other terms used herein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714978654/en/

For more information, contact:
Scott Todd

1.317.316.6473
scott.todd@belden.com

Source: Belden Inc.