PHP frameworks make development faster. Among various frameworks, Laravel & Yii are two widely used frameworks. Recent releases are Laravel 5.4 & Yii2, we have analyzed the functioning of both these frameworks from the developer’s point of view.

Requirements

Yii is used by programmers for developing web portals and much more. The latest version Yii2 requires PHP5.4 or higher versions.
Laravel is designed for the purpose of building high-end web applications. Laravel 5.4 will be functioning only on PHP 5.6.4 or higher end versions.
Laravel Requires OpenSSL Extension, Mbstring Extension, Tokenizer Extension also.

Extensions

Both Frameworks offering various kinds of useful extensions. Programmers can find many valuable extensions in these frameworks. Laravel has a various number of user contributed / commercial extensions compared to Yii2. It has various kind of extensions providing different scopes in functionality which is ahead of Yii.

Object Relational Mapping

Yii2 Framework feature data access objects, Doctrine2 through plugins and Active Record Pattern. Laravel Also provides the same.

The object relational mapping (ORM ) of Laravel is Eloquent and Yii is Active Record.

Security

Yii2 and Laravel5.4 both have more security features related to authentication, authorization, SQL injections, CSRF coupled with the core code. Whereas Laravel provides these security measures with several extension packages.

Performance

When it comes to the performance of these two frameworks Yii is considerably fast when we compare with Laravel. Laravel5.4 takes 2ms as application startup time whereas Yii2 startup time is1ms.
Also, Yii has a wonderful caching system and supports DB based page, Memcache, XCache, segment caching and APC. While in Laravel cache necessities include Database, Memcached, and Redis.

Templating Engine

Laravel5.4 Using blade templating, which is simple yet powerful templating engine where you can use plain PHP code into views unlike other PHP templating engines. Blade view files are stored in .blade.php file extension. Vue.js javascript frameworks can be used for Laravel.
Yii doesn’t use any third party templating system by default. Still, Twig Or Smarty Template Engines can be used.

Conclusion

The selection of framework is clearly based on project requirements, Yii overtakes Laravel in some aspects like security and fast performance. Programmers should use the Laravel framework to avoid coding flaws.

Both these frameworks have their own pros and cons but Laravel and Yii both are excellent frameworks to work on.

Smart Manufacturing Dashboards: A Real-Time Guide for Data-Driven Ops

By : Divyanjali Gupta

Published on Jul 31, 2025

Data Science Manufacturing Analytics Smart Manufacturing

Smart Manufacturing starts with real-time visibility.

Manufacturing companies today generate data by the second through sensors, machines, ERP systems, and MES platforms. But without real-time insights, even the most advanced production lines are essentially flying blind.

Manufacturers are implementing real-time dashboards that serve as control towers for their daily operations, enabling them to shift from reactive to proactive decision-making. These tools are essential to the evolution of Smart Manufacturing, where connected systems, automation, and intelligent analytics come together to drive measurable impact.

Data is available, but what’s missing is timely action.

For many plant leaders and COOs, one challenge persists: operational data is dispersed throughout systems, delayed, or hidden in spreadsheets. And this delay turns into a liability.

Real-time dashboards help uncover critical answers:

What caused downtime during last night’s shift?
Was there a delay in maintenance response?
Did a specific inventory threshold trigger a quality issue?

By converting raw inputs into real-time manufacturing analytics, dashboards make operational intelligence accessible to operators, supervisors, and leadership alike, enabling teams to anticipate problems rather than react to them.

1. Why Static Reports Fall Short

Reports often arrive late—after downtime, delays, or defects have occurred.
Disconnected data across ERP, MES, and sensors limits cross-functional insights.
Static formats lack embedded logic for proactive decision support.

2. What Real-Time Dashboards Enable

Line performance and downtime trends
Track OEE in real time and identify underperforming lines.

Predictive maintenance alerts
Utilize historical and sensor data to identify potential part failures in advance.

Inventory heat maps & reorder thresholds
Anticipate stockouts or overstocks based on dynamic reorder points.

Quality metrics linked to operator actions
Isolate shifts or procedures correlated with spikes in defects or rework.

These insights allow production teams to drive day-to-day operations in line with Smart Manufacturing principles.

3. Dashboards That Drive Action

Role-based dashboards
Dashboards can be configured for machine operators, shift supervisors, and plant managers, each with a tailored view of KPIs.

Embedded alerts and nudges
Real-time prompts, like “Line 4 below efficiency threshold for 15+ minutes,” reduce response times and minimize disruptions.

Cross-functional drill-downs
Teams can identify root causes more quickly because users can move from plant-wide overviews to detailed machine-level data in seconds.

4. What Powers These Dashboards

Data lakehouse integration
Unified access to ERP, MES, IoT sensor, and QA systems—ensuring reliable and timely manufacturing analytics.

ETL pipelines
Real-time data ingestion from high-frequency sources with minimal latency.

Visualization tools
Custom builds using Power BI, or customized solutions designed for frontline usability and operational impact.

Smart Manufacturing in Action: Reducing Market Response Time from 48 Hours to 30 Minutes

Mantra Labs partnered with a North American die-casting manufacturer to unify its operational data into a real-time dashboard. Fragmented data, manual reporting, delayed pricing decisions, and inconsistent data quality hindered operational efficiency and strategic decision-making.

Tech Enablement:

Centralized Data Hub with real-time access to critical business insights.
Automated report generation with data ingestion and processing.
Accurate price modeling with real-time visibility into metal price trends, cost impacts, and customer-specific pricing scenarios.
Proactive market analysis with intuitive Power BI dashboards and reports.

Business Outcomes:

Faster response to machine alerts
Quality incidents traced to specific operator workflows
4X faster access to insights led to improved inventory optimization.

As this case shows, real-time dashboards are not just operational tools—they’re strategic enablers.

(Learn More: Powering the Future of Metal Manufacturing with Data Engineering)

Key Takeaways: Smart Manufacturing Dashboards at a Glance

Aspect	What You Should Know
1. Why Static Reports Fall Short	Delayed insights after issues occur Disconnected systems (ERP, MES, sensors) No real-time alerts or embedded decision logic
2. What Real-Time Dashboards Enable	Track OEE and downtime in real-time Predictive maintenance using sensor data Dynamic inventory heat maps Quality linked to operators
3. Dashboards That Drive Action	Role-based views (operator to CEO) Embedded alerts like “Line 4 down for 15+ mins” Drilldowns from plant-level to machine-level
4. What Powers These Dashboards	Unified Data Lakehouse (ERP + IoT + MES) Real-time ETL pipelines Power BI or custom dashboards built for frontline usability

Conclusion

Smart Manufacturing dashboards aren’t just analytics tools—they’re productivity engines. Dashboards that deliver real-time insight empower frontline teams to make faster, better decisions—whether it’s adjusting production schedules, triggering preventive maintenance, or responding to inventory fluctuations.

Explore how Mantra Labs can help you unlock operations intelligence that’s actually usable.

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