Advances in manufacturing technology can offer substantial opportunities to improve the results on your shop floor. 

From a broader perspective, these improvements can lead to: image

  • lower inventories
  • lower production costs
  • improved production efficiencies
  • elimination of errors
  • better quality
  • improved customer satisfaction
  • and improved on-time deliveries

The key concept here is to provide people with the most accurate up-to-date information, and empower them to use that information to improve the day to day operations.  Let’s face it; the shop floor is a complex environment, with continuous change.  Machines break down, people don’t show up, mistakes are made, and quality standard are slipping.

Managing this complex environment can only begin with knowledge of what is happening right now, a visual schedule of alternatives, and an absolutely current set of documents to support the decisions.

In other words:

  • Right information to the right person at the right time
  • Visibility to know alternative courses of action
  • The ability to make on-the-spot changes

Examples of Empowering the Shop Floor

eProduction-Real Time Operation Scheduling and Data Collection Status

  • Which Job to Do Next?
  • Other Available Jobs with a Similar Setup?
  • Inventory Availability?
  • Machine readiness?
  • Downstream and Upstream Bottlenecks
  • Documentation
  • Setup Notes
  • Drawings, ECO’s
  • Videos
  • Run Instructions
  • Quality/Testing Instructions
  • Special Notes per Employee, Shift, Operator

An Example

eProduction-Real Time Operation Scheduling and Data Collection

Your material planning and production scheduling and are done, and the shop is running each operation as planned.  Suddenly, the press brake stops functioning.  You need to react quickly, and need the up-to-the-minute visual dispatcher to see what can be done and which jobs will be affected.  You choose an alternative routing, which may be more expensive, but will meet the delivery time for your customer.  You quickly also discern the effect of the machine on other work, and begin to make the kind of changes that will keep things running.  (You will also check the maintenance history of the equipment to look for root causes, and alert the maintenance crew).

Paper or Batch Systems Don’t Cut It Anymore

No matter how well you manage those old systems, they just can’t provide the speed and turnaround that you need in this modern environment.  Some of the problems that are typically incurred include:

  • Old Operation Lists Cause Mistakes and Quality Problems
  • Too Slow, out of date information
  • Paper Travelers Get Lost
  • Not GREEN
  • Human errors, wrong quantities, forgotten data
  • Readability
  • No error checking
  • Delays in management reporting
  • No Visibility to up or down stream work centers
  • Labor cost to enter data after the fact

Typical Tasks Done in Real-Time Operation Scheduling and Data Collection

Here are some of the typical tasks done with eProduction:

  • Review dispatch Sequence
  • Re-sequence the view by any data column
  • View Shop Order Information, including Notes
  • View operation detail
  • View Electronic Drawings/Documents
  • View Other Jobs with Similar Setups
  • Clock in and out for day
  • Begin a shop order
  • Report completed items on shop orders
  • Record material issues
  • Distribute messages

Summary

eProduction-Real Time Operation Scheduling and Data Collection

Advanced technologies on the shop floor continue to make improvements that empower your employees to react and build successful results.

An ability to have penetrating insights into problems, along with views that help to avert those problems, makes real-time operation scheduling and data collection a must-have tool. 

Combining accurate feedback of real-time data with the ability to reach all the latest and critical information, eProduction will turn your shop floor from a re-active to a pro-active environment.

Related Product: Mobile Data Collection