Case studies / Manufacturing
Case studyA shop-floor reporting application for a manufacturer
A manufacturer collecting production data on paper replaced it with an operator-designed shop-floor application, making data available the same day and helping supervisors act faster.
Overview
A manufacturer of moulded plastic components for the automotive and appliance industries, running injection moulding and assembly lines around the clock from a single plant in central Europe.
Scale. Six lines running three shifts, dozens of operators per shift and a mix of long production runs and frequent changeovers.
The challenge
At the end of each shift, a stack of clipboards arrived in the production office. Each sheet recorded output, scrap, downtime and reasons, written by operators in the last minutes of a tiring shift. A clerk keyed them into a spreadsheet over the following days.
Paper records delayed data. Production managers saw yesterday's output at best and last week's downtime reasons at worst. Problems that started on a night shift were often only noticed after they had repeated for several shifts.
Paper records also produced errors. Figures were estimated, handwriting was hard to read, reasons were vague and totals did not always match what the machines had counted. Managers did not fully trust the data, so improvement meetings often became debates about whose numbers were right.
Supervisors had no live view of their lines. They walked the floor to see what was happening, which worked on a good day but meant slow reactions when several machines needed attention at once.
The planning team in the ERP needed actual output to plan the next days, and was working from estimates until the paper caught up.
Customers in the automotive sector were also asking for better evidence of process control, and paper sheets were becoming hard to defend in audits.
The solution
Operators use touchscreen interfaces at each line to record production, scrap and downtime as they happen. Large buttons, clear reason codes and minimal typing make entries quick, even with gloves on.
Output and machine status are read directly from the machine controllers, so operators only add what the machine cannot know, such as scrap reasons and the cause of a stoppage.
Dashboards show supervisors and managers the status of every line in real time, including output against plan, scrap and downtime. Wall screens on the shop floor show the same view to operators.
Alerts notify supervisors by email and on the dashboard when a line stops for longer than a set time, scrap rises above a threshold or output falls behind plan.
Production data flows to the ERP for planning and to the quality system for traceability. Reports summarise shift, line and product performance for daily and weekly meetings.
Downtime and scrap reason codes were agreed with operators and supervisors during the pilot, so the categories reflect what actually happens on the line. The list is reviewed each quarter and adjusted when new products or machines are introduced.
The engagement
- Five months
- Four specialists
- Shift observation, definition of production data, design and build of operator interfaces, data capture, dashboards and alerts, integration with machine controllers, ERP and quality systems, a one-line pilot and rollout across lines.
Integrations
- Machine controllers
- ERP
- Quality system
- Reporting
How we delivered it
- 01
Observe shifts
Three weeks
We observed day, evening and night shifts on every line and defined, with operators and supervisors, exactly what data needed to be captured, when and by whom. Anything the machines already counted would be read automatically.
- 02
Build application and dashboards
Nine weeks
We built the operator application and supervisor dashboards. Operators designed the screens with us, testing paper mock-ups and then working prototypes at the line, wearing gloves.
- 03
Pilot one line
Four weeks
One line used the application on all shifts. We refined the screens, downtime reasons and alerts based on what operators and supervisors reported.
- 04
Roll out across lines
Five weeks
The remaining lines followed, with pilot-line operators helping to train colleagues on their own shifts.
Results
- Production data available the same day
- Fewer errors in production records
- Faster supervisor response through alerts
- Live output data for planning
Production data is now available the same day, in fact as it happens. Morning meetings review the previous day's figures with confidence, and planners work from actual output.
Errors have fallen. Machine counts replace estimates, reason codes replace vague notes and the clerk's keying work has gone.
Supervisors react faster. Alerts bring them to the right line when it matters, and problems are dealt with during the shift rather than discovered days later.
Because operators designed the screens, they use them. Entries are made at the time, not at the end of the shift, and operators have suggested several improvements since go-live.
Customer audits are easier. Production and quality records are complete, linked and available on request.
Improvement meetings have changed character. With one set of figures that everyone trusts, supervisors and engineers spend the time on causes and actions rather than arguing about the numbers, and the most frequent downtime reasons are now tackled systematically.
The operators chose the buttons, the colours and the order of the screens. That is why nobody went back to the clipboard.
What made the difference
Operators designed the screens, so they used them.
