The shop floor terminal: a tablet at each machine
A tablet at each machine or station shows its jobs in big tiles. Operators sign in with a PIN or badge, and start and pause jobs. They count good and rejected pieces with a reason, and stop the machine with a reason. Every count goes straight into the order.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- Production figures are written on a board and typed in the next morning, if at all.
- Rejects are thrown away without a count or a reason.
- A machine stands for an hour and nobody records why.
- You cannot tell who made which pieces, so piece rates are worked out by hand.
How it works
- On the tablet's browser, sign in once as a user with the Operator role and open Shop Floor. Pick the machine or station; the tablet remembers it.
- Operators press Sign In and type their PIN or scan their badge. Several can work at one station; each signs out on their own.
- The queue shows the station's jobs: the running one first, then by planned start. Each has the item, order, quantity, done and whether the material is ready. Tap a job.
- Press Start. Count with 1 Good, 10 Good or Good (type a number); press Reject, give how many and the reason tile, and choose Scrap or Rework. The job shows its instructions, drawing and material.
- Press Pause for a break, or Done when finished: the good count becomes the job's quantity, and the order's on the last step.
- If the machine stops, press Stop Machine and pick why; the jobs on it pause. Press Restart when it runs again.
Everything it does
On the screen
- Large tiles and a number pad for gloved hands; no menus
- A barcode scanner types into the pad; Enter is OK
- Up to 60 jobs per station in the queue; the screen refreshes every 30 seconds
- The job: instructions of the step, the worksheet PDF or link, expected and actual minutes, the components with need and reserved
- Who is working now, and the good and rejected counts so far
Rules
- Only users with the Operator role (or above) open the terminal
- An operator not allowed on this machine is refused at sign-in
- A job cannot start before the step before it is finished
- Done is refused until good pieces are counted
- Rejects need a reason; scrapped rejects use up their share of the components when Rejects Use Up Material is on
- Stop reasons come from the machine loss list (availability and quality losses)
What it records
- Production Log: each count with job, order, machine, item, operator, good, rejected, reason and Scrap or Rework
- Operator Time: who worked on which job from when to when
- Machine time on Odoo's work order timer, with the operator
- Production Log views: list, pivot and a pie of rejects by reason; filters Today, With Rejects; group by machine, operator, reason or day
Buttons other features add
- Call (andon) for a supervisor, maintenance, quality or material
- Rework jobs counted as pieces good again
- Breakdown stop reasons raise a repair request (maintenance)
- Scan Bundle for garment units with cutting (textile)
- Hourly output on assembly lines and OEE from the counts (Scale)
Who uses it
OperatorSigns in by PIN or badge, starts jobs, counts good and rejected pieces, stops and restarts the machine.
SupervisorReads the production log and operator time, makes rework orders from rejects.
Manufacturing AdministratorSets up operators, machines, reject reasons and the Rejects Use Up Material setting.
Where you use it
- A web page in the tablet's browser (Shop Floor), not an app to install; any tablet with a browser
- Web: Manufacturing > Shop Floor > Terminal, Production Log and Operator Time
- The SmartMy Manufacturing app: Shop Floor > Terminal for supervisors. Start, Good, Reject and Done for the operators chosen (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Not from PLCs or machine sensors: counts are entered by people
What you control
Settings
- Rejects Use Up Material: on to start with
- Machines each operator may work on: anywhere to start with
- Reject reasons: seven ready; stop reasons from the machine loss list
Notifications
- The terminal itself sends no messages; Call raises an andon call, which tells the people of its kind
Works with
SmartMy HRMSPiece earnings from the terminal's counts go on the payslip of operators linked to an employee.
Questions
Do we need special hardware?
No. Any tablet with a browser works. A USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner that types like a keyboard can scan badges.How many tablet logins do we need?
One per tablet. A login holds one place at a time, so a login used on a second tablet signs the first one out. Operators themselves need no login.Can counts come from the machine's PLC?
Not yet. Machine data from PLCs is held until a named device is tested; counts are entered on the terminal.Does it work without the internet?
No. The terminal is a web page and needs a connection to your SmartMy server for each action.What happens to rejected pieces?
Scrapped rejects use up their share of the components, so the loss is in the order's cost. Rejects marked Rework wait in the production log for a rework order.Has it been used on a real shop floor?
It is built and tried on our test systems, not yet on a customer's shop floor. We try it with your machines and tablets before you go live.Related features
SHOP FLOORAndon: calls for help and the andon boardAn operator presses Call on the terminal and picks who is needed: a supervisor, maintenance, quality or material. The people of that kind are told at once. The andon board shows every call waiting and being handled, with the minutes it waited and took to fix.SHOP FLOORRework orders from rejects or from stockPieces rejected for rework go through the extra steps you choose, on the same production order, so the time lands on its cost. A lot found bad later is reworked by its own order. Either way you record how many came good again and how many were scrapped.SHOP FLOORPiece rates, skills and earnings, to HRMS payrollSet a rate per good piece for a step, a machine, an item or a category. Every good piece counted on the terminal earns its operator the rate that applies that day. With SmartMy HRMS, the month's earnings go on the payslip as wages for PF, ESI and tax.PRODUCTION AND JOB WORKRoles for your team, and operators with a PIN or badgeGive each person in the office a role that shows them only their part of production. List your shop floor operators with a badge code and a PIN: they work on the tablet terminal without a login of their own.LINES AND SCHEDULINGOEE per machine and day, and the machine board on a TVOEE is worked out every hour for each machine and day from its running time and the pieces counted at the terminal. It is split into availability, performance and quality. A machine board on a TV shows every machine as working, stopped or idle.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTThe SmartMy Manufacturing appAn Android and iOS app for supervisors, quality inspectors and maintenance technicians. It has today's figures, production orders, machines and jobs, andon calls, quality checks and repairs. Each is shown to the people whose role allows it. Operators keep working on the terminal.
See your shop floor on it.
Tell us what you make, how many machines and people you run, and how production is recorded today. We will set up a line with you and run a job on the terminal.