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Track Time For Machines on the Shop Floor

Everybody knows about employee time tracking. But what about tracking machine time? I.e. the hours machines are being operated. Hmm, that’s a different thought. (scroll down for the video for inspiration)

Actually, tracking machine time is not an original thought. Just like airplanes, there are hour meters attached to machines. Turn them on, and the meter ticks away. So that’s nothing new.

What’s new is that you can now associate employees, work orders, and tasks to those hours. You can use Standard Time® to know which employee used that machine. Which work order were run on that machine. Which tasks were performed. That’s manufacturing traceability. You can now trace work order activity down to the machines it was produced on. That’s some cool magic. That’s Standard Time®.

 

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Shop Floor Barcoding with RCA Cambio Tablet

Review of RCA® Cambio®  (scroll down to video)

This is a nice little tablet for manufacturing time tracking. The Cambio® is inexpensive and simple. It runs Windows 10 Home, so you may need to upgrade it to connect to your domain. But it will connect directly to your network with Wi-Fi. You can run Standard Time® BC for barcode scanning. The Cambio is not powerful enough for daily Facebook but it’s great for barcoding on the shop floor, which is what this video describes. I.e. manufacturing time tracking.

In the video, the Cambio® is shown connected to a barcode scanner through a USB hub. That allows a mouse to connect as well (all peripherals sold separately).

Since the tablet connects to your network through USB, it can talk directly to your corporate database. In the example in the video, a program named “BC” is used for scanning, and it talks directly to SQL on a server.

The screen is detachable, and a virtual keyboard may be used in Windows 10. That allows the tablet to be bolted to the wall and not handled to prevent breakage. In a setup like that, the tablet should last indefinitely even in the harshest manufacturing environments.

Consider downloading Standard Time® for your manufacturing time tracking.

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Assembly line barcode time tracking

Using barcodes on the assembly line is an easy way to track employee time. How do they work? Simple… just scan a special barcode label with an employee name on it. Then scan another label with the job and task.

Bleep, bloop. A timer starts!

Now you are tracking time on the assembly line! The information is immediately displayed on a WIP screen for all employees to see. Look up and see which jobs are in progress now.

Bleep, bloop. You’re suddenly a genius and a hero!

Get Standard Time® and be a genius and a hero.  🙂

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WIP on a Big Screen Dashboard

Put a big screen like this on your shop floor! You could display the status of every job in the universe.

But… do you really need all the jobs in the universe?

Maybe not. Maybe just all the jobs your employees are currently working on. Yeah, just that would work. Just seeing the work order that are currently in progress… their current hours… the most recent tasks and departments… and a percent complete. Yeah… that’ll do it!

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Track time and inventory on the shop floor

Consider using barcodes to scan inventory items on the shop floor. Scanning inventory deducts those items from stock so you have a running total. Scanning those same inventory items at the receiving dock replenishes the quantity in stock. You can reduce the number of physical inventory counts just by scanning items as they come in and as they are used.

Turns out, Standard Time® also tracks employee hours and displays Work In Process for work orders. It’s not just inventory tracking. This is full time and materials tracking. Go ahead and download a free trial today!

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Track work orders on the assembly line

Here’s a nice little video to help inspire you to track work orders on the assembly line with barcodes?

What… barcodes?

Yep, barcodes. Scroll down below the video for more…

Turns out, you can track orders on the assembly line with barcodes. Employees simply scan barcodes telling you who is working on what. Now you have timestamped records of the employee doing the work and the job they are doing.

The program we’re describing is Standard Time®.

Standard Time has the ability to collect time entries using barcodes. Just tack a few strategic codes to workbenches and you’re ready to start. Scan an employee name and job number. A timer will start. You’re now collecting the very basics. There are a lot more things to scan, but this is the start. Go ahead and download ST and try scanning. You’ll like it.  🙂

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How much time goes into your work orders?

How much time goes into your work orders? Do you know?

Some companies know. Many do not.

But the fact is, you can know. Just put a barcode scanner on the shop floor and find out. You might be surprised. 🙂

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Manufacturing Software, Made In America!

Want to support Made-In-America? Here’s your chance!

We build software for manufacturing, and we’re in America. And our customers make products in America. It’s a double value. Two for the price of one.

Actually, it’s a lot more than just two. It is the trickle-down effect of keeping jobs in your backyard and all the commerce that arises from it. Nothing new, you’ve heard it before.

Take a look at Standard Time®. Let us know what you think.  🙂

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Track Time with Barcodes

Even welders can run a barcode scanner! And even web developers can light a torch… or maybe not. Anyways, tracking time with barcodes is still the best way to track work orders on the shop floor.

Where is that last order? In welding yet? Or still in plasma? If you don’t know, consider scanning barcode labels for each stage of the process. It’s really easy and lets you know where every job is at.

The little inspiring video below might spark your interest.

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Girl power! Assembly Line Time Tracking with Barcodes

What if manufacturers had barcodes in 1944? Production would have doubled!

But alas, barcodes were not invented until 1974, thirty years later.

Well at least you have them. So what are you waiting for? Put them to use on the shop floor and double your production. We’ll show you how.