Basic Barcode Setup for Mfg, Scanning on the Shop Floor

This video shows how to set up barcode scanning for manufacturing on the shop floor. (scroll down for video)

It is so easy to begin tracking time for employees on the shop floor. Just slap a barcode scanner in their hands and ask them to scan their work orders and tasks. Now that is a hundred and ten percent easier than filling out paper timesheets and yelling job status across the floor. Just scan and go.

Wait… what do employees scan?

Try scanning in this order:

  1. Scan your employee badge
  2. Scan the work order
  3. Scan the task you’re working on

That’s it! A timer will start, and you can begin your work. When you finish your task, scan these things:

  1. Scan your employee badge again
  2. Scan the word STOP

No the timer stops. You have just communicated the following things to your boss:

  1. When you started work
  2. How long you worked
  3. What job you worked on
  4. What task you worked on
  5. What client the work was for
  6. What department the work was done in
  7. What phase of the job was worked on
  8. How many times the job was touched
  9. How many tasks it took for the job
  10. The total hours accumulated on the job
  11. The percentage of completion for the job
  12. When the job is likely to be done
  13. And about a dozen other things you don’t readily think of

See how valuable this is? Just a few scans communicate a huge amount of information. Watch the video and give it a try.