ERP vendor SYSPRO has introduced software that lets manufacturers collect real-time data on plant floor workers? time spent on operations and materials used.
The SYSPRO ShopClock, companion software to the company?s Work in Progress (WIP) module, tracks employee time and attendance and progress on work orders. The system also shows whether operations are on budget and where time spent has been unproductive. And it posts expenses to the appropriate accounts.
SYSPRO ShopClock offers flexible setup options that let companies configure shift rules to match shop floor labor requirements, the company said in its product announcement. The software automates the posting of labor transactions to the WIP module. An optional feature allows ShopClock to adjust inventory records to reflect materials issued in real time.
Workers use handheld terminals or PCs with bar code readers to scan bar codes to clock on and off the successive phases of their work orders. An on-screen Gantt chart in the WIP module gives management — typically production managers and chief financial officers — a real-time view of operations. A manager can see a color-coded bar moving across the screen, mapping workers? progress as time elapses. ?The manager can see what?s been completed and what?s in process,? SYSPRO CEO Brian Stein said in an interview with Managing Automation today. And materials and work shifts can be adjusted accordingly.
Clocking on/off is fast and dependable, with prompts to guide employees and immediate warning messages and audible buzzes if the employee makes a mistake, according to the company?s announcement. ShopClock enables managers to define shifts, labor rates, and overtime pay for any number of days, in advance.
The software is suitable for discrete manufacturers in the small to mid-size market. ?We focus on manufacturers from $5 million to $500 million in revenue, so it doesn?t matter what size they are,? Stein said. Manufacturers focused on gaining efficiencies through lean practices would be ideal users, he added. ?We have 12,000 customers worldwide. This would be appropriate for 8,000 to 10,000 of them. Anyone capturing labor data on the floor could use this.?
Licensed users of the WIP module would need to purchase the core ShopClock server module for $5,000, plus pay $500 per user for the first five users, Stein said.
The idea of combining plant floor and enterprise data in a single dashboard to evaluate overall productivity reflects an ongoing trend in manufacturing. Last year, Manufacturing Automation reported on the changing definition of manufacturing productivity. At that time, experts predicted that rather than fine-tuning operations so that they simply pump out the most widgets per hour, manufacturers will optimize on profitability or the ability to respond quickly to changes in demand.
In order to do that, plant-level processes and systems must be integrated with the processes and systems of the extended enterprise such as sales, fulfillment, and procurement, so that business managers and manufacturing operators alike have up-to-date visibility into not just how well a machine or production line is operating in isolation, but how well it is contributing to profitability, return on assets, and production goals.
"The trick will be to be able to look at operating equipment efficiency in terms of, 'Did I operate in a way that maximizes returns on assets,' " Robert Parker, vice president of research at Manufacturing Insights, said at that time. "The only way to get that is to get visibility of the whole network of manufacturing assets and how they are operating together." Equally important is making sure the plant is operating at maximum efficiency, that assets are generating the greatest possible return on investment, and that companies are agile enough to recognize shifts in demand and to respond to them quickly.
Meanwhile, SYSPRO is working on other data collection software products. ?More bar-code collection [technology] having to do with inventory or physical counting? will be released in the near term, Stein said.
SYSPRO, which was founded in 1978, is represented in more than 60 countries worldwide. The company has regional distribution centers and a global reseller network in the United States, Canada, Africa, Asia Pacific, Australia, and the United Kingdom.