Tracking labor on the shop floor can be an almost impossible task. There’s a lot of moving parts to manage and paper-based systems seem to always fall short. Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) like MV2 can provide a digital alternative to filling out forms and collating them at the end of a shift or week.
Below, we’ve outlined three of the benefits to digital labor tracking over other methods.
Directly connect labor to jobs
MV2 can make it much easier to log time onto specific operations. Through its touchscreen, workers log into a work center or machine and select jobs to run. The time is directly put against the job until the worker logs off the machine or onto another job. That means labor tracking is built into the process of the job, not an afterthought at the end of a shift. It also means tracking isn’t tainted by hazy memories or inattentive supervisors. The time is being recorded when events happen.
Understand how labor time is spent
There are only a finite number of hours in the day and it could be used in a variety of ways: setting up a process, running the process, in a downtime situation or some other indirect accumulation. MV2 offers the ability for workers to log what kind of work the process or machine is doing. This is again done through the touchscreen within the work area, so it can be recorded as it happens, not later on. Managers can see this usage in real time or over time to get greater visibility in shop floor operations.
Analyze labor usage over time
Some issues on the floor can’t be seen immediately. They can only be seen developing over time – but only if a manager can easily sift through the historical events to find it. As alluded to above, manufacturing execution systems continuously log production data and store it in a searchable database, not in filing cabinets of paper or a group of spreadsheets. That means a whole new level of understanding is available to managers running digital labor tracking systems. Managers can see where one worker is better suited for a role than another. Notice processes are taking more time than estimated or determine when it’s time to bring in more workers.
These are just three of the ways digital labor tracking can be a game-changer for a manufacturing operation. Contact us today to learn more about how MV2 MES can make difference in your facility.