When considering the most impactful element of a manufacturing data collection platform on productivity, the answer is unequivocally the factory floor dashboards. This is such a critical element that we mandate every potential customer to deploy at least one TV on the shop floor. In our experience, sites improve Shop Floor Productivity with TV Dashboards, while those that don’t generally falter.
Even though the same information is accessible through various channels, like web pages, mobile phone screens, reports, or emails, the TV dashboard still stands as our top predictor of success for any new deployment. Here are the top four reasons:
1. Accessibility and Visibility
TV dashboards are constantly in view as you navigate the shop floor, making them hard to ignore. They naturally become points of interest, regularly checked by supervisors and often serve as focal points for daily meetings or shop walkthroughs.
2. Expanding Information Reach
Typically, a limited number of people, the “owners” of any system dealing with manufacturing equipment, monopolize the system. However, publicizing this information on a dashboard broadens its reach, shifting the conversation from justifying the system’s expense to discussing ways to expand it for better operational visibility.
3. Encouraging Ownership and Participation
Displaying performance data publicly encourages employees to be productive team members. When there are deviations from the norm, such as a decrease in feed-rate override, these are readily noticeable and prompt corrective action. Also, in the event of a machine stoppage, the public display prompts operators to input the reason code, letting everyone know the cause isn’t due to the operator’s fault.
4. Real-Time Stakeholder Engagement
Displaying real-time information can help mitigate issues before they escalate. One common complaint among machinists is the assumption of laziness when a machine is idle due to factors beyond their control. We aim to address these issues, providing a platform for operators to report problems. Such information can be displayed in relevant departments, such as quality, to accelerate problem resolution.
These examples just scratch the surface of what’s possible with a TV dashboard. FactoryWiz can help customers incorporate preventive maintenance notifications, calibration reminders, help requests, monthly productivity data, profit sharing targets, and a plethora of other information.
Leveraging FactoryWiz Monitoring
For those who require the full functionality of the web portal, operator data input tablets, API for ERP systems integration, emailed reports, and our click-to-learn productivity browser feature, FactoryWiz Monitoring can provide you with the complete package, inclusive of the TV dashboards for any machine. You can learn more about the FactoryWiz Monitoring package at www.factorywiz.com.
FactoryWiz is an on-premise, datacenter, or cloud-deployed factory data collection platform based on web architecture and the principle of open data exchange. Founded in 1983 as Refresh Your Memory, FactoryWiz has been pioneering all aspects of communication and data collection on the factory floor. We’ve developed a system that can gather information from virtually any manufacturing equipment. Learn more at www.factorywiz/com/monitoring/media or www.factorywiz.com/monitoring.
As the President of FactoryWiz and the chief architect of the FactoryWiz Monitoring and DNC systems, I’ve dedicated my career to bridging the gap between machine tool operations and information technology since joining the company in 1998.
Richard Hefner
