As you are reading this text, your production is surely running, right? And on the way to the completed production order, a lot of process and status data is generated that can and should be recorded and saved. This is precisely the task of shop floor data collection. In addition, shop floor data collection creates a basis for further work with your production data. It enables:
The first block consists of organizational operating data, which in turn is divided into order data and personnel data.
Order data refers - as the name suggests - to data in connection with the production order. This can include
Accordingly, personnel data is all about data relating to your employees. This includes
On the other hand, we have the large complex of technical operating data. Here we are less interested in people and orders, but rather in the machine, the material and the tools.
The recording of machine data, for example, focuses on:
Machine data can be further subdivided into process data (settings, process parameters, etc.) and product data (number of parts produced, weight, etc.)
Beyond this, material data - i.e. storage locations, material stocks, etc. - and tool data - i.e. tool statuses, defects, etc. - are also relevant for shop floor data collection.
Now we've talked a lot about data and data collection. Hopefully we haven't lost you in the mass of data that can be collected. Because shop floor data collection actually has one major advantage for your company: You can already benefit from the collected data in the short term. Let's take a look at the short-term and long-term benefits.
Shop floor data collection is not a modern digitization phenomenon and the relevant data can only be collected if man and machine are optimally networked. But there are significant differences between the methods.
Let's just call method 1 the "old-fashioned method": Here, operating data is recorded by hand and distributed internally by hand. Of course, this still works to a certain extent today, but this method is highly prone to errors, involves a significant time lag in the processing of information and requires considerable additional effort on the part of employees. To make matters worse, some data - from the machines, for example - remains in the dark.
Method 2 is therefore the "digitized method". This is how shop floor data collection should ideally work today: Wherever possible, data is recorded digitally and (partially) automatically, for example in the form of a PDA terminal with RFID or barcode recognition, through sensors and gateways on machines or through mobile data recording with mobile scanners or similar.
This minimizes the risk of errors. Your employees also have the option of entering data manually at recording stations, PDA terminals or in corresponding PDA software on their work devices. This enables structured and systematic data collection in real time and completes the pool of recorded data.
As you can see, modern shop floor data collection is not possible without a technical basis. To approach the topic, you can therefore introduce a PDC system in your production. Such a PDC system consists of hardware such as a PDC terminal, appropriate software for shop floor data collection and the necessary infrastructure for recording, displaying and evaluating all relevant production data.
But before you select such a system, you should clarify the basics.
The selection of future-proof PDC software plays a particularly important role. The PDA system or PDA terminal can only be as good as the software that works in it. And in the best case, the selected software for shop floor data collection can even be used outside the system and on other end devices. Therefore, make sure that the PDA software
You have now read about the quantities of data that can and should be collected as part of shop floor data collection. And that PDA systems can provide a powerful, but certainly also quite large-scale answer to your data questions. We would like to suggest an intermediate step that is particularly useful when it comes to collecting operating data during manual production processes. When your workers process work orders, they inevitably generate data. This data can be comprehensively recorded and used profitably with a modern worker assistance system.
Our worker assistance system weasl combines key features from both worlds: For your workers, the system brings access to current work instructions and order-related information, while at the same time offering numerous basic functionalities for shop floor data collection. During manual production, your employees can record relevant operating data in the following areas:
All this data is recorded digitally directly in the system that your workers also use for processing. In addition, the recorded data is immediately available for further processing, transfer to leading systems and detailed evaluation.
Shop floor data collection does not always have to be synonymous with large, expensive software solutions. Basically, you are spoiled for choice as to whether you opt for standard software, individual software or a worker assistance system such as weasl. Your specific requirements and goals determine the solution. The following table is intended to provide you with a small decision-making aid.
Operating data can only be really effective if it is used consistently and effectively. This applies to data preparation as well as visualization and evaluation. It is therefore important to connect the PDA system or the PDA software to other systems. These can be
If you have one of these systems in use in your company, plan the integration with your new solution for shop floor data collection. This will pave the way for data-based decisions, for example for detailed production planning. The more data can be recorded in real time and processed immediately, the more reliable statements and forecasts become.
In an increasingly digitalized production environment, solutions can and should no longer be regarded as isolated islands that are only intended for their actual purpose. In the case of PDA software, this is actually ruled out from the outset and yet further trends are also emerging here.