An increasing number of subcontract precision engineers are looking to digitalise their business administration and production processes by removing as much paperwork from the shop floor as possible. PSL Datatrack's dynamic Status Board screens have already been adopted by numerous companies to replace handwritten instruction boards within manufacturing cells. Recent enhancements to the technology behind these powerful displays provides even greater management and shop floor information at a glance.

Essential information that can now be highlighted on Status Boards includes a complete summary of real time production information for the management office. Visual grouping of cost centres and details such as whether the required materials and correct gauges have been allocated to the works order are now available, ensuring everything is in place for on-time delivery to the customer.

A new production cycle feature displays and compares actual cycle times with pre-estimated times defined in the associated quotation. This information can be highlighted in red if over time by a certain percentage or in green when projected cycle times are beaten/met.

To identify areas where there may be manufacturing problems, the quantity of components that are known to be scrap can now be displayed as an overall percentage of the total batch run. This information is recorded by operators through the Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC) module and colour-coded warnings are displayed if scrappage runs above an unacceptable level.

Status Boards therefore remain an essential production control software resource and help to prevent production delays whilst also eliminating information inaccuracies. Status Board technology is the subject of continuous PSL Datatrack development to display live data exactly as the customer wishes to see it.

They are not, however, the only digital features that PSL Datatrack customers are utilising. The facility to display scanned/saved documentation, including issue-controlled drawings for traceability and audit purposes, is another hugely popular feature. Process layouts can also be called up on screen and read by barcode scanners as part of a paperless shop floor.

A number of interactive home screens provide further information and faster navigation from the outset. The visual Roadmap displays production flow and takes the user through the process of how a job runs from an initial quotation through production planning, scheduling, quality control and final invoice.

The Statistics screen can be set as default to highlight business performance using data held within each PSL Datatrack module. This display can be refreshed automatically or on demand, providing users with real time Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at the push of a button.

KPI data is essential management information and, combined with additional new Status Board functionality, will further improve shop floor feedback on production. The current shop floor work-to-list, jobs requiring work on a specific day and customer deliveries due on that day are all popular Status Board uses.

According to PSL Datatrack's Managing Director, Geoff Gartland, the scope of a Status Board has no real boundaries: “The limiting factor is the customer’s imagination. Whatever production data is held in their PSL Datatrack system can be shown on a Status Board, which we will then design to meet specific management and shop floor needs. With this new functionality, it really is like having an extra pair of hands in the busy manufacturing environment.”