Insight into production

One SensrTrx customer has a mix of woodworking machines on their shop floor, used in creating renowned architectural mill and casework. Their company culture and market audience put a premium on sustainability, quality, and safety. Any changes they implement can impact the quality of their product so it was important for them to gather and measure the right data in their performance and quality analytics without distracting their people from the job on the floor.

This type of wood manufacturing has a heavy manpower requirement since operators are handloading wood to be cut, planed, sanded, and finished by machines all day. Efforts to increase capacity and throughput have to start with their employees. This meant downtimes and cycle times needed to take the operator’s actions into context.

SensrTrx was evaluated in a side-by-side comparison with another vendor’s solution. Our customer liked that SensrTrx gathered data directly from their machine’s PLCs then augmented that data with operator input. With SensrTrx, they developed a reliable metric based on how their operators actually used the machines.

Shortstops and operator data can be input manually giving management a bird’s eye view of what it really takes to make a quality product on the mill floor, developing a clearer picture of their production process, cycle times, and performance. Now they get an honest picture of their performance and quality counts, two factors that when multiplied with availability make up their Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) numbers.
Those numbers are steadily improving, showing exactly what their people can do when they have the right data.

Yes, we have a mobile app built for both iPhone and Android devices, available for free on the App or Google Play store. As a manufacturer, you need to know how the plant is performing and if you’re on track to hit your goals, in real-time. The mobile app, paired with manufacturing insights emails and automated reporting, gives you the ability to do this. You’ll know, with just a glance, what’s happening on the floor. 

As you learned from the customer example, millwork software can create more communication and transparency on the floor. When data is collected via both machine PLCs and operators, it allows for greater reliability and accuracy. The right performance and quality data are measured and tracked, giving manufacturers the ability to make informed decisions about improvements needed. 

Now, manufacturers can holistically see what’s happening in the plant. Visibility not only provides unbiased decision-making, but the ability to make improvements that will grow the company. 

This is a very subjective question because everyone’s needs are different. As a manufacturer, you need to determine what improvements you want to make and what goals you want to achieve. When you know this, it will make choosing a manufacturing productivity software solution much easier. There are a lot of options out there, and while most focus on the same core challenges manufacturers face, there are likely features that are better suited to specific use cases. 

So, when you’re evaluating your options, first determine your goals. Then, begin your research. What are the capabilities and features of the solutions you’re researching?  Set up a demo with their sales teams to learn even more. Get pricing to understand if it’s going to fit within your budget requirements. See real-life examples of how your data would work within the system. 

The more research you do, the easier your choice will be. If you’re interested in learning more about SensrTrx, schedule a call with our team of experts.