Shop Floor Control Software for Real-Time Production Tracking

Operators use tablets, smartphones, or terminals at their production stations to report activities as they happen. They clock into work orders, report completed quantities, record materials consumed, and flag quality issues. The system updates instantly so supervisors, planners, and managers see production status in real-time. Instead of waiting for end-of-shift reports, everyone sees current factory floor status immediately including which jobs are running, completed quantities, and any problems occurring.

Yes, modern shop floor control software works on tablets and smartphones at production stations. Large touch-friendly buttons accommodate workers wearing gloves. Responsive design adapts to different screen sizes from phones to wall-mounted tablets. Data syncs instantly to manager dashboards when operators report production. Workers don't need to leave their stations or wait for computers—they use mobile devices right at their workstations for immediate reporting.

The software shows utilization levels at each production station in real-time, which stations are overloaded and which have available capacity. Queue lengths show jobs waiting at each station. When one station runs at 130% capacity while others sit at 60%, you immediately see the bottleneck. Supervisors can reassign work, adjust schedules, or add resources to constrained stations before delays propagate through the entire production schedule.

Yes, operators flag quality problems immediately when discovered during production using mobile devices at their stations. They record defect types, affected quantities, and problem descriptions with photos if needed. Supervisors receive instant alerts and can stop work orders before producing more defective units. Quality teams see issues in real-time and can investigate root causes immediately instead of discovering problems days later during final inspection.

Workers clock in and out of specific work orders at production stations. The system tracks actual time spent on each job, multiple workers on the same order, and efficiency comparing actual versus estimated time. Labor costs calculate automatically using actual hours and worker pay rates. You see accurate job costs for profitability analysis instead of using estimated labor. Track operator efficiency and identify training needs from actual performance data.

Operators record materials consumed during production either manually or through barcode scanning at production stations. Inventory decreases instantly when materials are issued to work orders. The system alerts when materials are running low before complete shortages stop production. Track scrap and waste separately from good production. Material consumption data flows automatically to inventory management and accounting without separate data entry or reconciliation.

Yes, shop floor control integrates with production planning to show which jobs are scheduled, when they should start, and required materials. As operators report production progress, planning sees actual completion status and can adjust schedules if jobs run ahead or behind. Capacity planning uses real utilization data from the shop floor. Material planning sees actual consumption rates. All systems work from identical current production data.

Mobile-first shop floor interfaces are designed for simplicity with large buttons, intuitive workflows, and minimal steps to report production. Most operators learn basic functions—clocking in, reporting quantities, and flagging issues—in under 30 minutes of training. Touch-friendly design works for operators wearing gloves or with limited computer experience. The system guides workers through reporting steps reducing errors and eliminating confusion about what to enter.

NetSuite and Dynamics 365 provide shop floor tracking with features like digital work instructions, equipment integration, and production analytics. Alpide's advantage is shop floor control that works seamlessly with the entire manufacturing system—production data updates planning, material consumption adjusts inventory instantly, and labor time flows to accounting in real-time. For growing manufacturers needing shop floor visibility that actually connects with daily operations, Alpide eliminates delays between production floor and business systems at substantially lower cost.

Production scheduling plans when jobs should run and assigns work to production stations. Shop floor control tracks actual execution—what's currently running, progress made, time spent, and problems encountered. Scheduling creates the plan, shop floor control monitors reality and provides feedback on whether plans are being met.

Mobile devices continue working offline with data stored locally until connection restores. Operators report production normally; devices sync all queued transactions when connectivity returns. Production continues uninterrupted even during temporary internet outages. No data loss occurs during connectivity interruptions.

Validation rules prevent impossible entries like producing more than scheduled, consuming materials not on the work order, or reporting time longer than elapsed. Barcode scanning verifies correct work orders and materials. Supervisor review and approval can be required for unusual entries before data becomes final.

Generate reports on production efficiency by operator or station, labor cost variance comparing actual versus standard, material consumption and scrap rates, quality issue frequency and types, production throughput trends, and on-time completion rates. All reports use real data from shop floor tracking.

Yes, operators report good production, scrap quantities with reason codes, and rework separately. Track scrap rates by product, operator, or production station. Rework creates new work orders showing additional labor and materials consumed. See total costs including original production plus rework to understand true manufacturing costs.