Tag: Shop Floor Data Capture

Time and Motion Studies for the 21st Century

Originally, time and motion studies were carried out by an observer who would watch someone complete their work whilst timing the process and making notes. However, as you can imagine not many people like being watched as it often leads to serious stress and tension between management and staff. Unions are also often likely to pressure monitors into changing their data, meaning the accuracy of the study is poor.

Traditional time and motion studies were greatly beneficial to streamline manufacturing across many industries. The methods by which such time and motion studies are conducted have inherent problems, however, which modern technology can help to alleviate.

Costly Procedures

The original method of conducting a time and motion study was dictated by the technology available at the time. An observer watches someone do their work, timing their actions with a stopwatch, and making notes.

With a careful observer and a well-designed study, accurate data capture is possible with this system. Even so, the potential problems are not difficult to identify. Few people enjoy being watched closely on the job, and this can have a real impact on performance. Having monitors on the shop floor with stopwatches and clipboards can lead to serious tensions between workers and management. Influence from unions can pressure monitors to change their data, reducing the overall accuracy of the study.

Even in instances where a traditional time and motion study doesn’t result in extra tensions on the shop floor, it still requires personnel to observe and measure actions, personnel who need to be paid for their efforts. The study must also be designed in advance so the monitors know what to watch. The high cost of such a study can push companies away from engaging in them, which means inefficiencies in the manufacturing process go undiscovered. Also, a badly-designed study can waste large amounts of time, effort, and resources.

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Keeping it Real with Shop Floor Data Capture

All businesses need to be prepared for change, the reality is that at some point consumer interests will change and the marketplace likely to shift. Shop floor data capture systems have been designed as a way for businesses both large and small, to monitor worker productivity as well as providing real-time information on the production and profitability of ones business.

In today’s business climate, one must plan for uncertainty, for the reality that consumer interests will shift, and with it so will the marketplace. Fortunately, an enterprise-level solution is available for large and small businesses, in the form of Shop Floor Data Capture. The knowledge provided by Shop Floor Data Capture can help to keep business running “lean” by monitoring worker productivity. It can also provide real-time data on the goings-on and profitability of one’s business in a dynamic and ever-changing business climate.

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Are your ID Badges Simplifying Shop Floor Data Capture?

Smart ID cards are slowly becoming paramount for companies who wish to simplify their shop floor data capture process. The ID badges that are provided when you implement the Ceequel time and attendance system allow your employees to accomplish a number of important day to day functions such as the ones listed below.

It used to be that the multi-purpose ID pass was the stuff of science fiction. These days, however, smart ID cards are becoming a common tool for simplifying the process of shop floor data capture. With the ID badges that come standard with time and attendance systems from Ceequel, your employees can accomplish a number of important daily functions with the same clip-on badge.

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Shop Floor Data Capture: Enabling continuous improvement

If within your organisation you would like to implement a formal lean or six sigma program having accurate data from your manufacturing process is key. Invoices and purchase orders lay the trail for analysing your inventory costs. The costs associated with labour needs to also be collected.

It is a frequently cited management truism that “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” From the earliest days of the quality movement within manufacturing, from Taylor to Ford, or Deming and Shingo, and on to Womack and Jones – the simple premise of “measuring everything” has been at the root of continuous improvement. Without a vehicle for enabling Shop Floor Data Capture, however, the amount of labour expended in any manufacturing process is either subjectively measured or likely to experience wide variation and anomalous data.

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Using Software to Solve Common Problems with Shop Floor Data Capture

Having the ability to switch between tasks can often be a huge headache within manufacturing companies as it makes it almost impossible for the employer to track which of their employees is doing what task and for how long. Implementing a shop floor data capture system will allow you to track what your employees are up to at all times as well as help to solve the common problems that appear when workers often switch between tasks.

Technological advances and shifting market demands have made flexibility more important than ever before for manufacturers. Your employees’ ability to switch quickly from one task to another is an incredibly valuable feature of your company. However, this flexibility can be a double-edged sword. Keeping track of which employees are working on what projects, and for how long, can be a nightmarish task in the modern manufacturing shop. Fortunately, the right Shop Floor Data Capture technology can make it easy for you to solve a few of the most common problems that arise when employees must frequently switch tasks

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Elf Productivity Ltd announce UK partnership with Kaba Ltd

Here at Elf Productivity we are pleased to announce our recent partnership with Kaba Ltd (UK and Ireland) who are a leader within their market for the production of workforce management and security solutions. This partnership provides us with the ability to combine our expertise when it comes to workforce management in order to provide cost-effective solutions.

Elf Productivity Ltd are pleased to announce a partnership with Kaba Ltd (UK and Ireland), a market leader in workforce management and security solutions. This relationship enables the two organisations to combine their expertise in offering workforce management systems that deliver cost-effective business solutions across all market sectors.

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Elf Productivity. A Ceequel Overview

Managing your employees time and attendance is crucial when it comes to the making or breaking of your businesses. Time and attendance systems allow you to monitor your employees total hours worked or number of hours worked on a single project. These hours can then be compared against standard hours and if employees have worked over their contracted hours bonuses can be calculated easily.

Time Management

Time management is a key area of any business and can make or break a new or developing organization. Time and Attendance systems are there to assist the monitoring of employees time, this can be as simple as calculating the total amount of hours worked or actually calculating the number of hours worked on a particular project, job or activity. These hours could then be compared to a standard and potentially a performance and bonus could also be calculated.

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