Manufacturing has become highly dependent on various elements, including operator expertise, efficiency, capacity, workforce levels, volumes, planning, and contingency, to mention a few. Each must work as part of a well-oiled machine. Fortunately, dashboards provide a simple way to keep track of these variables and how their interactions affect others.
Manufacturing dashboards reduce the time it takes to respond to different issues. They give management vital information to plan a reaction by improving visibility into minute-by-minute processes.
This blog will explain why dashboards are essential and benefit the manufacturer and management.
What is the purpose of a manufacturing dashboard?
It is a visual representation of a production process updated in real-time, and it shows the essential KPIs or measurements that indicate performance, usually in graphical or chart form. Dashboards display the critical information needed to make sound operating decisions. Users aren’t overloaded with complex information this way.
It also gives data and insights from machines, sensors, and systems in a graphical format that is easy to understand. They assist manufacturers in monitoring and optimizing the quality and efficiency of their manufacturing processes by providing insight into certain activities simultaneously. Organizations can rapidly see their present and past performance via dashboards.
Dashboard concept in manufacturing
The Manufacturing Analytics Dashboard displayed all of the available data about the car, the driver would be overwhelmed. Instead, the dashboard displays the essential information for making appropriate vehicle control decisions.
A manufacturing dashboard performs the same thing for a production operation: it presents the essential metrics that indicate performance in graphical or chart form (rather than tabular).
The data displayed is determined by the audience and the level of control over manufacturing. A supervisor, for example, will want to keep an eye on machine status, output, yield, and scrap rates. Cell and line outputs, downtime charts, and utilization data may pique the curiosity of a production manager. Meanwhile, Operations Directors will be increasingly concerned with overall OEE and summary related data.
Benefits of real-time manufacturing dashboards
Supervisors’ primary instruments are clipboards, notebooks, pens, and watches, supplemented by the benefits of the Manufacturing Dashboards mentioned below.
Simplify complex information
Manufacturers are gathering more data than ever before in the age of Industry 4.0 and IIoT. Manufacturing dashboards can take this data and clean it up, providing you with the insights you need to make better decisions.
According to studies, real-time dashboard users increased their time-to-decision 2.5 times faster than those who didn’t use dashboards for the past two years. You can modify equipment or open new lines to boost throughput at the appropriate time. Also, production meetings are more effective and efficient when you have the correct information on hand!
Improved decision-making
You have the required tools to take your business to the next level with Business Intelligence. Indeed, with BI, you have the means to rapidly analyse your business data and showcase the information you’ve gathered from your dashboard so you can make informed strategic decisions.
Give the appropriate information to the right person at the proper time.
Dashboards are by their very nature adaptable. They can take data from various sources and turn it into insights to better understand operational performance. Dashboards can thus be highly customized, presenting the appropriate information to the right individual at the right moment.
A Vice President, for example, may be interested in KPIs that have an impact on monthly outcomes, such as cost reductions or risk management. A plant manager is concerned with standard metrics, including productivity, quality, and cost. On the other hand, a supervisor is likely to keep track of machine status, production, yield, and scrap levels. A shift, hourly, or real-time measure would be an operator’s focus.
The ability to identify trends by looking at historical data
The data for the dashboards comes from the many data sources to which you have access. You can readily discover trends with the correct visualization tools and historical information.
You may also create trend analysis, which allows you to monitor the flow-on effects between different production divisions while also cutting down on the time required to accumulate and aggregate data from various sources.
Get a complete picture of your production lines
For optimal operation, real-time line visibility is essential. Manufacturing dashboards allow you to check what is happening with your production lines at any given time. You can see what’s functioning and what isn’t, as well as where the bottlenecks are.
Manufacturing is becoming increasingly reliant on a rising variety of factors due to low operating margins. It is not enough to focus on specific machines or lines to optimize company-wide operations. Instead, you can consider aspects like scheduling, budgeting, operational performance, and logistics (to mention a few) to function as part of a well-oiled machine and remain profitable. Dashboards assist you in doing just that.
They can connect data from various sources (including MES, automation systems, and even Excel files) into a cloud repository. It lets you track the performance of a single element and the implementation of multiple factors, and how their interactions affect one another.
Customization is simple
Concentrate on the information that is most important to you. Manufacturers can tailor the dashboards to the users’ specific requirements. You can easily incorporate the most helpful information into the findings.
How does my software improve dashboard manufacturing?
With a dashboard, it’s easier for staff to communicate vital information so that everyone has the same accessibility to it. An essential element to remember is to get everyone on board with achieving common goals.
In today’s globally competitive environment, FactoryWorx MES Software Solutions support the growth strategies of manufacturing companies. The advanced MES software seamlessly integrates all internal manufacturing operations, ERP, teams, and digital and physical processes with the entire value chain through robust traceability and transportation modules.
The aim of measuring essential aspects of your company is mainly in the context of continuous improvement of your internal processes. You can quickly identify the different points that require your attention with the correct KPIs.
Effective manufacturing execution systems use actionable data to provide insight into job-specific characteristics on every machine and deliver the shop floor data you need to keep things moving smoothly. Almost every company may benefit from a dashboard aligned with their goals. Operating without them makes it more challenging to comprehend complex data and increases the risk of missing patterns that would be more clear if visualized. They are an essential tool for any decision-maker, as they assist in driving and guiding the company in the right direction.
