Production Tracking & WIP Visibility: Solving the "Black Box" Factory Problem

The "Black Box" Factory

Ask a typical factory supervisor: Where is Order? and the answer is usually: Let me check He walks to the shop floor, calls 3 people, and returns 30 minutes later to say, It's at the Paint Shop.

This is the Black Box problem. You know what enters the factory (RM Store) and what leaves (Dispatch), but the Work In Progress (WIP) is invisible. This leads to:

• Hidden Bottlenecks: You don't know which machine is slowing you down.
• Over-production: Operators make what is easy, not what is urgent.
• Customer Anxiety: You cannot give accurate delivery dates.

The Solution: Stage-wise Tracking

You don't need expensive IoT sensors on every machine to fix this. You just need to digitally capture the Hand-offs. A Production Tracking System records movement at critical Gates:

If you track these 4 points, you know exactly where every order is, instantly.

How it works on the Shop Floor

The system must be simple enough for a non-tech operator to use.

1. The Job Card (Traveler)

Every batch of material gets a Job Card with a Barcode or QR Code. This card travels with the physical goods.

2. The Scan (Input)

When an operator finishes their work (e.g., Machining complete), they scan the Job Card using a mobile app or a simple scanner station. They enter just one number: Quantity OK (and optionally Quantity Rejected).

3. The Dashboard (Output)

The management dashboard updates in real-time. You can see:

• WIP Aging: Which orders have been stuck at Machining for more than 2 days?
• Daily Output: How many pieces did Machine A produce today vs yesterday?
• Rejection Hotspots: Which stage is generating the most scrap?

Benefits of Digital WIP Tracking

• Accurate EDD: You can tell customers exactly when their order will be ready based on its current stage.
• Reduced WIP Inventory: You stop releasing raw material if the line is choked, saving cash flow.
• Accountability: Every entry is tagged to an operator. You know who worked on the rejected batch.

Why Barcodes/QR Codes are Essential

Manual data entry is the enemy of production tracking. If an operator has to type Order 504, they will make typos. Scanning a QR code takes 1 second and is 100% accurate. At Gamavis, we build mobile-friendly scanner interfaces that work on cheap Android phones, so you don't need expensive industrial PDAs.

Implementation: Start Small

Do not try to digitize the entire factory in Day 1. Start with the most critical handover:

• Phase 1: Track only Production Out to Dispatch.
• Phase 2: Track Store Issue to Production In.
• Phase 3: Track intermediate stages (Cutting, Bending, Painting).