Concept of Shop floor control

Data is defined as the raw, unreduced information that is available on each component of a CIM system like a personal computer, robot, workstation or a CNC machine. A data may consist of numerical values, names, alphanumeric characters, codes and instructions. Data structure is a diagrammatic representation of a data base. It shows the record types used and the relationships between them. Data Base Management System consists of a collection of interrelated data and a set of programs to access that data.

Concept of Shop floor control

The systems that accomplish the production planning, development of master schedule, capacity planning and materials requirement planning is called shop floor control. Shop floor control is defined as a method of controlling the work in process in the factory.

Shop floor control comprises the methods and systems used to prioritize, track, and report against production orders and schedules. It includes the procedures used to evaluate current resource status, labor, machine usage, and other information required to support the overall planning, scheduling, and costing systems related to shop floor operation. Shop floor control typically calculates work in process based on a percentage of completion for each order and operation that is useful in inventory valuations and materials planning.

Shop floor control is responsible for the detailed management of activities and the flow of materials inside the plant, including employees, materials, machines, and production time. Shop floor control activity typically begins after planning (e.g., with MRP, ERP); once planned, orders and purchase requisitions are created. Shop floor control attends to the following functions (sequentially):

·        Planned orders

·        Conversion of planned orders to process/production

·        Production and process order scheduling

·        Capacity requirements planning

·        Material availability assessment

·        Release of production/process orders

·        Material withdrawals

·        Order confirmations

·        Goods receipt documentation

·        Order settlement

Shop floor control may also include identifying and assessing vulnerabilities and risks due to the shop floor environment, employees, process, and the technologies employed at the shop-floor level. Based on the assessment of these factors, shop floor control initiates measures to keep risk at an acceptable minimum level.

Best practices for shop floor control include:

·        Efficiently execute, prioritize, and release work orders to the shop floor with real-time status of progress and completion.

·        Deliver accurate and up-to-date information on materials consumption and availability, which is essential for reliable inventory planning and costing.

·        Effectively execute change management processes to ensure that the proper revision of products, bills of materials, and processes are always in place for production.

·        Automate shop floor equipment control and data collection to reduce human errors and increase productivity.

·        Provide the correct manufacturing SOPs, technical drawings, and diagnostics to shop floor operators to reinforce training and ensure proper processing.

·        Download setup programs directly to equipment based on product and process specifications.

With fully interactive access to shop floor control software, supervisors can monitor shop activities and make better decisions on the spot, especially using mobile computing equipment.

Shop Floor Control are methods and systems used to prioritize, track, and report against production orders and schedules. They include the procedures used to evaluate current resource status, and the update of labor, machine hour, and other associated information as required to support the overall planning, scheduling, and costing systems.