Manufacturing is a document-intensive field: technical drawings, work instructions, control plans, machine setup cards, mold information, certifications, and safety instructions. Having the correct versions of these documents on-site at the right time is a prerequisite for quality.
1. Lifecycle data management
Document-object link: Every document is linked to a product, product tree, operation, work center, or piece of equipment. It's not a document sitting in a folder, but a document that's actively involved in the work .
Version management: Storing each revision as a separate version; tracking which production batch was produced with which documentation version.
Approval workflow: The document must be approved by the relevant parties before publication, and a record of this approval must be kept.
Validity and distribution: Effective date, withdrawal of the old version, and ensuring the currency of copies in the field.
Access authorization: Controlling access to technical data that constitutes a trade secret.
Archive: Ensuring accessibility for legal and warranty periods, even after the product is discontinued.
2. Product development support
Execution of new product development projects, along with prototype and pilot production records.
Trial productions should be opened with a separate work order type and their costs should be reflected in the project.
Converting design data into production data and ensuring that this conversion is traceable.
The feasibility assessment should be carried out during the design phase.
Execution of the mass production transition checklist (initial product approval, mold approval, capacity verification).
3. Operational support
On-site digital access: The operator can access the relevant instructions and drawings from the terminal when opening a work order.
Visual instructions: Explanations supported by photos, videos, and diagrams significantly reduce error rates in cases of language and reading difficulties.
Setting and parameter cards: Having the setting values specific to the product-machine combination stored is one of the most practical ways to shorten setup time.
Institutionalization of knowledge accumulation: The experienced operator's tips and tricks cease to be personal knowledge and become part of the system.
Implementing the change on-site: When the instructions are updated, the relevant operators are informed and their approval is obtained if necessary.
The hidden cost of paper instructions.
A significant portion of the instructions stored in field folders are not the most up-to-date version. This is a source of findings during inspections and errors during production. Moreover, it is never possible to know which batch was produced with which instruction.
Providing the document to the field from the system based on the work order solves all three problems: the most up-to-date version is always displayed, the distribution burden is eliminated, and the system automatically records which version is valid for which batch.