Many new IT systems on the manufacturing shopfloor require a login from a named user, often for good reasons for example;

  • Security: “Is the system operated by a known user?”
  • Role-based authorisations: “Is the user authorised to approve the batch and close the order?”
  • Audit trail requirements: to record what happened and who performed which transaction.

The effect of using personal user accounts on the shopfloor is easily under-estimated:

  • User accounts and passwords need to be issued and managed. If new shopfloor employees enter the shift, or leave, it requires onboarding/offboarding
  • There will be requirements for login and logout on shopfloor systems. Shopfloor systems are often operated by more than one person and cannot stay logged in by default or without limits. But the systems need to keep running the operation when the user is logged out.
  • Roles and authorisations are not always clear on the shopfloor. (“which operators in the shift are really skilled enough to approve the batch-quality and close the order?”)
  • Shopfloor decisions can be recorded by name and operators may feel that responsibility.

Often there is organisation work to be done to identify roles and responsibilities, system users, training procedures (who should be in which role and who should get which training) and review onboarding and offboarding procedures.

And next to that there are the technicalities to make it work in a safe and robust way: username-password, badge, fingerprint, iris scan, facial recognition? And is it the (corporate) IT organisation that manages the user accounts on the shopfloor, or should it be local OT organisation?

Giving sufficient attention to the organisation, people and technical aspects can bring the shopfloor a step further.

You can develop your shopfloor management utilising MOMi Business Consultancy Services.