Industry Trends

Four Manufacturing Apps that Can Help You Manage the Factory Floor

The manufacturing industry is embracing changes on a variety of fronts. One of the biggest trends in the industry is digitalization. Many companies are working to make the shift from traditional operations to the inclusion of digital softwares to boost productivity and keep up with competitors.

As the demand for digital technology increases, many new mobile applications have been developed to make managing the factory floor more efficient than ever before. Here’s a closer look at four manufacturing apps designed to help you control operations on the go. 

1. NetSuite

Netsuite is a cloud-based ERP software that provides tools to handle every manufacturing process from the ground up. Some of the many unique features of this application include: 

  • Financial management and planning
  • Supply chain management
  • End-to-end inventory and logistics management
  • Sales and order management

Netsuite is a great tool for manufacturers looking for data and visual analytics of all operations in one place. Additionally this software can be tailored to fit a wide range of manufacturing processes, such as consumer goods or medical devices. 

2. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a manufacturing time tracking application designed to improve production efficiency. In this program, users can collect real-time data to monitor employees on the factory floor, access team scheduling for better planning and manage the workforce. Data from this application is automatically filed into mobile timesheets and analytical reports to track productivity. Additionally, users can:

  • Clock in and out with one button
  • Oversee budgets and project management quickly
  • Automate payroll to easily pay employees 

In terms of employee tracking, this software is key in improving management efficiency and productivity reporting.

3. Katana

Katana is an application built for factory floor management and visual scheduling. With Katana, users can easily track floor operations, schedule operations and report on production throughout the supply chain. This provides transparency across the chain and allows for efficient production. Important features of Katana include: 

  • Track and allocate raw materials for production orders
  • Create product recipes that include all materials used for specific product variants
  • Prioritize manufacturing orders
  • Quickly get an overview of tasks in progress

Katana is an all-in-one management software that is an excellent choice for material tracking and management. With this unique feature, users can receive real-time data of available inventory and update supply levels automatically.

4. Prodsmart

Prodsmart is a manufacturing execution system (MES) software designed for real time factory floor tracking and management. This mobile application provides data to analyze orders, materials, equipment, employees, waste, time and other important aspects of manufacturing operations. Some of the other unique features include: 

  • Manage maintenance scheduling and keep up to date on overall equipment effectiveness
  • ISO 9001 quality tracking and traceability
  • Manage warehouse space
  • Full lot traceability to track from raw materials to finished product

For optimizing workflow and keeping track of a variety of assets on the factory floor simultaneously, Prodsmart is an incredibly useful tool.

 

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