With the aim of making it simpler to control the process of tightening multiple fasteners in one process, we’ve just published a Tascus update that enables you to tighten a batch of fasteners in one Tascus step.

Configuring a Batch Tighten

To tighten a batch of fasteners, when configuring the step within the sequence, set the Batch Qty to the number of fasteners to be tightened.

Update Image Overlays

To display image overlays highlighting which fastener to tighten, click on the Edit button.

Set the position of an overlay by clicking on the image , you can change the overlay number by using the + and – buttons on the bottom menu bar.

Want to learn more?

If you haven’t yet moved your manufacturing process to digital. You can watch a free demo of Tascus here.

We’ve just released a new feature to Tascus Manufacturing Execution System. It enables manufacturers to add dynamic data to digital work instructions.

During the manufacturing process, you can eliminate the use of notepads to track measurements, readings and other data needed at a later stage.

Displaying Dynamic Data in Work Instructions

The example above shows how a work instruction shows 3 measurements taken during the manufacturing process to capture 3 measurements – diameter, radius and depth. These are then shown in a single work instruction to the operator.

How to Configure Dynamic Data in Work Instructions

In the example below, I’ve started by creating a sequence with 3 measurements, and a work instruction. We’ll then configure the work instruction to show values from the 3 measurements.

* Currently, dynamic data in a work instruction only works with measurements acquired in the same sequence as the work instruction.

When editing the work instruction, click on the new button Meas to open a dialogue window. It will append a measurement keyword to the work instruction Text to Display box.

The keywords for displaying measurements are constructed as;
{Meas= MeasurementName}. The button and dialogue box formats them correctly.

The values aren’t displayed when the work instruction is previewed in the editor. They are displayed when a trial sequence or a real production sequence is run.

Eliminate the Manufacturing Scratchpad

With this new Tascus feature the data recorded during the manufacturing process is displayed as work instructions, enabling you to eliminate the scratchpad.

We’ve included a number of new features in Tascus 1.2.5.3 to enable integration with ERP systems, create serial numbers, updated Best Before Dates, and more clarity on the production status report.

Best Before Dates

Best Before Dates (BBD) can now be configured in Minutes / Hours and Days, specify this in the Parts List editor.

When production is started for a part number that has a BBD, the expiry date will be set as the current time, plus the value specified in this window.

Production Status Report – View Products by Color

Change this by selecting Card Coloring = Part Number, this will display different Part Numbers in different colours in the Production Status Report.

Product Status Report – View by Top Level / Sub Assembly

Set this in the Parts List editor for each product, you’ll need to set whether each part number is a Top Level Product, or a Sub Assembly

ERP Integration – Expandable Csv Import

We’ve opened up Csv imports of works orders for more ERP systems.

1. Change the works order source

2. Upload a csv file with works orders

Serial Number Creation

Tascus can now generate serial numbers when used in works order mode – so that you load in works orders, then Tascus will create the serial numbers for you.

Serial numbers can be assigned when works orders are imported, or when production is started.

Configure this in Settings > Serial Number Creation

Having regular and effective daily management is one of the key things to make sure that you hit your manufacturing goals and achieve your production target –  weekly, monthly and quarterly. Within daily management, one of the first things you can do at the start of the shift is a daily stand up meeting. That’s where everyone down their tools for five to ten minutes and get together to review what’s happening today in the manufacturing plant.

It’s a great way of getting everyone involved in the decision-making process. And also, to make sure that everyone’s on track to help achieve the goals that you’ve set.

So what’s the agenda for a daily stand up meeting for the manufacturing plant?

Yesterdays Results

Covering the results of yesterday and any problems that came out. If you didn’t reach your production target yesterday, why not? Is it something we can resolve today?

Todays Goals

Follow with what today’s goals are, and then also, any unusual or high priority orders that are coming through today that need to be handled slightly differently.

Review Current Status

Then going on to a review of the current work in process. So have a look if everything that’s in process or on track to be delivered on time to customers. If not, is there anything that needs doing to support the production workers to get those delivered on time.

Any Other Business

That’s the main part of the meeting. After that, it can be any events coming up, any important business events that are happening, or customer visits.

After that you’re done, everyone goes back to their work and work the plan that you’ve just planned out.

Come Prepared

So it’s a great set of tools. It’s really effective. One of the things that’s really important is to have good data – to have all your numbers and all the information coming into that meeting first thing in the morning.

That’s one of the areas that we can help. We’ve developed features into our manufacturing execution system Tascus to make sure that when you come to do a daily stand up meeting, there are dashboards available that give you all of that data immediately. You can stand around that in the meeting, rather than having to prepare information before coming into the meeting.

Watch the full video here to learn more:

Tascus Features to Make Daily Standups Easier

This is one of the tools that we have to help those daily stand up meetings. It’s our Tascus current work in progress report, that gives you a live update straight from the shop floor. Where every order that’s a work in progress or completed is, for the current day, week, month and quarter.

Over on the left-hand side, we’ve got all the orders planned to come into the factory today. If we’re talking about specific high priority orders, you can take a look at them here, drill down into any of the details. You can then talk about which way the specific areas need to go, to the specific people who will handle those orders. You can then discuss this at that daily stand up meeting.

We’ve got the swim lanes going across to the right-hand side, over to where orders are completed. You can see what’s going through the shop floor right now. The way that they’re coloured here at the moment is based on if they are expected to be completed within the customers delivery date.

So we’ve got a few on here that are red. That means that at the moment they’re going to be delivered late. So at the daily management meeting, it might mean taking a look at these specific orders. What’s wrong? What’s causing that? What can we do? Then you can discuss what to do to fix it.

Orders that are marked up green are ones that are on track to be completed on time. So there may be less priority ones to talk about in that meeting.

It’s tools like this that can help you. It means less upfront preparation at the meetings. It’s more about just standing around a dashboard like this and being able to pick out the high priority things that your team need to work on for the rest of the day.