Monitor Production
in Real Time
Gain a clear view of job progress and production
activity, making delays and issues easier to identify
and respond to.
Why Does Production Monitoring Become Difficult?
Production monitoring becomes difficult when there is no single, current view of what is happening across the shop floor. Different processes may record production in different ways, using paper records, spreadsheets, separate systems or manual updates. This leaves production managers piecing together information to understand what has been completed, what is still in progress and how production is performing against plan.
The result is poor production visibility. When information only becomes available after work has progressed, production teams are managing from information that is already out of date. Delays, lost time and changes in performance are harder to identify as they happen, limiting the opportunity to investigate and respond while production is still underway.
Poor Production Visibility
Delays can develop before there is enough current information to identify and address them.
Lost Time Is Harder to Find
Without visibility of production as it happens, it is harder to see where time is being lost across the process.
Delays Disrupt the Production Plan
Problems at one stage can affect subsequent work, making it harder to keep production on schedule.
Decisions Rely on Outdated Information
Production teams are forced to make decisions using manual updates or information that no longer reflects the shop floor.
How to Improve Production Monitoring
Define What You Need to Monitor
Identify the information that shows whether production is progressing as expected, such as job status, output, timings and delays. Focus on measures that help the team recognise when action is needed.
Capture Information as Work Happens
Set clear points for operators or supervisors to record progress, delays and lost time during production rather than at the end of a shift. This gives teams more current information to work from.
Review Production Against the Plan
Regularly compare actual progress with the production plan through shift meetings, production boards or shop floor reviews. Use this to identify where work is falling behind and where attention is needed.
Are Production Problems Keeping You in Firefighting Mode?
Use the Factory Firefighting Check to identify where limited production visibility is making it harder to spot problems early and keep production on track.
The check helps you review:
✓ How quickly production problems become visible
✓ Where delays are repeatedly affecting production
✓ How much time is spent reacting to unexpected issues
✓ Where better production information could support earlier action
Digital Production Systems
As the number of jobs, processes and production updates increases, maintaining an accurate view of production manually becomes more difficult. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) can capture production information as work takes place and bring data from different production processes, tools and systems together into one view.
This creates a more complete and current picture of production, making it easier to compare progress against plan and identify where delays or lost time are developing. Instead of manually gathering and combining information before production can be reviewed, teams can use data captured throughout the production process to understand performance while work is still underway.
Screenshot of Tascus
Production Monitoring in Practice
These examples show how manufacturers have used Tascus to improve production visibility and gain a clearer view of activity across the shop floor.
Off-Highway Vehicle Components
Greater Visibility of Production Performance
A global manufacturer of off-highway vehicle control systems implemented Tascus to capture and verify production activity throughout the manufacturing process.
This provides greater visibility of production performance and quality trends, supporting earlier identification of issues throughout production.
Key outcomes:
- Greater visibility of production performance
- Earlier identification of quality issues
- Over 50% reduction in end-of-line rework
Custom Machinery Manufacturing
Real-Time Visibility Across Custom Product Builds
A manufacturer of highly customised industrial metal detectors implemented Tascus to replace paper-based production systems with real-time production monitoring.
Managers now have immediate visibility of work in progress, helping teams identify issues earlier and manage production more effectively.
Key outcomes:
- Real-time visibility of work in progress
- Reduced lead times
- 20% improvement in productivity
Production Monitoring with Tascus
Tascus captures production information as work happens, creating a live view of activity across the shop floor. As operators progress through each stage, production status, timings and process information are recorded within the same system, giving production teams a current picture of what is in progress and how production is performing.
Tascus can also communicate directly with production equipment, including assembly tools, PLCs, sensors, testing equipment and identification devices. Results and readings can be captured automatically alongside operator activity, bringing information from different parts of the manufacturing process together rather than relying on separate records and manual updates.
Live dashboards turn this production data into a clearer view of progress and performance, helping teams identify delays, lost time and changes in production as they develop. This gives manufacturers greater production visibility from one central system and the information needed to respond while production is still underway.
Related Resources
Quality Control in Manufacturing Explained
Learn why manufacturing quality control breaks down and how to build quality into the production process.
Reducing Variation in Your Manufacturing Process
Learn what causes production variation and how to create more consistent processes across operators and shifts.
Production Consistency Checklist
Review your production process to identify missed checks, inconsistent standards and opportunities to improve quality.
Quality as a Mindset with Suresh Babu
Download a free manufacturing traveller template to standardise production records and improve traceability.
Production Workflow Review
Every production is unique. Our Production Workflow Review helps identify where production visibility is limited, where information is difficult to access and opportunities to improve how production is monitored.
