Question 1

Does Machine Tracking really work on any machine?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Machine Tracking works with any machine that has some form of an electrical component. We support any CNC and non-CNC machines including hydraulic pumps, vacuums, screw machines, saws, lasers, and more.

Question 2

What do Machine Monitoring reports provide?

Accepted Answer

The Machine Tracking dashboard shows utilization on all your machines in a simple chart. Green means good. Red shows an uptime problem.     Other reports include: current capacity, capacity trends, uptime pace, and downtime tracking.     Our customers share this data with their operators on the floor and can also view real-time status on any computer or smartphone.     You and your team will also receive a simple uptime report by email after each shift. This email shows shift productivity, so you'll know if it was a productive shift that met scheduling demands or if problems need to be addressed.

Question 3

Does the machine monitoring dashboard work on any computer or smartphone?

Accepted Answer

Our real-time dashboard works on any computer, laptop, or smartphone from anywhere at any time. Most of our customers use off-the-shelf tablets and smart TVs to display the data on the shop floor.     Machine Tracking is a cloud-based solution that is web-centric, which means there are no apps or desktop software to install.

Question 4

What utilization improvement can I expect?

Accepted Answer

Most production facilities start out with about 50% utilization on most machines--or less.     When you track and share uptime utilization, teams quickly move up to 60% utilization.     When teams are motivated and downtime issues are fixed, some of our customers run machines at over 80% utilization without any automation.

Question 5

Do I need to physically connect to my PLC?

Accepted Answer

No. For security and simplicity, Machine Tracking does not connect to machines and devices that were never intended to be connected to the Internet.     There is no remote access to the devices by our company nor anyone else. Our devices are not connected to your main network.

Question 6

How does it know the difference between warm-up cycle and cutting?

Accepted Answer

Machine Tracking is smart enough to know when a machine is productive and it is “cutting air.” We provide you with objective data so you’ll know the exact amount of production for any machine in your shop.

Question 7

How do you track downtime?

Accepted Answer

Downtime is tracked using the main dashboard view. Operators and supervisors can see any downtime period and note the reasons.     This helps to identify major bottlenecks and communicated issues in your production process.

Have a Question?

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to physically connect to my PLC?

Does it really work on any machine?

What utilization improvement can I expect?

How does it know the difference between warm-up cycle and cutting?

What reports do I get?

Does the dashboard work on any computer or smartphone?

Do I need to install any software?