How to Create a Paperless Shop Floor with Aptean Shop Floor Data Collection

In today’s on-demand economy, manual and paper-based processes are the enemy of productivity and efficiency, especially in discrete manufacturing. To stay ahead of the competition, you need to be fast, agile, lean and accurate in everything you do, from orders and inventory to shipping and receiving. Many manufacturers are still slowed down by paper clutter, manual data entry or data collection, and the inevitable delays and inaccuracies that come along with outdated processes. Aptean has partnered with The SMS Group, a leading developer of data collection and integration solutions, to deliver an ideal solution for automating and error-proofing data collection on the shop floor.

Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC), a mobile app for the Made2Manage, Intuitive, and Encompix ERP systems, allows manufacturers to automatically capture and validate date in real time, from anywhere on the shop floor, and get transactions into their ERP or warehouse management system as quickly and accurately as possible. Using SFDC running on Zebra industrial handheld mobile computers or rugged tablets, you can scan barcodes and instantly capture data and transactions such as material issues, inventory transactions, work order receipts, shipping, labor and more.

You can simply scan a purchase order, shipper or job order number and electronically select items to be received, shipped or issued. And this allows you to eliminate stacks of handwritten transactions scattered around your shop floor. You can also scan data and information directly into your ERP or WMS, which eliminates the tedious and error-prone process of manual data entry. And with Zebra’s advanced scanning algorithms, you can capture not just barcodes but also signatures, form fields on documents, and other data.

By automating shop floor data collection and validation, transactions can be recorded immediately, wherever they occur in your operations. There’s no need to walk back-and-forth to a desktop PC or deal with batch updates and other delays that waste time and potentially put your inventory and shipping up to 24 or 48 hours behind.

SFDC keeps inventory, transactions and other shop floor data up-to-date and visible in real time, at workers’ and managers’ fingertips. And it uses simple, intuitive screen designs to make data capture, data entry, and transactions quick and easy for everyone involved. SFDC supports a wide range of data collection and hardware devices, including Windows, Android and iOS smartphones, tablets, hardwired units and even RFID readers. But for best results, we recommend running the app on rugged enterprise-grade and industrial devices from Zebra Technologies. The SFDC app integrates seamlessly with Made2Manage, Intuitive, or Encompix ERP, allowing you to access an extensive array of both manufacturing and warehouse transactions. Transactions range from inventory transfers, counts and inquiries to goods issues and receipts, picking and picklists, production issues, returns and receipts, clock-ons and clock-offs, time sheets and more. You can also customize your transactions, reports, and email notifications, and you can integrate SFDC with other databases or systems, plus scales and PLCs. Additionally, you can print receiving labels, part labels, and production labels using the SFDC app with Zebra industrial or mobile printers.

Let Us Help

To learn more about Shop Floor Data Collection arrange a discovery call and demo, contact us now to find out how your shop can go paperless and start boosting efficiency with faster and more accurate data collection. And to learn more about what you can do with SFDC and Zebra mobile solutions, download our 5 Reasons to Use Zebra Technologies on Your Plant Floor.