The SHOP tracking and notification system

Abstract

Tracking various tasks and operations in a manufacturing environment and notifying appropriate personnel when problems arise has traditionally been managed manually, with collected data retained in books at each tool. Often, particular information would be missing, inaccurate or illegible, making it difficult for manufacturing, engineering and maintenance to use in any systematic way. This paper describes a software tracking and notification system that acts as a common front-end for all of its programs and interfaces with other information systems on the manufacturing floor. This system, called Save Hours On Paperwork (SHOP), is readily accessible from either in or outside of the product fabricator and incorporates more than 50 separate functions for manufacturing, engineering and maintenance by automatically performing tracking and notification tasks. SHOP has eliminated the need for manual, time-consuming record keeping and significantly reduced human error.