Workforce Optimization

Shift Handovers, Work Instructions,
Electronic Logbooks

Shift after Shift like Clockwork

In many industries, supervisors and plant floor operators operate “in the dark.” They document their daily activities using paper operations logbooks and shift logs. They communicate important instructions and procedures verbally. When shifts are over, this information, which is a critical part of the shift handover process, is often lost.

 

Extending digitization to shift communication

In order to achieve shift excellence on every shift an operations management system is needed to systematically gather important information necessary for coordinating activities across shifts and teams. Industrial research has shown the importance of implementing structure with operations in the form of structured logs and checklists. However, an estimated 80 percent of the world’s industrial operations still lack a structured approach to shift operations and handovers. This lack of structure dramatically increases the likelihood for missing critical information and misunderstandings occurring. These misunderstandings and missed information can sometimes have disastrous results.

Mobile technology combined with digital work instructions, standing orders and Operator logbooks now allow a seamless transition to the digital world.

InSource has been leading the way, in helping manufacturers achieve shift excellence thus increasing productivity while also reducing risk.

AW NORTH CAROLINA CASE STUDY

 

Accountability Made Easy

The goal of most workforce automation projects is to reduce inherent inefficiencies in our day to day activities and routines. But that’s only the beginning. Today, manufacturers and industrials can dramatically impact not only inefficiencies but culture, employee engagement, safety, quality and consistency with automated work instruction, workflow and standing order communications systems.

 

These solutions can take many forms from the simple to the very sophisticated. The first step is often to convert manual or ad-hoc communications to electronic work instructions and standing orders. Ultimately electronic workflow management provides integration of people and systems into operational processes and enforces consistent execution of operating procedures.  With electronic systems, corporations have searchable audit trails which dramatically improve accountability and compliance.  Workflows can be defined in the process specification and business rules can be automatically triggered from planned or unplanned production events to provide notifications and information to the right people requiring task execution, data entry response or decision making feedback. Context aware integration with automation systems, such as AVEVA System Platform(formerly Wonderware) completes the picture.

If your work processes seem out of control, InSource can help you modernize your work instruction and standing order communications systems.

WORK ORDERS & SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS MGMT.

 

 

Digital at the Point of Entry

On every industrial site, there is a stream of important operations, maintenance and safety events occurring at all levels. Unfortunately, time consuming methods such as paper, word processors, spreadsheets and homegrown applications are being used to log these events. The Operator Logbook is a common example.  This traditional and time honored method is time-consuming and contributes to organizational risk and inefficiencies.  There’s a better way.

Electronic or Digital Logbook solutions are powerful tools in any industrial process environment. They enable you to:

  • Capture human observations digitally at the point of entry thus improving accuracy and saving time.  More reliable, validated site information improves compliance and  safety of our workers.o:
  • Supervise & Review – Supervisors can issue instructions and see that they are followed precisely. Information is summarized and organized to make it easier for manager review and informed decision making.
  • Automate entries -Information from other data sources, such as the Wonderware Historian, can be integrated into the historical data record and are also available to trigger actions.
  • Communicate More Easily -Rich real-time information can be used in handovers, as well as in procedures like start-ups, in permits etc. Since the solution is mobile, field operations can be connected to the rest of the team in the control room.  All have complete control and visibility over inspections. Data entered into operator logbooks is available to the rest of the enterprise via our Edge to Enterprise framework.
  • Maintain Data Standards – Engineering/IT is able to use a single, intuitive spreadsheet-style designer to control every aspect (i.e. content, calculations, workflow, communications, presentation etc.) in every worksheet across the organization.
Shawn Connolly, Chief Operator, City of London WWTP

I like the fact that I don't have to write everything down 50 times.....At the beginning of my shift, I can search all the information and I can see what the previous crews or the staff has done. Instead of just going there and saying, why is this tank out of service? Before I had to go to the remote location and read the local logbook. Now I can be in my office and see this tank was out of service. I can see they had issues with it and what they did.

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