Production planning × Factbird

01 · Introduction

Factbird measures the piece count, the stops and the OEE on the production line, while PlanitExo Production planning knows which order we planned on which resource, when and in what quantity. The integration connects these two worlds so that the same data does not have to be entered twice, and the same order shows up in the planner, on the shop-floor tablet and in Factbird.

The principle is simple: on a resource connected to Factbird, Factbird does the counting (piece count, stops, OEE), while PlanitExo provides the order data, the plan and the user interface.

The path of an order

1. Connection (once). The admin assigns the Factbird line and packaging to the resource and marks which order field is to be the batch number.
2. Planning. The planner schedules the orders on the Gantt chart and rearranges them as needed. Nothing has to be sent to Factbird.
3. Start at the machine. On the tablet the operator selects the order and enters when the first piece came off the line. If the order is not in Factbird yet, PlanitExo uploads it at this very moment, from the latest plan, and then starts the batch.
4. During production. The tablet shows the good and scrap counts and the OEE coming from Factbird; the operator enters the reasons of the stops on the tablet.
5. Closing and feedback. The operator closes the order (even with manual scrap), and in the planner the block shows the good and scrap pieces produced against the plan.

02 · Basic terms

The two systems call the same things by different names. The table below shows the correspondence; the rest of this description uses the PlanitExo terms and gives the Factbird terms in brackets.

03 · Setup (admin)

Setup is a one-time job: the connection for each resource, and once the batch number field and the permission.

Server-side activation

The Factbird API key and the data-source switch are in the server environment, which is a system administrator task. The key never reaches the browser, every Factbird call goes through the server. As long as the integration is not enabled, the Factbird buttons and markers do not appear.

Connecting a resource to a Factbird line

On the Admin → Resources tab, the Factbird button in the row of the resource opens the editor:

1. Look up lines. The button fetches the Factbird lines that belong to the API key. Click the right one. If there is no result, the interface says that no line belongs to the API key.
2. Look up packagings. The line must be selected first, then the list of the packagings of the line can be fetched. Click the right one.
3. Save. From now on the resource is a Factbird resource.

The interface shows the name from Factbird, the ID is shown only in grey. IDs cannot be typed in by hand, this is intentional: it rules out typing mistakes. The Remove connection button removes the connection. The packaging is needed when the upload at the start has to create a new part in Factbird. When a new resource is created there is no Factbird field; the connection is set afterwards, in the editor.

Marking the batch number field

In Production planning, on the gear button → Order fields tab, when editing the right field, turn on the “This field is the Factbird batch number” switch. The value of this field copied to the block becomes the batch number. Turning it on also turns on “copied to block” automatically. Rules:

• at most one active field can be marked;
• it can be a text or a number field;
• in the list the field gets a “Factbird batch” badge;
• today the SAP order number is the batch number, and it can be switched to another field at any time.

Permission

The tablet operations (start and the upload that comes with it, closing, stop reasons) need no separate permission, they require the identification of the operator and access to the resource group of the resource. In the planner the optional advance upload (see chapter 4) needs the planning.production.factbird permission (“Factbird — upload / update orders”), which can be assigned to roles on the Admin → Permissions tab. The admin has it by default.

Checklist

04 · Upload at the moment of start

On a Factbird resource PlanitExo uploads the order not at planning time but when production starts. The planner can therefore rearrange the plan freely, and Factbird always receives the data valid at the moment of the start. The upload happens on the tablet, in the “Start order” step (see chapter 7), and needs no extra click.

What happens at the start

1. Check. The system checks whether the batch is already in Factbird (the exact number and the |N variants used for continuation as well).
2. Upload, if it is not there yet. The system creates the batch from the data of the block, and if needed the new part too, with the packaging of the line.
3. Start. Factbird starts the batch with the actual start entered by the operator.
4. Write-back. The batch number is written back to the block(s) too, so on the Gantt chart the block and Factbird carry the same number.

Every attempt (success and failure alike) is logged. If the batch has already started or been closed, the system does not change it from the plan; continuing a closed order is a separate step (chapter 8).

What is uploaded and how it is calculated

• What counts as one batch. The blocks of one step of an order on all resources. For a deleted order, the blocks without an order that have the same part number, step and batch number, so the block of a deleted order can be started too.
• Quantity. If all blocks of the batch are on this resource, the full quantity of the order is uploaded. If the step is split between several resources, the sum of the blocks of this resource (for example 6,000 and 4,000 pcs for a 10,000 pcs order). For a deleted order, the order quantity stored on the blocks is the source.
• Start. The earliest block of the batch on this resource. The actual start is entered by the operator at the start.
• Speed. Calculated from the raw cycle time of the block, that is the value not corrected by the OEE %, so that the Factbird measurement is not distorted.
• New part. If the part is not in Factbird yet, the upload creates it with the packaging of the line. The packaging must be set on the resource for this.

If the batch number is empty on the block

If the number is empty on the block (typically for an old block created before the field was marked), the system fills it in from the marked field of the order and writes it back to the block. If the order no longer exists, the start stops, and the number can be filled in by hand by double-clicking the block (Edit block).

If the batch already exists in Factbird

Optional: advance upload from the planner

On the Gantt chart, in the row of the selected order block, next to the bin icon a Factbird icon also appears (with the planning.production.factbird permission). It allows an advance upload; the “Factbird upload” window that opens shows the exact data beforehand. The button is not needed for normal operation, it is meant for exceptional cases (for example when an order has to be announced in Factbird in advance). A yellow warning in the window says that uploading in advance is not recommended if the batch is started from the PlanitExo interface, and the user makes the decision. The tooltip of the button also shows the state:

05 · Markers on the Gantt chart

Upload marker on the block

If the batch has been uploaded to Factbird (at the start or in advance), a small marker appears in the top right corner of the block:

The key of the marker is the resource and the batch number stored on the block, not the order, so it stays even after the order is deleted. It refreshes when the block list changes and when block fields are saved.

Good and scrap pieces produced on the block

On order blocks a thin bar at the bottom of the block shows the quantity produced against the plan: green for good and red for scrap pieces, in proportion to the plan. The numbers also appear in the tooltip of the block and in the summary row of the selected block:

• Good: 8,200 · Scrap: 140 · Plan: 10,000 (82%), if there is a plan;
• Good: … · Scrap: …, if there is no plan;
• the “production in progress” label shows if the order is running right now.

All blocks of an order step show the same total, because the full piece count is what matters, not how the plan is cut up. On a Factbird resource the data comes from the batches of the line (the batch number and the |N variants added up).

The numbers reload when the set of order blocks changes and when you press Refresh; they do not refresh every minute.

06 · Tablet: the Factbird resource

Resource list

On the resource list of the tablet, Factbird resources get a Factbird badge and a mini OEE for the current shift block (06–14, 14–22, 22–06), regardless of the presence of the operator. The mini OEE is loaded per resource, separately: until it arrives “…” is shown, so the list is usable immediately. With the list open it refreshes every minute, in a background tab it does not.

The operations screen

When you tap a Factbird resource, the operations screen opens immediately and the data loads in the meantime. From top to bottom the screen shows:

• the Running order (Factbird) card with the name of the line: Started, Good pcs, Scrap pcs, Ordered pcs. If no order is running, “No order is running on the line right now.” is shown. The Close order button is on the card as well.
• Below it the four OEE tiles with the label “OEE comes from Factbird (current shift block)”.
• The Clock in and Clock out buttons — attendance recording is unchanged, the attendance list is also kept.
• The Start order button (with the Factbird icon).
• The Stop reasons button: amber with the label “N stops without a reason” if there is something to do, otherwise “nothing to do”.

The operator does not have to record piece counts, because Factbird provides them.

07 · Tablet: starting an order

1. Selecting the order

The Start order button opens the list of orders. The list is built from the blocks of Production planning, sliced around the shift:

• Planned for this shift — orders overlapping the shift, highlighted;
• Earlier orders — the 5 nearest earlier ones;
• Later orders — the 5 nearest later ones.

One order step is one tile, however many blocks it is cut into. The one that is running gets a “Currently running” label. A badge on the tile shows whether the order is in Factbird: Factbird (already there) or Not uploaded (the start will upload it). If no order is planned on the resource around the shift, the list warns about it.

2. Confirmation and the actual start

Tapping a tile opens the Confirm start screen with the tile of the order and the batch number. Three things can happen here:

• If the order is not in Factbird yet, the start uploads it from the latest plan (the screen says: “The order is not in Factbird yet — the tablet uploads it when starting.”). The planner has nothing to do for this, and the start does not get stuck on whether the order was uploaded in advance.
• If another order is already running on the line, the screen says that it will stop.
• If the order is already running, the message “The order is already running in Factbird” appears and there is nothing more to do.

With the “When did the first piece of this order come off the line?” slider you enter the actual start, because Factbird counts the pieces from this time, and the tablet is often started late. The default is “now”, and it can be fine-tuned with the ±1 and ±10 minute buttons. The allowed range is:

• at the earliest the start of the previous shift block;
• next to a closed batch at the earliest the time of its closing, next to a running batch 1 minute after its start;
• at the latest the present moment.

If the previous order is still running, the screen states that it ends at this time. The end of the running order is set to the start of the new one, because two orders cannot overlap in Factbird.

3. Start and checking the piece count

After the Start button the result appears (“The order has started in Factbird” or “The order has been uploaded and started in Factbird”), then the Check piece count screen: the time of the actual start and the Good pcs coming from Factbird. The number updates within a few seconds (with the Refresh button it can be fetched immediately). The question is: “Does the good-piece count match the machine counter?”

• Yes, it matches — done, back to the operations screen.
• No — adjust start — shift the start with the slider; after Save start Factbird recalculates the count (a few seconds) and you can compare again. The closing of the previous order moves together with the new start.

08 · Tablet: closing and continuing an order

Closing

The Close order button of the Running order (Factbird) card opens the closing screen:

1. “When did the last piece come off the line?” — a slider between 1 minute after the start and the present moment.
2. Manual scrap (pcs) — scrap not measured by the scrap sensor of the line, may be left empty.
3. Close — Factbird closes the running order at the selected time.

When you press the button the system checks with fresh data: if another order has started on the line in the meantime, the closing stops and asks you to refresh the screen. After a successful closing the message “Order closed: …” appears.

Continuing

If a closed order has to be continued later (for example some of its quantity is left), select the same order in the Start order list. Factbird would allow repeating the same batch number, but PlanitExo never creates a repeated number, it appends a sequence number instead (123|1, 123|2 …):

• if there is a version that has not started yet, it starts that one;
• if all versions have started or been closed, the confirmation screen says: “This order is closed in Factbird (X / Y pcs produced). Continue with a new order: number|N, Z pcs.” The quantity is the order quantity minus the pieces produced in all versions, and the planned start is “now”. The Start continuation button creates and starts it;
• if the order quantity has already been produced, the message “The order quantity has already been produced … — nothing to continue.” appears.

On the block the batch number remains the base number; the produced good/scrap summary (see chapter 5) adds up the |N variants.

09 · Tablet: stop reasons

Factbird detects the stops by itself, but the operator has to enter their reason. The tablet makes this possible with the own list of reasons of Factbird, in one or two taps.

The Stop reasons button

On the operations screen the Stop reasons button is amber with the label “N stops without a reason” if there is something to do, otherwise “nothing to do”. The count arrives in the same Factbird request as the data of the running order, so it causes no extra waiting.

The stop reasons screen

At the top of the screen the Shift timeline is shown: one shift block (06–14, 14–22 or 22–06, 480 minutes) at full width, with ◀ ▶ pager buttons (previous and next shift). By default the shift that contains a stop without a reason opens.

• Red rectangle — a stop without a reason, tapping it selects it (at least 12 px wide so a finger can hit it);
• Faint rectangle in the colour of the category — a stop that already has a reason;
• “now” line, the future dimmed, hourly marks.

Below the timeline the Stops without a reason (N) list shows the stops with start–end times and duration (“N min” or “ongoing”). The selection is in sync with the timeline, and the Select all and Clear selection buttons speed up the work. At the bottom of the list Reasons already entered are shown for information only.

Picking the reason

1. Select one or more stops (several stops can be recorded with one reason at once).
2. Pick the Reason category — large tiles, the categories of Factbird.
3. Pick the Reason within the category.
4. Tap the Record: N stops → reason button. Factbird records it, and the screen confirms: “Reason recorded in Factbird for N stops: …”.

Rules

• The stops of the current and the previous shift are shown.
• Micro-stops need not be entered, and the system does not list them either.
• A stop that is still ongoing can be assigned a reason too.
• “Without a reason” means a stop that has no reason, or whose reason is the Factbird “unregistered” value.
• On recording, the server checks with fresh data: if someone has meanwhile given a reason to one of the selected stops, or it has dropped out of the time window, the recording stops and asks you to refresh the list.
• One recording can contain at most 50 stops.
• If no stop reasons are set up in Factbird for the line, the tablet says: “No stop reasons are set up in Factbird for this line.”
• If production has cut a stop into two parts, the two sections can be selected separately, and Factbird assigns the reason only to the selected section, the other stays without a reason.

10 · OEE from Factbird

On a Factbird resource the OEE is calculated by Factbird; PlanitExo reads the time components and maps them to the usual four levels.

Where it is shown

• Tablet, operations screen — four tiles below the card of the running order, for the current shift block, refreshed every minute;
• Tablet, resource list — mini OEE on the tiles (see chapter 6);
• Efficiency dashboard and Efficiency trend — a Factbird resource gets a Factbird icon, and the value coming from Factbird goes into the totals. In the “By resource” list the Factbird resources come first, and the screen shows the “Data source: Factbird” label.

Mapping to the Factbird indicators

VOT is the valued operating time of Factbird. For the same time window the four ratios match the values in the Factbird interface to one decimal place; when comparing, the same window has to be set.

Particularities of the OEE

• T is the total calendar time, so the Total OEE refers to the whole calendar time. The other three levels can be compared with the matching Factbird indicators.
• The VOT of Factbird also deducts the speed loss.
• A negative value is shown as “—”. The OEE is shown with one decimal place.
• The “current shift” is the company-wide 06 / 14 / 22 o'clock block.

If Factbird is not available

The data of the other resources is shown. At the Factbird resource “Factbird is unavailable — no data” appears, and above the totals the warning: “Data unavailable for Factbird resources: N. The totals were calculated without them.”

11 · Errors and warnings

Factbird errors never disappear silently: the interface always states the cause. The most common messages:

12 · Permissions, log and security

• Log. Every Factbird action (upload, update, start, closing, recording of stop reasons) is logged together with its result, and for tablet actions with the ID of the operator. The log is available only to the server.
• API key. The key is on the server, the browser and the tablet never see it, every call goes through the server.
• The order as disposable data. The batch number is stored on the block, so deleting the order does not break the upload, the marker or the good/scrap summary.

13 · Quick reference