After creating the account for an Operator, the Operator can start accessing their tasks on a mobile device (or laptop) by logging into their dedicated account.
The Shop Floor Control (SFC) app displays all the Operations on open Manufacturing Orders that have been assigned to the specific Operator.
You must assign operations to Operators to see any tasks in the SFC app. Read more about assigning tasks to Operators.
The Shop Floor Control app enables the Operator to see, start, stop, pause, quit, and complete all the tasks that have been assigned to the Operator. The status of the task is reflected on the Katana MRP site automatically in live.
Tasks in the SFC app are displayed in the same ranking order as Manufacturing Orders (MO) in the "Make" -> "Schedule" list in the Katana MRP application.
The idea is to have higher priority orders further to the top, so the Operator starts working on tasks at the top. However, the Operator can start any task at any time, regardless of the position on the list.
Tasks list
In the Tasks list in the SFC app, you can see the main information for each task.
Please note that the quantity is the number of products to be made with the Manufacturing Order. It does not reflect the number of ingredients to be used or product components to be made with this task.
You can click on a task to access more detailed information about the task and the related Manufacturing Order. This information includes the ingredients and their availability, the list of all Operations with assigned Operators for the related MO, and any notes added to the MO. See more below.
Task actions
Start - all tasks are initially created as not started. Click on the "Start" button to indicate that you are working on the task. The timer will be started.
Pause - click on "Pause" if you wish to take a break from the task, but keep it in progress. The timer will be paused.
Resume - you can resume the task after it has been paused. The timer will be resumed and the time added to the previously recorded time.
Quit - you can quit the task only after it has been paused. Quitting the task will revert the status so that the task is again not started. The task remains visible in your task list with a "Start" button. The timer will stop, but the time that has already been recorded will remain and any time tracked for the task in the future will be added to the already recorded time.
Finish - complete the task by clicking on "Finish". The task will disappear from your list. The timer will be stopped and the actual time for the task recorded for the MO.
Starting a task will also start the timer for the task, which will be paused or stopped when the task is paused or finished. This enables tracking the actual time for tasks, which affects the production cost for your products. It also enables you to analyze the planned time vs actual time, and make better production planning decisions. Read more
Changing the task status in the Shop Floor Control app reflects automatically on the Katana MRP site. Read more about how statuses are related.
There are certain limitations for managing tasks in the SFC app:
Tasks cannot be re-assigned to other Operators in the SFC app (only in the Katana MRP site).
Tasks cannot be re-prioritized in the SFC app (only in the Katana MRP site).
Tasks cannot be deleted or edited in the SFC app (only on the Katana MRP site).
Tasks cannot be grouped.
Reporting the actual quantity of ingredients used and products made
Operators can report the actual quantities of ingredients used after completing a task. Read more
Operators can identify consumed ingredients by scanning their barcode. Read more
Operators can report the batch tracking info of batch trackable ingredients used after completing a task. Read more
After the last task for a Manufacturing Order is completed, the Operator can also report the actual quantity of products made with the MO. Read more
Operators can leave comments for used ingredients and products made to give further information if the quantities are different from the planned. The comments will appear on the Manufacturing Order on the Katana MRP main site.
Tasks with multiple Operators
You can assign multiple Operators to the same task. In this case, the task appears in the SFC app for both Operators.
A task on the Operators list can be in progress by another Operator. Task statuses on the other Operator's account will update automatically if one of the Operators starts, pauses, resumes, quits, or finishes the task.
One Operator cannot access any tasks that have been assigned to another Operator (unless the task is assigned to multiple Operators). You cannot switch Operators inside the SFC app account. You need to log out with the current Operator and log in with the other account.
Task details
You can click on a task to access more detailed information about the task and the related Manufacturing Order. This information includes:
- List of required ingredients and their availability status.
Green - the ingredient is available in stock.
Yellow - the ingredient is not available in stock, but it is expected from suppliers (or in case of a subassembly, it is expected from another Manufacturing Order).
Red - the ingredient is not available in stock and is not expected either.
The operator can search for an ingredient using the search box or scan a barcode of the ingredient to find it.
If the operator has to add ingredients, there is an option to "Add ingredient".
Ingredients can be added either by:
Searching for an ingredient in the items list;
Scanning a barcode of the ingredient.
When operator has added an ingredient and inserted it's quantity then the ingredient is also displayed as a recipe row on the MO.
- List of all Operations for this Manufacturing Order.
The current task is indicated as "This task". For all the other tasks, the assigned Operator is displayed.
- Any Notes added to the Manufacturing Order (taken from the Additional info section on the MO in the Katana MRP site). You cannot edit notes directly in the SFC app, but the operator can leave additional comments when finishing the last task of a manufacturing order. Read more
