Mobile software for the timing of production steps Serial Change Recording Utility (SMED), VSM

Context, genesis of the operation set documentation application :

The application was developed following the request of a customer who produces complex industrial products very well but has no documentation to deliver to his operators and asks us to reduce production time and optimise the production stages.

As the sum of the broken down operation times was around 16 hours, we did not see ourselves saving our client money by charging 2 to 3 days of consultancy to document and register the range.
In addition, our missions on the reduction of batch/range changeover times (SMED method) remind us of the hours spent recording and documenting the slightest gestures of the operators involved in the operation, which frequently lasts several hours, and this without a network necessarily throughout the site!

We have the rare facility of being able to develop mobile applications for barcode / Rfid : we then decided to leave it up to the managers of each workshop to easily do this documentary part by offering them an easy way to do it.

The means of the software made available

In order to look easy to the users, the software implemented, are :

• an application easily installable on Androïd, which works with intermittent network, proposed here in test, defined at use level, adding the dictated part of description by voice recognition.
• a secure file server hosted by our company in order to store and record then retrieve via a web interface the range file(s) and the photos corresponding to the stages of the operation or tasks: not visible here but testable (form).

The mobile application for recording the breakdown of tasks:
The application helps you to enter, dictate the description of the operation by voice, detail and measure, time each important moment of the production steps by automatically entering the start time (minutes, seconds), duration, photo and description before moving on to the next step, all this without paper or pencil, laptop or network.
The network is necessary when starting up and when you want to download the data: you can therefore work in workshops without a network. The step counter is kept from one data download to the next.
Breaks can be made that are not counted in the range.

accueil de l’utilitaire de chronométrage des opérations de gamme : choix langue vocale

At the start, the user indicates the SIRET of his company and after checking its validity, the title of his range if new or the system reminds him of the one being entered and the default number of operators in the range.
He chooses the language for voice dictation (his android mobile must already be in this language).

The start of input automatically starts a stopwatch with a page for entering the operation, the task in progress: indicators give him the time spent, the operation number, the battery level.

Ecran de saisie ou dictée vocale de la description de l’opération

The user can then enter or dictate by voice the description of the operation, adjust the number of operators present, take a photo attached to this operation, say if the machine is producing during this operation and if the operation can be "outsourced" a priori, i.e. if the machine is stopped, if this machine operation could be done relatively easily while the machine is running (organisation work): useful for SMED mainly, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and more generally in a Just-in-Time approach, in search of productivity.

At the touch of a button, it goes on to the next operation, the stopwatches and times are calculated and filled in on the finished operation and it describes the next task.
A pause where the product is put on hold: no worries: measure the pause as an operation and then remove it in your detailed analysis. In this way, long tasks can be quickly broken down into small, simple and reducible operations and more time can be spent on optimising the process and the functionality of the tools available to the operator.

The file server and its functions :
The file server’s function is to :

• restore by export your files and data (scheduled csv ranges, zip photos) saved in a unique and secure form. Security: the logins, encryption and architecture of the solution give you every guarantee of security and confidentiality, uniqueness and absence of data loss.

Below is an example of a scale file and its csv file format:
(operation counter; routing title; operation description; photo file name; number of operators; machine running (0/1); external operation (0/1); start time; operation duration)

• serve the application upgrades on your terminals: our customers’ comments are appreciated and listened to: each time you start the application, you benefit from the latest version available automatically.

Current version: 2.0.0 - If you have already installed a test version on your Android, we recommend that you uninstall it before installing the new version.

Pricing to use it fully
By establishment (SIRET), either by licence (per mobile terminal), or unlimited by size of establishment: the form will guide you and allow us to give you a quote.

How to test?

The Android mobile part is testable over 30 days, being able to recover the generated range files (first 5 steps of the range), the photos are deleted.
The loading link will be sent to you by email in response to the form below.

How to install application on Android device or smartphone : Installation of KX-Mobile range applications

• Photo size: a large number of photos will be zip-edited: it is important to set the size of your photos to the minimum size that can be used in a documentation (go to the photo section of your smartphone’s settings), if the size of the photos is very large, it will take a very long time to upload them.
• On your smartphone, you start up and the application asks for your company’s SIRET (14 digits): if you have a licence, it will work, otherwise it will put you in "TEST" mode and you will be able to see the visible functions of the software. Test, but don’t expect to retain anything professional in your machine before taking a licence.