Tracking Shop Orders
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Using barcodes and computers to track the progress of jobs through manufacturing and assembly can save a lot of time and effort. Supervisors can check jobs quickly on the computer; if they have to track the job down on the plant floor they know where to look. Information provided to customers can be more timely and accurate. The problem with computerized tracking is that most full-blown systems are quite expensive. However, the economical WIP Data Capture System from MEC Software includes a Job Tracking System "starter kit" written in Microsoft Access. This kit can be used "as-is" for many basic applications, and customizing the system for specific needs is relatively straightforward. Since the kit is written in Microsoft Access, all of the internal designs and code are accessible and can be modified or expanded by anyone with modest Access skills. The Job Tracking System starter kit is included with the demonstration and release versions of the WIP Data Capture System.

The Job Tracking System includes two Access database files. One stores information about each job and its progress; the other contains the screens and reports that let the user add new jobs, edit existing jobs, check the progress of each job, maintain a list of part numbers, and print job tickets (complete with barcodes). The data file is typically shared on a network so several users can work with it at the same time.

Another component of the Job Tracking System is a configuration file for the WIP Data Capture System that sets up WIP to work with Job Tracking. When work on a job is finished at a workstation, the operator simply scans the job number barcode on the Job Ticket (printed by the Job Tracking System)... the WIP system records the date, time, workstation, employee, job number, and the process or step just completed. When the supervisor looks up the job in the Job Tracking System all of this information is listed (most recent event first) so they know exactly where the job is.

More details on the Job Tracking System starter kit are available in the manual (included in the demonstration download). Here is a link to more information on the WIP Data Capture System, including a link for downloading the demonstration version:

http://www.makebarcode.com/solutions/datacollection.html#WIP