The operator does not know how many units are left to produce. The supervisor does not know where each line is against plan.
In most food and FMCG plants without a full MES, production operators receive a paper traveller or a verbal briefing at the start of each shift — the SKU, the target quantity, and the line they are working on. Actual production count is tracked with a tally counter or estimated by the operator. The supervisor does not know where each line is against its shift target until they walk the floor. The planner does not know whether the WO will complete on time until the shift report comes in at the end of the shift.
This absence of real-time visibility has compounding effects. Quality checkpoint schedules are tracked on paper — and sometimes missed. Material batch changeovers are managed verbally — and occasionally the wrong batch is used. Shift handovers rely on the outgoing operator briefing the incoming one verbally — and information gets lost. The shopfloor operates on a 4-hour information cycle at best.
Shopfloor work order visibility requires a lightweight digital presence on the production line — not a full MES, but a line-side interface that shows the operator what they need to know, captures what they produce, and surfaces what they need to act on. HublerX provides this through a shopfloor terminal or tablet interface — the current WO with live progress, the quality checkpoint schedule with prompts at the right time, the material batch in use, and a simple logging interface for counts, stoppages, and quality deviations.
Live workflow view
The step-by-step sequence
- 1
WO details and targets displayed at line start
When a new WO begins, the line display in HublerX shows the operator the SKU, the target quantity, the planned start and end time, the material batches to be used, and the quality checkpoint schedule. The operator confirms the WO start — the clock and the count begin.
On WO start - 2
Production count updated in real time
Production count is updated continuously from the line counter (if integrated) or entered periodically by the operator. The live display shows units produced, units remaining, and the projected completion time at current speed. Where the line is running behind, the display flags the gap and the supervisor is alerted.
Continuous · per count update - 3
Quality checkpoint prompts issued on schedule
HublerX prompts the operator for each quality checkpoint at the scheduled time or production count — weight check, seal integrity, metal detector check, visual inspection. The operator records the result in the interface. A failed checkpoint triggers a hold prompt and alerts the QC team. Checkpoints that are not completed within a configured time are escalated.
At each checkpoint interval - 4
Material batch changeover managed and recorded
When a material batch is exhausted and the next batch is opened, the operator logs the batch changeover in HublerX — scanning or entering the new batch number. The changeover is recorded against the WO production count at the point of change, creating a precise traceability link between the production output and the material batches used.
On batch changeover - 5
Supervisor has live line-by-line progress view
The supervisor's dashboard shows every line's progress in real time — WO, SKU, units produced, units remaining, current speed, next quality checkpoint, and any active alerts. The supervisor can see the full shopfloor picture from their tablet without a floor walk, and can intervene where a line is falling behind before the end of the shift.
Continuous · supervisor dashboard - 6
WO completed and shift handed over digitally
When a WO completes, the operator closes it in HublerX — confirming the final count and logging any end-of-run quality deviations. The WO completion triggers the ERP goods receipt and the FG inventory update automatically. The shift handover is a digital record — the next shift operator sees the WO history, any open quality holds, and the next job in the queue.
On WO completion
Results are directional. Shopfloor visibility benefits depend on adoption consistency and the integration scope with line counters and the ERP.
See how shopfloor WO visibility works in your plant
30 minutes. Your lines. Your current paper process.