Production Counters
Production Counters are used to capture production quantities on a machine, such as input counts, output counts, and other metrics. Before you can record counts, you must configure the production counter as master data. Once configured, each production count record is recorded for that specific production counter.
Each production count record is associated with a specific production counter. The counter is configured with a unit of measure (UOM), which typically matches the UOM of the material being produced, although this is not mandatory.
The production counter unit must either:
- Match the running production order’s material unit of measure, or
- Have a defined unit conversion to the material unit.
If the production data is collected in a unit different from the material’s base unit, a conversion is captured when the production count is recorded. The production count records therefore contain:
- The quantity and the base unit of the material
- The quantity and the unit in which the data was originally collected.
Production Counters can be configured with one or more of the following indicators:
- In Count
- Out Count
- Maintenance Count (see, Asset Counters)
In Counts vs. Out Counts
Production Counters are used to count material into (in count) and out of (out count) the production line and passing through other machines on the line.
Production counters are recorded against a machine and provide visibility at the production line level.
Out Counts
Out Counts are the minimum requirement for recording production. This configuration is used for manual production counting, because counting production at multiple machines is more work for operators. Automatic production counting enables more detailed production recording, however, is only possible if the relevant OPC signals are available.
Out Counts are defined on the last machine in the production line, however, this is not required. All Out Counts are summed to determine the total output quantity for the line, which is important when production is distributed across parallel machines.
In Counts
In Counts are defined on the first machine in the production line, however, this is not enforced. In production counts are summed up to give a total input quantity for the production line. This approach is useful when material enters the production line through parallel machines.
In Count Only
PLC can provide an accurate input count automatically; however, output counts may not be available. If the process does not allow material to be lost in the production process, such as assembly process, a single production counter can be configured as the In Count and the Out Count.
With this configuration:
- The same counter represents both input and output quantities.
- All scraps must be recorded and accounted for
- Unaccounted scrap cannot occur
Other Counts
If there are multiple machines in the production line, then additional counts can optionally be configured for any of these machines.
The benefit of recording production counts at additional machines in the line is to identify where losses occur within the production line.