Draguen
Hey guys,
long story short:
I am looking for a software that could simply print a ticket with a serial number/bar-code that could be linked to a production lot, so we could trace back the product if anything goes wrong or if we receive complaints. ( i know that we could manualy do that with Microsoft word, but the whole idea is the process to be a least a little bit more automatic and evidently win some time)
The ultimate (and in a second time) goal is to get ride of everything on paper (commands and bills)
i have no background nor knowledge in this kind of system implanting but i'm doing this freely for a family member so i am ready to invest as much time as needed to get this working, (and of course invest a minimum required)
thanks a lot guys.
rolf
It would be helpful if you could give more details about your production processes, and what machines/equipment there are (or available manpower) to interface with, so that a solution can be researched.
Draguen
we are about 7 people, currently expending, and looking forward to build our own "brand-new" factory, but this takes time so now we are in association with someone else (the point of saying that is to explain that whatever system is implanted, there is a good chance that it will be taken to a further level when moving to the new factory)
we deal in industrial food, we have what you can call a basic cooker ( more or less like a giant oven) i can pm you the details if needed, the whole system works in a Fed-Batch like system (without the fermentation). The process is very basic, you put X + Y as reactive and after a certain time you pull Z as a product. then we have a packaging machine, it does what it's named for :p, takes Z as a product, and pack it in a plastic vacuumed bag, and then stick a sticker with the brand and product description in it, (stickers are not made by ourselves so we cannot modify what is written on it individually).
what i was thinking about is a new machine that would re-stick another sticker on the product with a code-bar that would correspond to the batch itself, or something like that.
I am currently studying Industrial technology and formed to all ISO, HACCP and standards you can imagine, but to implement it, it's a whole new level for me.
shant
my workplace used a program called peonix,my boss used the program for both a regular store and a company, it had all the stock and bank accounts etc, it can print bar codes also, now we are using another (newer and more advanced) program, i cannot remember the name tho, i will check it
rolf
Hmm...
Maybe you should keep a log somwhere. An excel file would be a start.
So you would start production, then log it in the excel file, it would contain for example Employee name, ingredients, date, time, remarks (if something went wrong, etc.) and then it would also have an entry saying "batch number", where you would write the batch number (can be a sequencial number, or a number composed of the date+time+employee number for example. Then you program the machine that prints the batch number stickers + bar code for it to print that number, print it and stick it on the package.
It's the base where you start, I guess. Then you can start to make it more efficient, mainly by avoiding multiple data inputs for the same data. For example, if someone programs the machine to mix x and y at temperature z, they will then have to write again in the log that the temperature was z... would be nice if for example when they select z on the machine, it will automatically be communicated to a computer which will record it in the log. This is why I was asking what machines you had and how it is possible to interface with them... it's all a matter of interfacing different components in the end. The programming is the easy part.
Draguen
sorry to re-open the topic but i thought that i could help another fellow geek with the answer to my initial question:
i now use a software called "InFlow", it's free, easy to use,user friendly, and has a lot of how-to youtube videos. It can be coupled with a bar-code scanner and really is a simple and inexpensive solution.
it can keep track of every command / selling order, in stock products and semi- products in your warehouse and finally It uses Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express.
So i guess that before investing into the implementation of a third party software by a third party company, it could really help you or whatever company you work in.
N.B: the only thing you might end up paying are the bar-code scanners themselves.
