Production Scoreboards
Production scoreboards display key information on the plant floor in real time so your production team knows exactly how they are doing and when action needs to be taken.
The most effective scoreboards do more than display information – they create focus, reinforce expectations, and help teams stay on pace throughout their shift.
What Are Manufacturing Scoreboards?
Production scoreboards can be as simple as a stacklight communicating machine state through color, or as sophisticated as an electronic display showing multiple production metrics and contextual information in real time.
The most effective production scoreboards are dynamic. They update automatically throughout the shift and communicate exactly what operators and supervisors need to know at that moment in time.
Why Use Production Scoreboards?
Every day, manufacturers look for better ways to eliminate waste and increase productivity. One of the easiest and fastest ways to make gains is to focus your plant floor team on production metrics that are proven to drive improvement in manufacturing productivity (e.g., Overall Equipment Effectiveness, Down Time, Changeover Time, First Pass Yield, and Efficiency). These types of metrics are typically referred to as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Well-chosen KPIs that are widely communicated and consistently reinforced can be very effective in transforming a group of individuals into a high-performance team. Production scoreboards are a proven tool for communicating and reinforcing these KPIs in real time.
Scoreboards create focus, communicate information, and encourage your production teams to “win their shift”.
Types of Production Scoreboards
There are three common types of scoreboards used in manufacturing:
| Type | How It's Used |
|---|---|
| Andon Boards | The simplest type of production scoreboard. Typically a stacklight that communicates equipment state using color. For example, green, yellow, red, and blue lights may communicate whether the equipment is running well, running poorly, down, or in a changeover condition. Flashing lights convey increased urgency. Andon boards are effective for drawing attention to equipment conditions, but they are limited in the amount of information they can communicate. |
| Whiteboards | Portable (on wheels) or fixed (wall-mounted) writable boards where KPIs and other information are periodically updated. Typical information includes counts, rates, downtime, and targets. Whiteboards can be very effective when updated consistently, but the information is not real-time, must be captured manually, and is difficult to view from a distance. |
| Real-Time Visual Displays | Plant floor electronic displays that show KPIs and other important information. The most effective visual displays are dynamic and automatically adapt based on current production conditions. They take full advantage of real-time information by:
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How to Use Scoreboards in Manufacturing
A very effective way to use scoreboards is to communicate three types of information:
| Information | Conveys | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| Expectation | Where should we be? | Target |
| Performance | Where are we? | Actual |
| Achievement | How are we doing? | Efficiency |
Expectation
Expectation communicates where production metrics should be at any given point of time.
Setting expectations lends itself well to SMART goals (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Specific).
An effective way to set expectations for manufacturing lines is to display a real-time Target Count driven by Takt Time. Target Count continuously updates throughout the shift and communicates how many good parts should have been manufactured at any given point of time (typically restarted from zero with each new shift).
Performance
Performance communicates where production actually is at any given point of time.
An effective way to communicate performance for manufacturing lines is to display Good Count.
In general, match the units of your performance metric to the units of your expectation metric. For example:
- If your expectation metric is measured in counts, display the current count.
- If your expectation metric is measured as a rate, display the current rate.
Achievement
Achievement communicates how well production is performing against expectations.
This is where you clearly communicate whether your team is “winning their shift” (whether they are meeting or exceeding expectations).
An effective way to communicate achievement for manufacturing lines is to display Efficiency:
- Actual ÷ Target
- Displayed as a percentage
Remember - the goal of using manufacturing scoreboards is to influence behavior and drive action on the factory floor.
With that in mind, plant floor scoreboards are most effective when they are real-time. After all, a scoreboard is not a report. It's not a tool for deep analysis. It's a tool for instantly communicating how production is performing and whether the shift is ahead, behind, or on pace (whether your team is winning the shift).
You have good people, and good people are capable of achieving great results - especially when they have the right information and focus to drive effective actions.
Production scoreboards provide the information and focus that lead to effective actions, and ultimately, to improved results. Set expectations and unleash the competitive spirit of your employees. Everyone likes to win. Use scoreboards to make it easier for your plant floor employees to win their shift!
Production Scoreboard Comparison Chart
The following selection chart highlights some of the many advantages of using the Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ as a production scoreboard. We like to think of XL as the ultimate plant floor scoreboard!
| Advantage | Andon | Whiteboard | Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Affordable | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Highly Visible | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Engages Operators | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automates Data Capture | ✔ | ||
| Real-Time Information | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Historical Analytics | ✔ | ||
| Browser-Based Reports | ✔ | ||
| Multiple KPIs | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Downtime Alerts | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Slow Running Alerts | ✔ | ||
| Changeover/Break Timers | ✔ | ||
| Count Metrics | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Rate Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Cycle Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Production Time Metrics | ✔ | ||
| OEE Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Six Big Loss Metrics | ✔ | ||
| TEEP/Capacity Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Target Metrics | ✔ | ✔ |
Real-Time Production Scoreboards with XL
The Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ automatically captures production data, calculates over 140 metrics, and displays real-time KPIs on scoreboards for the plant floor.
Manufacturers use XL scoreboards to display:
- Target vs. Actual
- Efficiency
- Downtime
- Production counts
- Rates
- Changeover timers
- Break timers
- OEE metrics
- Escalation alerts
- And much, much more
Because XL captures production data directly from machines, scoreboards update automatically throughout the shift without requiring manual intervention.
XL production scoreboards can be displayed on:
- Integrated LED displays
- Large external TVs and monitors
- Touchscreen operator interfaces
- Browser-based dashboards
The most effective scoreboards communicate the right information at the right time. For example:
- Target pace while production is running
- Downtime information during breakdowns
- Remaining time during breaks and changeovers
The result is a real-time production scoreboard that helps operators and supervisors immediately see how production is performing and when action needs to be taken.
