Production Counters
Production counters have been a part of manufacturing for decades. Modern production counters connect directly to your machines, enabling you to use the same sensors to do more than simply count production. They can gather valuable real-time production data to help you see what’s happening with your processes.
Most production counting systems start with a simple goal: track output. But many teams quickly realize that knowing the count isn’t enough to understand performance.
How Modern Production Counters Work in Manufacturing
Traditionally, production counting systems are used to keep track of the number of items produced in a plant.
However, those same systems are capable of providing far more information. Count sensors can be linked to OEE software to generate a wide range of production metrics.
This leads to the distinction between production counters and production monitors.
Why Use Production Counters?
Every manufacturer needs an accurate count of what they produce. It's a given.
What’s less commonly known is how much more data the same signals that provide counts are capable of producing.
The sensors used for counting parts can also be used to generate a broad set of actionable production metrics that give a clearer view of what’s happening in your process.
What do we mean by this? The same sensors used for counting parts can be used to generate dozens of meaningful and insightful metrics that provide a comprehensive window into your manufacturing operations, making it much easier to drive impactful improvements.
Consider this:
- A Production Counter tells you how much you made
- A Production Monitor tells you how much you made - and helps you make more
Using the same two sensors typically used for production counting (Total Count and Good Count), a production monitor can automatically track Counts, Rates, Cycle Times, Production Times, OEE, Six Big Losses, TEEP, and Targets.
How Does It Work?
It's straightforward.
- 1. Enter your shift schedule to establish Planned Production Time.
- 2. Scan a barcode for the start and end of Changeovers to capture Planned Stop Time.
- 3. Provide two sensors from your manufacturing process (Total Count Sensor, Good or Reject Count Sensor).
- 4. Then provide two pieces of information for each part (Ideal Cycle Time, optional Takt Time)
Start with a Total Count Sensor
Start with a Total Count Sensor to get the following metrics. These include highly accurate production times, since the system automatically detects whether the manufacturing process is running or down:
| Category | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Counts | Total Count |
| Rates | Production Rate (both instantaneous and average) |
| Cycles | Total Cycles, Current Cycle Time, Previous Cycle Time, and Average Cycle Time |
| Production Times | Run Time, Unplanned Stop Time, Planned Stop Time, and Not Scheduled Time (each with time, occurrence, and percentage metrics) |
Add a Good or Reject Count Sensor
Add a Good (or Reject) Count sensor to get quality information:
| Category | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Counts | Good Count, Reject Count, and First Pass Yield |
| Rates | Good Rate and Reject Rate (both instantaneous and average) |
Add Ideal Cycle Time
Add Ideal Cycle Time (the theoretical minimum time to produce one part) to open up an entirely new dimension of cycle, performance, and capacity analytics:
| Category | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Cycles | Standard Cycles, Slow Cycles, and Small Stops (each with time, occurrence, and loss metrics) |
| OEE | OEE, Availability, Performance, and Quality (each with percentage, time, and count-based loss metrics), Fully Productive Time, and Total Loss |
| Six Big Losses | Breakdowns (Unplanned Stop Time), Setup and Adjustments (Planned Stop Time), Reduced Speed (Slow Cycles), Small Stops, Startup Rejects, and Production Rejects (each with percentage, time, and count-based loss metrics) |
| TEEP | TEEP, Utilization, Capacity Loss, Capacity Lost Time |
Add Takt Time
Add Takt Time (the expected time to produce one good piece) for real-time metrics that enable your plant floor team to “win their shift”:
| Category | Metrics |
|---|---|
| Target | Target Count, Efficiency, Percent Variance, Count Variance, Time Variance, Pace Time, Takt Time, Takt Compliance, and Takt Overage |
Production monitors are really that straightforward. That's why whenever someone wants to implement a production counting system, we recommend they seriously consider upgrading to a production monitor.
As an added bonus, many production monitors also offer in-depth historical analytics (see below). Learn more about how production monitoring software builds on counting systems to deliver real-time insight across your factory.
Look at it this way. Good decisions are based on good information. Great decisions are based on even better information. By leveraging the same two sensors you use for production counting you can greatly expand your world of information.
With the basics in mind, let’s look at how different types of production counters compare - and why production monitors deliver the most complete picture.
Get Started with Production MonitoringTypes of Production Counters and Monitors
There are several types of production counters used in manufacturing. Here are the three most common approaches:
| Type | How It's Used |
|---|---|
| Whiteboard | Portable (on wheels) or fixed (wall-mounted) writable boards.Whiteboards are typically updated at the start of each day, shift, or hour (at best). They can convey useful information, but the data is manually captured and not updated in real-time. |
| Electronic Counter | Plant floor counter showing production counts for the day or shift. Some electronic counters alternate between showing production count and production speed (rate). |
| Production Monitor | Production monitors use the same signals as electronic counters but expand them into a broader set of information.The most effective production monitors:
|
Each approach builds on the previous one. The difference is not how counts are captured - it’s how much insight is generated from the same signals.
How to Use A Production Counting System
An effective production counter provides an accurate count of what is produced.
An effective production monitor drives improvement at all levels of the company.
Operational (Plant Floor) improvement can be achieved by making expectations visible, enabling plant floor employees to “win their shift”:
| Convey | By Asking... | Metric | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expectation | Where should we be? | Target | Quantity of good parts that should have been manufactured. |
| Performance | Where are we? | Actual | Quantity of good parts that have been manufactured. |
| Achievement | How are we doing? | Efficiency | Ratio of Actual to Target. An Efficiency score of 100% or better means your team is winning their shift. |
Tactical improvement can be achieved by providing supervisors with “quick win” analytics tools such as Top Losses and Short Interval Control.
Strategic improvement can be achieved by providing managers with accurate and trended historical information that puts all manufacturing losses in one actionable context (as shown above).
The same two sensors used for a production counter can generate dozens of insightful metrics right out-of-the-box when connected to a production monitor. Use a production monitor to display a simple set of real-time metrics on the plant floor (e.g., Target, Actual, Efficiency, and Down Time) and to deliver key historical metrics and analytics to supervisors and managers (e.g., OEE, Six Big Losses, and TEEP).
Production Counter Selection Chart
The following chart compares common production counting systems and highlights why the Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ is often referred to as a "supercharged production counter". We like to think of XL as the ultimate production counter!
| Advantage | Whiteboard | Electronic Counter | Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  | |
| Affordable | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Highly Visible | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Engages Operators | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automates Data Capture | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Real-Time Information | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Historical Analytics | ✔ | ||
| Browser-Based Reports | ✔ | ||
| Count Metrics | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Rate Metrics | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Cycle Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Production Time Metrics | ✔ | ||
| OEE Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Six Big Loss Metrics | ✔ | ||
| TEEP/Capacity Metrics | ✔ | ||
| Target Metrics | ✔ | ✔ |
Start Your Free Trial - Beyond Counting to Full Production Monitoring
With the Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ you can:
- Automatically capture accurate, real-time production counts directly from your machines
- Turn simple count data into 100+ meaningful manufacturing metrics including OEE, Six Big Losses, and TEEP
- Motivate operators with real-time targets and scoreboards that show progress at a glance
- Give supervisors and managers immediate visibility with 50+ built-in reports
- Create an unlimited number of custom dashboards to display the information that matters most to your operation
- Receive automated alerts and shift summaries to keep teams aligned and informed
The Vorne XL Productivity Appliance™ is an advanced IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) device that transforms a basic production counter into a complete production monitoring and improvement platform.
Our most popular model is $4,690 and includes unlimited users, free software updates, free technical support, and an industry-leading 3-year warranty. There are 42,000+ XL installations across 45+ countries, and we encourage new applications to start with a free 90-day trial.
Book a one-on-one webinar, and one of our product experts will explore how XL can help you move from counting parts to improving performance.
Already have XL? View the newest XL features for more information about what you can accomplish with Vorne XL as your ultimate production counting system.
