Table and Field Structure
The production module includes a comprehensive set of per-configured tables and fields for managing manufacturing operations, tracking production data, and analyzing performance. These tables work together to provide complete visibility into your production processes.
Master Data Tables
These tables define the fundamental structure of your manufacturing operations.
Formula
Each formula represents a unique part and revision combination that can be manufactured.
- Part - The part number or product identifier
- Part Description - Text description of the product.
- Revision - Version or revision level of the formula
- Line Configuration - Optional reference to sensor configuration settings for this product
Routing
Defines the manufacturing steps required to produce a formula. Each routing represents one operation in the production process.
- Formula - The product this routing belongs to
- Operation - Name of the manufacturing step
- Time Type - Whether time is per unit or per batch
- Run Time (min) - Standard time to complete this operation
- Quantity - Quantity associated with the run time
- Expected Yield (%) - Expected percentage of good parts from this operation
Facility
Represents manufacturing locations or plants.
- Name - Facility identifier
- Loaded Cost per Worker - Default hourly labor cost including benefits and overhead
Line
Represents production lines or work centers where manufacturing occurs.
- Name - Production line identifier
- Facility - The facility where this line is located
- Operating Schedule - Start and end times for each day of the week (Monday-Sunday)
- Use Operating Schedule - Whether to apply the schedule for availability calculations
- Standard Availability % - Target availability percentage for this line
- Standard Performance % - Target performance percentage for this line
- Standard Quality % - Target quality percentage for this line
- Operators - Default number of operators for this line
- Loaded Cost per Worker - Hourly labor cost for this line (overrides facility cost)
Line Component
Represents equipment or sections within a production line that can experience incidents.
- Line - The production line this component belongs to
- Name - Component identifier (e.g., "Mixer", "Oven", "Packaging Station")
Incident Type
Categorizes incidents and determines whether they count as downtime.
- Machine Downtime - Whether this incident type reduces availability (true = unplanned downtime, false = planned downtime)
Incident Reason
Provides specific reasons for incidents on particular line components.
- Line Component - The equipment this reason applies to
- Name - Description of the incident reason
Shift
Defines work shifts for grouping and analyzing production by time period.
- Name - Shift identifier (e.g., "First Shift", "Second Shift", "Night Shift")
Work Order Tables
These tables manage work orders (jobs) and track their execution through manufacturing routings.
Work Order
Represents a production order to manufacture a specific quantity of a product.
- Number - Unique work order identifier
- Formula - The product to be manufactured
- Facility - Where production will occur
- Planned Quantity - Target quantity to produce
- Active Job - Whether this work order is currently in production
- Line Operators - Number of operators assigned to this work order
- Finished Quantity (calculated) - Total quantity produced
- OEE (calculated) - Overall Equipment Effectiveness for this work order
- Availability (calculated) - Availability percentage
- Performance (calculated) - Performance percentage
- Quality (calculated) - Quality percentage
Work Order Routing
Links work orders to specific routing steps and tracks execution timing and labor.
- Work Order - The production order
- Routing - The manufacturing operation to perform
- Line - Production line where this routing will execute
- Shift - Shift assignment for this routing
- Planned Start - Scheduled start date/time
- Planned Finish - Scheduled completion date/time
- Actual Start - When production actually began
- Actual Finish - When production actually completed
- Line Operators - Number of operators assigned to this routing
- Labor Cost (calculated) - Total labor expense for this routing
Line Finish
Records production output at specific points in time.
- Work Order Routing - The routing step this finish is associated with
- Quantity - Number of units completed
- Timestamp - When the quantity was finished
Quality Rejection
Records defective or rejected parts.
- Work Order Routing - The routing step where rejection occurred
- Quantity - Number of units rejected
- Timestamp - When the rejection was recorded
Incident
Records downtime events and production interruptions.
- Work Order Routing - The routing affected by this incident
- Start - When the incident began
- Finish - When the incident was resolved
- Incident Type - Category of incident
- Line Component - Equipment that experienced the incident
- Incident Reason - Specific reason for the incident
Sensor Configuration Tables
These tables manage the configuration of sensors for collecting real-time data from the production floor.
Sensors
Configures sensors that automatically record production counts and detect incidents via Settings > Sensors.
- Line Component: The line component is physically before the sensor on the production line. For example, if you install a sensor between the filler and the checkweigher, the sensor should be assigned to the filler.
- For Incident Tracking: When checked, this sensor will be used to automatically log incidents.
- Incident Threshold (ms): The amount of time that the sensor is required to be idle before an incident is automatically logged. Defaults to 5 minutes.
- For Line Finishes: When checked, means that this sensor is utilized as the completed unit count sensor for the line. Typically this is a sensor at the very end of the line.
- Line Finish Threshold (ms): The required time between captured finish records.
- Incident Type: Specifies the type to assign to any incident that is logged from the sensor. Defaults to "Downtime".
- Count Multiplier: Specifies the multiplier to apply to the signals received from the sensor to the quantity finished. For example, if the machine finishes 6 units per cycle, the count multiplier will be 6 so that if 4 sensor readings are received the finish quantity gets set to 24 units.
Line Configuration
Groups sensor configurations that can be applied to different formulas.
- Name - Configuration identifier
Sensor Configuration
Allows formula-specific sensor settings that override sensor defaults. This is primarily used when lines are reconfigured based on the product being produced (e.g., remove certain equipment based on the formulation being run).
Table Relationships
Understanding how tables connect helps you navigate and analyze your production data:
- Work Orders → Routings - Each work order contains multiple routing steps
- Routings → Production Data - Line finishes, quality rejections, and incidents are recorded against specific routings
- Lines → Components - Each line contains multiple components that can experience incidents
- Formulas → Routings - Each formula defines the sequence of operations required
- Lines → Sensors - Sensors monitor production activity on their assigned lines
- Components → Incident Reasons - Each component has specific reasons for incidents
Available Reports
Essembi provides reports that track Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), production run rates, and labor analytics. These reports help manufacturing teams analyze performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize production efficiency. The reports are available in addition to tables and data models when setting up any view in Essembi.
OEE Reports
The OEE reports calculate and display Overall Equipment Effectiveness metrics over different time intervals. OEE is calculated using three key components: Availability (uptime), Performance (speed), and Quality (good parts).
Available Report Types
- OEE - Daily Buckets - Displays OEE metrics aggregated by day
- OEE - Hourly Buckets - Displays OEE metrics aggregated by hour
- OEE - Time Span - Displays OEE metrics for a custom time period
Report Dimensions
OEE reports can be grouped by different dimensions to analyze performance at various levels:
| Dimension | Description |
|---|---|
| Global | Overall OEE across all production lines and facilities |
| Facility | OEE grouped by manufacturing facility |
| Shift | OEE grouped by production shift |
| Line | OEE grouped by production line (default) |
| Work Order Routing | OEE for specific routing steps within work orders |
| Formula | OEE grouped by product formula or recipe |
| Work Order | OEE grouped by individual work orders |
Data Sources
OEE calculations automatically incorporate data from:
- Work Order Routings (actual start and finish times)
- Line Finishes (production quantities completed)
- Quality Rejections (defective parts)
- Incidents (downtime events with reasons)
- Incident Types (categorization of downtime as planned or unplanned)
Available Filters
In addition to the standard tables and fields available to the filters in views where this report is run, there is a "Number of Days" and "Number of Hours" filter available in the "OEE - Hourly Bucket" and "OEE - Daily Bucket" reports respectively. Combine these with the "Start Time" filter to configure the specific time range that should be returned in the report.
Run Rates Report
The Run Rates - By Work Order calculates and displays run rate performance for each work order completed within Essembi
Run Rate Metrics
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Standard Units Per Hour | The expected production rate based on routing standards |
| Actual Units Per Hour | The measured production rate during actual production time |
| Run Rate Percent | Actual rate as a percentage of standard rate (Actual ÷ Standard × 100) |
| Total Units | Total quantity produced during the measured period |
| Total Hours | Total production time in hours |
Labor Costing Reports
Labor Costs reports track and analyze the direct labor expenses associated with production work orders. These reports help manufacturing teams understand labor efficiency, calculate accurate product costs, and identify opportunities to optimize workforce utilization.
Available Report Types
- Labor Costs - By Work Order - Displays total labor costs grouped by individual work orders
- Labor Costs - By Formula - Displays total labor costs grouped by product formula or recipe
How Labor Costs are Calculated
Labor costs are automatically calculated based on:
- Work order routing actual start and finish times
- Number of line operators assigned to each routing
- Labor rates configured for production lines or facilities
- Optional subtraction of incident/downtime periods when "Subtract Incident Time" is enabled
Report Metrics
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Labor Cost | Sum of all labor expenses for the work order or formula during the reporting period |
| Labor Hours | Total operator hours worked (number of operators × production time) |
| Units Produced | Total quantity manufactured during the period |
| Labor Cost Per Unit | Average labor cost per unit produced (Total Labor Cost ÷ Units Produced) |
Report Options
Subtract Incident Time - When enabled, downtime periods are excluded from labor cost calculations, showing only the labor costs during active production time.
Use Cases
- Product Costing - Determine actual labor costs per product to calculate accurate margins and profitability
- Variance Analysis - Compare actual labor costs against standard or budgeted costs to identify inefficiencies
- Work Order Performance - Track which work orders consumed more or less labor than expected
- Formula Comparison - Analyze labor costs across different products to optimize your product mix
- Capacity Planning - Understand labor requirements for different production volumes and schedules
Best Practices
- Ensure labor rates are configured accurately for all production lines and facilities
- Record the correct number of line operators on each work order routing for accurate calculations
- Use "Labor Costs - By Formula" report as the high-level report and drill into the "Labor Costs - By Work Order" report
- Review labor costs alongside OEE metrics to understand the relationship between efficiency and labor expenses
Active Work Order Report
The Active Work Order report provides real-time monitoring of in-progress production jobs.
- Work Order - The active production order
- Formula - Product being manufactured
- Start Time - When production began
- Actual Hours - Time elapsed
- Remaining Hours - Estimated time to completion
- Planned Quantity - Target quantity
- Finished Quantity - Quantity produced so far
- Projected Quantity - Expected final quantity
- Quantity Delta - Ahead/behind planned quantity
- Standard Units / Hour - Target rate
- Actual Units / Hour - Current rate
- Run Rate % - Performance percentage
- Earliest Incident Time - First unresolved incident
- Total Incident Hours - Cumulative downtime
- Active Incident - Currently open incident
- Active Routing - Current operation
OEE Calculations
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) measures manufacturing productivity using three factors: Availability (uptime), Performance (speed), and Quality (good parts). For more details, check out this Essembi blog post - "What is OEE?"
OEE = Availability × Performance × Quality
Example: 85% Availability × 90% Performance × 95% Quality = 72.6% OEE
Step 1: Availability (Uptime)
Availability measures what percentage of your scheduled production time was actually used for production.
Availability = (Run Time - Downtime) ÷ Run Time × 100
Where the Data Comes From
| Data Element | Source in Essembi |
|---|---|
| Run Time | Work Order Routing: "Actual Finish" minus "Actual Start" (For in-progress jobs, current time is used instead of Actual Finish) |
| Downtime | Incident: Sum of all time between "Start" and "Finish" Only includes incidents where Incident Type → "Machine Downtime" = checked |
How Operating Schedules Affect Availability
Lines can define when they normally operate using the operating schedule fields (Monday Start Time, Monday End Time, etc.).
- If Line → "Use Operating Schedule" = unchecked: All time between Actual Start and Actual Finish counts as Run Time
-
If Line → "Use Operating Schedule" = checked: Only time within scheduled operating hours counts as Run Time
- Weekends and off-hours are automatically excluded
- This prevents nights/weekends from lowering your Availability when you're not scheduled to run
Example
A Work Order Routing runs from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM (8 hours). Two incidents occur:
- Equipment breakdown: 30 minutes (Incident Type with "Machine Downtime" = checked)
- Planned changeover: 15 minutes (Incident Type with "Machine Downtime" = unchecked)
Run Time = 480 minutes
Downtime = 30 minutes (only the breakdown counts)
Availability = (480 - 30) ÷ 480 = 93.8%
Note: The planned changeover doesn't reduce Availability because its Incident Type doesn't have "Machine Downtime" checked.
Planned Maintenance
For scheduled maintenance or changeovers:
- Create an Incident Type called "Planned Maintenance" (or similar) with "Machine Downtime" set to false
- Record the maintenance as an Incident using this type
- The time will be tracked but won't reduce your Availability percentage
Step 2: Performance (Speed)
Performance measures how fast you produced compared to your standard speed.
Performance = Actual Output ÷ Expected Output × 100
Where the Data Comes From
| Data Element | Source in Essembi |
|---|---|
| Actual Output | Line Finish: Sum of all "Quantity" fields for this Work Order Routing |
| Expected Output | Calculated from Routing → "Run Time (min)" and "Quantity" fields Formula: (Run Time ÷ Routing Run Time) × Routing Quantity |
Example
A routing has standard of 100 units per hour. Production runs 6 hours and produces 540 units:
Expected Output = 100 × 6 = 600 units
Actual Output = 540 units
Performance = 540 ÷ 600 = 90.0%
Step 3: Quality (Good Parts)
Quality measures what percentage of your production was good parts (not defective).
Quality = (Total Produced - Rejected) ÷ Total Produced × 100
Where the Data Comes From
| Data Element | Source in Essembi |
|---|---|
| Total Produced | Line Finish: Sum of all "Quantity" fields |
| Rejected | Quality Rejection: Sum of all "Quantity" fields |
Example
Production completes 1,000 units but rejects 50 defective units:
Good Units = 1,000 - 50 = 950
Quality = 950 ÷ 1,000 = 95.0%