Archive for category: Articles

WEBINAR: Interview with Toyota Production System (TPS) Experts

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Why Employee Engagement Matters in Manufacturing

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The term employee engagement might sound like just one more inaccessible…
digital andon

Digital Andon System Functionality at a Fraction of the Cost of a Traditional System

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Digital Andon enables operators to send electronic messages to immediately address shop floor issues involving machines or processes, e.g. breakdowns, quality and safety issues, etc., from a button or touchscreen.

Top 5 Ways Manufacturers Should Be Using Their Data

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What are the top 5 ways manufacturers should be using their data? If you're already collecting data in your organization, great! However, if you're collecting data and dropping it into a repository where it’s never seen again, what’s the point? Read more to learn how manufacturers "should be" using their data, and see FreePoint Technologies' Top 5!

The Top 10 Wastes of Lean Manufacturing

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Lean Manufacturing is a concept developed during the 1990s, and…

Machine Monitoring and Employee Engagement: How ShiftWorx™ MES Connects the Two

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There is very little doubt that machine monitoring software appeals…

What Our
Customers Say

About ShiftWorx™ MES Solution

READ MORE REVIEWS

“Feature rich management system with exceptional ROI. Easily deployable by anyone with reasonable ability to follow directions. Dashboard visuals require less setup than many other systems and are focused on real business needs. The price is extremely affordable, and you’re not forced to use proprietary hardware beyond that which is needed to communicate to the cloud backend.”

~Michael M., Magna International Inc.

“The support has been great that’s the biggest comment I have. The idea of this package is great. I like that the program is very easy to use and the amount of options is really great; as an engineer I like the way I can tinker with it. Its a great interface to work with.”

~Peter R., HABCO Industries, LLC.

“ShiftWorx is a tool for the future. ShiftWorx is a useful and easy to use digital tool in the manufacturing sector.”

~Ray D., Anchor Danly Inc.

“ShiftWorx has been a great tool to help us understand how some of our most important assets are being utilized. We have been able to confirm our estimates of utilization and better understand when insourcing and outsourcing make sense. It has also been a great tool for justifying the purchase of additional machines. ShiftWorx was quick and easy to deploy and has provided us with years of actionable data.”

~Steve J., Steelcase

“Great stuff! Ease of use and accurate data output from machines.”

~Jarrod A., Vulcan Steel Pty Ltd.

“We have had a great experience with ShiftWorx and their crew of people who support the system. Added features we needed were implemented and it’s a tool we use daily. Good customer service which made choosing ShiftWorx easier.”

~John W., Great Lakes Copper Ltd.

“Collecting all data from the operators like downtime or real time spindle run; which could help us with scheduling jobs or meeting customer satisfaction. The product is very easy to use, the best thing I liked about the product is that I can monitor all the spindle time on every machine from the cottage or from the office at work.”

~Szilveszter T., Shimco North America Inc.

“Great team of people producing a great product, and servicing it well. Excellent company to work with, and the product is fantastic.”

~Steve S., Triton Innovation Inc.

“Great remote factory floor visibility. Overall, the product was easy to install, customize and use to monitor and identify ways to improve productivity. Especially during Covid when travel to our 4 factories was restricted, the ShiftWorx software was very instrumental in allowing me to monitor the progress that our manufacturing equipment was making. The software also allows you to quickly see variances both over time and compared to similar equipment and take corrective actions if needed. The ShiftWorx software and FreePoint hardware allowed visibility to our oldest and newest machines including Oxy fuel flame cutters, Blanchard Grinders and CNC milling machines. We have made an overall machine efficiency improvement of 15% in the last 2 years using ShiftWorx to monitor the progress.”

~Kevin F., Anchor Danly Inc.

“After implementing ShiftWorx, Excel experienced a 40% decrease in machine downtime. Runtime on our cutting machines increased by 50%. All employees could see how their machine was running and this helped engage machine operators in keeping their machines running and identifying reasons for downtime.”

~Colleen W., Excel Connection Inc.

“ShiftWorx was really easy to deploy. Any roadblocks, and I contacted the support team which was great. It is daunting at first when looking at the all of the available data and reporting and KPI options, but, after using ShiftWorx more and understanding the setup of different data sources the data collection on our machines was great. The public API use allowed us to integrate it in ways we never could have imagined up front. That it allows operators to do their work and get their input into the improvement of the workflow process. It did not impede their work productivity. ShiftWorx in the cloud is easy to administer, no other product came close.”

~Erin H., Motionalysis Inc.

“Overall Good Price for the product. Very much like it , and will implement in a broader scheme. The direct visual bars and KPIs are great for machining or production. Reporting feature very nice. It’s a mature product and is low cost.”

~Miao Z., Narmco Group Ltd.

“Great real time software! Easy visual of our plant’s productivity.”

~Joe I., Centoco Plastics Ltd.

“Makes a difference right away! This simple to use software drives performance on the shopfloor right away. It allows for simple metrics that drive bottom line results. I saw immediate changes to how our machinists decided to process jobs as they got visual feedback of the importance of spindle uptime. At a glance I can see what has happened in the last 24 hours and understand our performance – and so can everyone else in the company.”

~Ben W., Armo-Tool Ltd.

“After the initial set up, everything has been running rather smoothly. It’s great that I can access the real-time data via the web-based dashboard.”

~Christopher G., Tipco Punch Inc.

“Real time data is key – Overall I am satisfied with ShiftWorx. Ability to effectively display production information real time and quickly identify/correct issues as they arise. Also really like the “Time Shift” functionality that has been brought back from previous versions.”

~Ryan B.,  Jebco Manufacturing Inc.

“Understanding the reasoning behind our downtime improves the efficiency of the machine. Measuring the efficiency of a machine is critical to our business and then being able to understand the reasons behind downtime improves on our efficiency.”

~Ken S., Vulcan Steel Pty Ltd.

“We have focused on downtime issues. Finding out where the problems are and correcting them as needed. The reporting and scheduled reporting makes it easy for our Group Leaders to provide updates to management and employees.”

~Gina M., Great Lakes Copper Ltd.

“We have their system installed on all our CNC machines, and it is a considerable benefit to our company, and significantly improves our systems and process on a continual basis.”

~Chuck H., J/E Bearing & Machine Ltd.

“We’ve had similar solutions, but it hasn’t been as good as FreePoint’s. Their support staff gets back with questions and answers very quickly. It’s made our transition almost seamless – very easy. Shop foreman’s lives are so much easier now too; in the past, they would have to keep notes in their pockets to keep track of issues on the floor. Now, they get that 100% accurate data, in real-time.”

~Engineer, Welland Forge, IMT Group Partner

“Great for automotive manufacturing use. Nice oversight of production results or issues.”

~Bill W., Autotube Ltd.

“We improved production uptime by using concrete data. The overall experience is pleasurable. The technical support we receive is always second to none. The team at ShiftWorx is always willing to help – even to the point of designing or redesigning aspects of the software to make our company more productive. The data collected on our KPI’s helps us make well informed decisions.”

~Andrew H., Excel Connection Inc.

“Great advantage using ShiftWorx MES for Paper machine processing roll-to-roll. Machine operator’s performance and Order processing time have given us a new approach to order planning and Inventory scheduling. Its user friendliness, installation time, and ease of learning and implementation are all pros of ShiftWorx MES.”

~Ricardo M., Papel Satinado SA de CV

“I have been involved with FreePoint in one way or another since its inception. Very forward thinking folks, with a genuine interest in the growth and prosperity of the North American Manufacturing Sector. The technology and product they offer is top notch, a great solution for machine monitoring in today’s manufacturing environment.”

~Jason B., Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium

What Our
Customers Say

About ShiftWorx™ MES Solution

READ MORE REVIEWS

“Feature rich management system with exceptional ROI. Easily deployable by anyone with reasonable ability to follow directions. Dashboard visuals require less setup than many other systems and are focused on real business needs. The price is extremely affordable, and you’re not forced to use proprietary hardware beyond that which is needed to communicate to the cloud backend.”

~ Michael M., Magna International Inc.

“The support has been great that’s the biggest comment I have. The idea of this package is great. I like that the program is very easy to use and the amount of options is really great; as an engineer I like the way I can tinker with it. Its a great interface to work with.”

~ Peter R., HABCO Industries, LLC.

“ShiftWorx is a tool for the future. ShiftWorx is a useful and easy to use digital tool in the manufacturing sector.”

~ Ray D., Anchor Danly Inc.

“ShiftWorx has been a great tool to help us understand how some of our most important assets are being utilized. We have been able to confirm our estimates of utilization and better understand when insourcing and outsourcing make sense. It has also been a great tool for justifying the purchase of additional machines. ShiftWorx was quick and easy to deploy and has provided us with years of actionable data.”

~ Steve J., Steelcase

“Great stuff! Ease of use and accurate data output from machines.”

~ Jarrod A., Vulcan Steel Pty Ltd.

“We have had a great experience with ShiftWorx and their crew of people who support the system. Added features we needed were implemented and it’s a tool we use daily. Good customer service which made choosing ShiftWorx easier.”

~ John W., Great Lakes Copper Ltd.

“Collecting all data from the operators like downtime or real time spindle run; which could help us with scheduling jobs or meeting customer satisfaction. The product is very easy to use, the best thing I liked about the product is that I can monitor all the spindle time on every machine from the cottage or from the office at work.”

~ Szilveszter T., Shimco North America Inc.

“Great team of people producing a great product, and servicing it well. Excellent company to work with, and the product is fantastic.”

~ Steve S., Triton Innovation Inc.

“Great remote factory floor visibility. Overall, the product was easy to install, customize and use to monitor and identify ways to improve productivity. Especially during Covid when travel to our 4 factories was restricted, the ShiftWorx software was very instrumental in allowing me to monitor the progress that our manufacturing equipment was making. The software also allows you to quickly see variances both over time and compared to similar equipment and take corrective actions if needed. The ShiftWorx software and FreePoint hardware allowed visibility to our oldest and newest machines including Oxy fuel flame cutters, Blanchard Grinders and CNC milling machines. We have made an overall machine efficiency improvement of 15% in the last 2 years using ShiftWorx to monitor the progress.”

~ Kevin F., Anchor Danly Inc.

“After implementing ShiftWorx, Excel experienced a 40% decrease in machine downtime. Runtime on our cutting machines increased by 50%. All employees could see how their machine was running and this helped engage machine operators in keeping their machines running and identifying reasons for downtime.”

~ Colleen W., Excel Connection Inc.

“ShiftWorx was really easy to deploy. Any roadblocks, and I contacted the support team which was great. It is daunting at first when looking at the all of the available data and reporting and KPI options, but, after using ShiftWorx more and understanding the setup of different data sources the data collection on our machines was great. The public API use allowed us to integrate it in ways we never could have imagined up front. That it allows operators to do their work and get their input into the improvement of the workflow process. It did not impede their work productivity. ShiftWorx in the cloud is easy to administer, no other product came close.”

~ Erin H., Motionalysis Inc.

“Overall Good Price for the product. Very much like it , and will implement in a broader scheme. The direct visual bars and KPIs are great for machining or production. Reporting feature very nice. It’s a mature product and is low cost.”

~ Miao Z., Narmco Group Ltd.

“Great real time software! Easy visual of our plant’s productivity.”

~ Joe I., Centoco Plastics Ltd.

“Makes a difference right away! This simple to use software drives performance on the shopfloor right away. It allows for simple metrics that drive bottom line results. I saw immediate changes to how our machinists decided to process jobs as they got visual feedback of the importance of spindle uptime. At a glance I can see what has happened in the last 24 hours and understand our performance – and so can everyone else in the company.”

~ Ben W., Armo-Tool Ltd.

“After the initial set up, everything has been running rather smoothly. It’s great that I can access the real-time data via the web-based dashboard.”

~ Christopher G., Tipco Punch Inc.

“Real time data is key – Overall I am satisfied with ShiftWorx. Ability to effectively display production information real time and quickly identify/correct issues as they arise. Also really like the “Time Shift” functionality that has been brought back from previous versions.”

~ Ryan B.,  Jebco Manufacturing Inc.

“Understanding the reasoning behind our downtime improves the efficiency of the machine. Measuring the efficiency of a machine is critical to our business and then being able to understand the reasons behind downtime improves on our efficiency.”

~ Ken S., Vulcan Steel Pty Ltd.

“We have focused on downtime issues. Finding out where the problems are and correcting them as needed. The reporting and scheduled reporting makes it easy for our Group Leaders to provide updates to management and employees.”

~ Gina M., Great Lakes Copper Ltd.

“We have their system installed on all our CNC machines, and it is a considerable benefit to our company, and significantly improves our systems and process on a continual basis.”

~ Chuck H., J/E Bearing & Machine Ltd.

“We’ve had similar solutions, but it hasn’t been as good as FreePoint’s. Their support staff gets back with questions and answers very quickly. It’s made our transition almost seamless – very easy. Shop foreman’s lives are so much easier now too; in the past, they would have to keep notes in their pockets to keep track of issues on the floor. Now, they get that 100% accurate data, in real-time.”

~ Engineer, Welland Forge, IMT Group Partner

“Great for automotive manufacturing use. Nice oversight of production results or issues.”

~ Bill W., Autotube Ltd.

“We improved production uptime by using concrete data. The overall experience is pleasurable. The technical support we receive is always second to none. The team at ShiftWorx is always willing to help – even to the point of designing or redesigning aspects of the software to make our company more productive. The data collected on our KPI’s helps us make well informed decisions.”

~ Andrew H., Excel Connection Inc.

“Great advantage using ShiftWorx MES for Paper machine processing roll-to-roll. Machine operator’s performance and Order processing time have given us a new approach to order planning and Inventory scheduling. Its user friendliness, installation time, and ease of learning and implementation are all pros of ShiftWorx MES.”

~ Ricardo M., Papel Satinado SA de CV

“I have been involved with FreePoint in one way or another since its inception. Very forward thinking folks, with a genuine interest in the growth and prosperity of the North American Manufacturing Sector. The technology and product they offer is top notch, a great solution for machine monitoring in today’s manufacturing environment.”

~ Jason B., Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium

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We are proud members of the following associations:

 

Book a Demo

Experience ShiftWorx™ MES Software Live!

LEARN MORE

Book a Demo

Experience ShiftWorx™ MES Software Live!

LEARN MORE

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