7 Smart Starts for Ax 7 – #5

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Share:

Smart Start #5: Manufacturing Execution in the New Microsoft Dynamics AX

Production reporting just got easier for the shop floor worker!

The new Microsoft Dynamics AX  has a screen called “job card device” that is designed for touch screens and is a great example of how Microsoft is making production reporting easier.

The shop floor work space shown below is part of “production floor management” where the supervisor has set the priority and sequence of jobs in the new “jobs to complete” task bar and the worker is now ready to log in and report time.  The job card device is not part of the work space but can be accessed fairly easily by using the job links in the lower right of our example screen or you can use the navigation pane button  in the upper left of the screen and select the path of production control > manufacturing execution > job card device.

Once signed on, the new “Job card device” screen goes directly to the first assigned job and shows only what the worker needs to know to start, complete or record progress on a job.  Gone are the old job lists and the many action icons that were at times overwhelming and that caused information overload.  The new layout is simple, designed for a touch screen, with large icons and a picture of the item being worked on, its current status and the status of its previous operation.

]What is really nice are the large icons that allow a worker with protective gloves to easily update the status their job on a touch screen or on a mobile device such as a Surface Pro or similar tablet.

We’ll discuss the buttons on the left first:

“Start job” and “report progress” operate pretty much the same way, allowing the job to be reported as ‘In progress’, ‘Stopped’ or ‘Completed’ with ‘Good’ and ‘Error’ quantities (and an accompanying error reason).The “instructions” button is there to show production order routing instructions, i.e. work instructions or safety instructions as well as file attachments such as drawings.  (This not working right now, we’ll update you when we have it working)

The worker can immediately switch to the “previous job” or “next job” in the job list.   A more detailed listing is available using the “assigned” button, which we’ll cover below.

 

Now we’ll explore the buttons on the right:

“Break” – The worker can clock in or out of breaks, as defined in their time profile (time & attendance > setup > time profiles > profiles)

Meetings and other indirect activities are easily recorded via the “activity” button.

The “filter” button allows the worker to filter the jobs list by their production unit, resource group and/or resource.   When they click on “assigned” only those jobs that meet the filtering criteria show in the resulting ‘list’, or should we say job tiles…

Notice again the big icons to select or touch … no more lists of jobs to browse through and click on. That is awesome!

Finally, the “leaving” button logs the worker off of the device for another worker to use or logs the worker off for the day.  No more automatically getting logged off after a set amount of inactive time.  The beauty of the new  Job Card Device is that it just stays open waiting for the next job until the worker logs off or clocks out for the day.

In summary, the new Job Card Device is a great enhancement to Manufacturing Execution.  It is designed to show the shop floor worker just what they need to know to do their job efficiently.  It has large icons that workers with protective gloves can quickly and easily record job activity.   It is easy to navigate with quick reference to assigned jobs, work instructions, job status and updates.  A wonderful addition to Microsoft Dynamics AX!

Interested in enhancing productivity on the shop floor using Microsoft Dynamics AX? Contact us to schedule a demo!

This publication contains general information only and Sikich is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or any other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should you use it as a basis for any decision, action or omission that may affect you or your business. Before making any decision, taking any action or omitting an action that may affect you or your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. In addition, this publication may contain certain content generated by an artificial intelligence (AI) language model. You acknowledge that Sikich shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by you or any person who relies on this publication.

SIGN-UP FOR INSIGHTS

Join 14,000+ business executives and decision makers

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Latest Insights

About The Author