The quick answer
Go to Manufacturing Mobile > Preferences > Mfg Mobile - Work Center Preference and click New Mfg Mobile - Work Center Preference. Choose the Work Center, then check Capture Actual Times first. Until it is checked, Badge-In Required, Auto Start Run, Process Actual Machine Time, Process Actual Labor Time and the other options are greyed out. Then check the badge and processing settings you want (Badge-In Required makes Auto Badge Out available, and Process Actual Labor Time makes Labor per Badge-In available) and click Save.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own work centers and settings when following the steps.
This guide sets up the preference only. It doesn't time an operation in the Manufacturing Mobile app or show a work order completion. Menu labels, list columns, list order and the options on the form can vary by version, custom form and account.
Before you start
In this example, Alex Morgan at Example Supply Co. wants operators at a new quilting cell to badge in, wants Manufacturing Mobile to capture the actual setup and run time, and wants the actual machine and labor time to be processed. You need:
- Manufacturing Mobile installed, with the Manufacturing Mobile tab in your navigation and permission to create its custom records.
- A work center with its location set, and its bins and inventory status if the mobile flow moves material. The preference is saved against that work center.
- A decision on which settings the work center needs: whether a badge-in is required, whether operators are badged out automatically, and whether actual machine and labor time should be processed.
- A routing operation with the setup time or run rate that applies, if you want standard times to compare with. The time capture, badge and processing settings also need Enable Start-Stop feature for Work Order checked on the Mfg Mobile - Preferences record, and operators who use Start and Stop on routed work order operations.
- The custom form that shows the fields used here. A form with different fields or labels in your account may need adjusting.
01. Review the existing preferences
Go to Manufacturing Mobile > Preferences > Mfg Mobile - Work Center Preference. The Preferences flyout also holds the Mfg Mobile - Preferences record, which is a different record, so pick the work center entry.
The list shows one row per work center with a Yes or No under each setting. In this example five work centers have a preference. Ogden Pack Station has No under every setting, so it doesn't capture time, and Ogden Cutting Cell has Yes under most settings. The total reads 5.
02. Start a new preference
Click New Mfg Mobile - Work Center Preference and choose Ogden Quilting Cell as the Work Center, which is required. Leave Inactive unchecked so the preference can be used. The name is filled in from the work center when you save.
Notice what you can't change yet. With Capture Actual Times unchecked, Badge-In Required, Auto Badge Out, Auto Start Run, Process Actual Machine Time, Process Actual Labor Time, Labor per Badge-In and the ALLOW and MANDATE options are greyed out. Only Disable Consumption, Disable Production and Disable Scrap can be changed.
03. Turn on time capture and choose the settings
Check Capture Actual Times. Badge-In Required, Auto Start Run, Process Actual Machine Time, Process Actual Labor Time and ALLOW TO RUN CONCURRENT OPERATIONS become available. Auto Badge Out and Labor per Badge-In stay greyed out because they depend on other settings. Unchecking Capture Actual Times clears and disables these options again, so recheck them if you toggle it.
Check Badge-In Required, which makes Auto Badge Out, ALLOW TO BADGE OUT BY ANYONE and MANDATE A BADGE FOR RUNNING OPERATION available, and check Auto Badge Out. Check Process Actual Machine Time and Process Actual Labor Time. Process Actual Labor Time makes Labor per Badge-In available, so check that too. Leave Auto Start Run, the three Disable options and the ALLOW and MANDATE options unchecked in this example.
Capturing time and processing it are separate settings. Capture Actual Times records the durations, while the two Process settings decide whether the captured machine and labor time are used instead of the routing's standard times when the work order completion is processed. Labor per Badge-In needs usable badge-in data, such as an active badge ID tied to the employee, and the system can use machine time instead when that data is missing.
04. Save and check the list
Click Save. The saved record shows the work center as a link and the settings you chose.
Open Mfg Mobile - Work Center Preference again. The list now has six rows, and the Ogden Quilting Cell row shows Yes under Capture Actual Times, Badge - In Required and Auto Badge Out, and No under Auto - Start Run.
Scroll right to see the rest of the settings. The same third row shows Yes under Process Actual Machine Time, Process Actual Labor Time and Labor per Badge-In, and No under Disable Consumption, Disable Production and Disable Scrap.
Check the result
- The work center preference list went from 5 rows to 6.
- The Ogden Quilting Cell row shows Yes under Capture Actual Times, Badge - In Required, Auto Badge Out, Process Actual Machine Time, Process Actual Labor Time and Labor per Badge-In.
- The Ogden Quilting Cell row shows No under Auto - Start Run and the three Disable options.
Common questions
What does Capture Actual Times do?
It is the parent setting. In the account shown, its field help says that when it is enabled the setup and run time duration will be recorded. Badge-In Required, Auto Badge Out, Auto Start Run, Process Actual Machine Time, Process Actual Labor Time, Labor per Badge-In and the ALLOW and MANDATE options can't be changed until it is checked.
Why are Badge-In Required and Process Actual Labor Time greyed out?
Because Capture Actual Times is unchecked. Check it first. Auto Badge Out, ALLOW TO BADGE OUT BY ANYONE and MANDATE A BADGE FOR RUNNING OPERATION then need Badge-In Required, and Labor per Badge-In needs Process Actual Labor Time.
What is the difference between Capture Actual Times and Process Actual Machine Time?
Capture Actual Times records the setup and run durations. Process Actual Machine Time and Process Actual Labor Time decide whether the captured durations are used instead of the routing's standard times when the work order completion is processed. For a standard time to exist, the routing operation needs the applicable setup time or run rate.
Which time counts toward actual machine and labor time?
Actual machine time counts the time an operation is in progress plus paused time with a machine-chargeable pause reason. Actual labor time counts badge-in time while the operation is in progress plus badge-in time during a pause with a labor-chargeable reason. The Chargeable - Machine and Chargeable - Labor flags on the pause reason code decide those pauses.
What do Badge-In Required, Auto Badge Out, Auto Start Run and Labor per Badge-In do?
Badge-In Required needs at least one operator badged in before setup or run can begin. Auto Badge Out badges an operator out of a work center when the operator badges into another. Auto Start Run starts the run when the setup ends. Labor per Badge-In bases labor on badge-in data and needs usable data, and machine time can be used when it is missing. Confirm how each behaves in the Manufacturing Mobile app in your account, because this guide doesn't show the app.
How is MANDATE A BADGE FOR RUNNING OPERATION different from Badge-In Required?
They are separate settings. Badge-In Required controls whether an operator must be badged in before setup or run can begin, and MANDATE A BADGE FOR RUNNING OPERATION becomes available once Badge-In Required is checked. This guide leaves it unchecked, so read its field help in your account to see how your release applies it.
Do Disable Consumption, Disable Production and Disable Scrap depend on time capture?
No. They stay available when Capture Actual Times is unchecked. They control whether component consumption, production or scrap can be reported through the Manufacturing Mobile flow at the work center, and they aren't tied to the time capture settings.
Can one work center have more than one preference?
This guide doesn't test it, and it doesn't test what happens at a work center with no preference. Confirm both in your account before relying on either. The time capture, badge and processing settings need Enable Start-Stop feature for Work Order on the Mfg Mobile - Preferences record and operators who use Start and Stop on routed work order operations.