Production Recording (MARS)


The Production Recording System has been designed to provide a flexible and inexpensive solution to measure and record machine production activity in a manufacturing plant or cell.

The system is designed to be simple to use and install and fills the gap between a ‘paper’ system and a integrated MES (Manufacturing Execution System). You can monitor just one or many machines in the factory, or just target a problem process.

A compact, low cost Remote Terminal (RT) unit can be fitted to each machine you want to measure, or you can use a Decade 160/260 control system. These units then monitor the machine run/stop activity and operating speed by a suitable input signal.

An LCD touch screen provides a simple, easy to use interface for the operator. ‘Traffic Light’ status beacons can also be connected to the unit and an output prevents the machine from being started when operator input is required. Either an Ethernet or Wireless network link is made from each remote terminal back to the server PC. The server PC(s) hosts the MARS system MySql database the MARSweb web application and provide connectivity to each of the Remote Terminal units.

Once production activity data has been collected from the remote terminals downtime analysis and OEE reports can quickly be produced.

As a web application, it produces a variety of key reports:

  • Networked SFDC (Shop Floor Data Capture) System for repetitive manufacturing processes
  • Accurately records machine activity – run times, stop times, run rates, actual and reject outputs, shifts and job times
  • Web application produces OEE reports (availability, performance, quality & OEE) over shift or job periods, produces pareto charts for downtime analysis
  • Structured method of operators selecting downtime activities gives up to 512 reasons in three presses. Activities can be assigned as changeover, planned or unplanned downtime
  • Cost effective system designed to automate & replace paper recording systems
  • Generate SMS alerts for each machine activity item when a machine is idle for longer than a pre-set time
  • Job scheduler facility that can be linked to ERP systems for automatic update of shop order data
  • Reject quantities can be grouped into twelve different user-defined reasons
  • All data stored in a central MySQL database. Uses existing Ethernet or Wireless network for connection to machine terminals.

MARS RTSeries - For a full specification please download our brochure