PC-Topp.NET News (en)

New Report on Work in Progress

PcTopp — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:22:00 +0200

There is a new report that gives you a detailed overview over the current work in progress for the conversion machines sorted by flute type. The report shows all orders that currently are in production, i.e. not fully finished.

It contains information about previous machine, order start date, article number, board grade, ordered quantity, number of finished goods and sheets, area and weight, with price per piece and value.

That way you can see at a glance where you need to take action to reduce work in progress.

Workaround for PC-Topp.NET Issues Caused by Internet Explorer 9 Memory Problem

PcTopp — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:25:52 +0200

As a temporary workaround for the Internet Explorer 9 memory hogging problem described earlier, PC-Topp Terminal pages will automatically refresh every 60 minutes, causing a momentary flicker, and potentially displaying the start page of the terminal (and not the page that was last being viewed). We do however watch out for ongoing user interaction and delay the refresh until we are have not seen any user interaction with the page for a reasonable time.

This workaround now makes it possible to use Internet Explorer 9 with PC-Topp's terminal pages without suffering the effects of long term memory loss inside Internet Explorer 9.

However, any other problems Internet Explorer 9 still has will not disappear with this trick, so users may still experience browser failures and similar effects in PC-Topp under IE9, the same effects Internet Explorer 9 users experience in popular Internet services like Google's www.gmail.com.

Optional Automatic Sign-In for Crew Leaders

PcTopp — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:46:00 +0200

From now on PC‑Topp can automatically sign in the crew leader at the beginning of a shift. This saves him the trouble of having to sign in explicitly which is sometimes forgotten.

This optional feature can be activated in the Dataset Parameters.

PC-Topp.NET Issues Caused By Internet Explorer

PcTopp — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:09:34 +0200

Internet Explorer 9

When working with PC-Topp.NET in Internet Explorer 9 you may face difficulties like unexpectedly high memory usage or browser crashes.

These are Internet Explorer 9 specific problems; in Internet Explorer 8 PC-Topp.NET is stable and runs with the usual reliabilty.

Microsoft has admitted the memory hogging problem in Internet Explorer 9 (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2572253/en-us); concerning the browser crashes a Microsoft statement is still pending.

Our developers are currently trying to find a workaround. However, in the meantime resp. as long as there is no official Microsoft fix we recommend using PC-Topp.NET with Internet Explorer 8. We will inform you via this blog as soon as there is a solution available.

Internet Explorer Add-Ons

No matter which version of Internet Explorer you are using, Internet Explorer add-ons can cause performance and stability problems in PC-Topp.NET.

Therefore, we advise you to disable all Internet Explorer add-ons like search engine toolbars, social networking tools etc., except those you absolutely need.

You can find instructions on how to disable add-ons here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Internet-Explorer-add-ons-frequently-asked-questions

Downtime Cause Analysis Report

PcTopp — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:21:00 +0200

The Downtime Cause Analysis report offers a graphical overview of a selected downtime cause or group on corrugator and conversion machines during a selectable period, including figures as well as total and average downtime duration. It can be grouped by shift, day, week or month. You can select either one specific downtime cause or a group of downtime causes to be displayed.

New Reports on Machine and Crew Leader Performance

PcTopp — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:30:00 +0200

For getting a better overview of the overall performance of machines and crew leaders the following four new reports have been implemented:

Overall Machine Performance

This report shows performance indicators by machine over a period of one year, with performance per month, totals, and target for the selected year. Performance diagrams illustrate the figures.

Overall Machine Performance by Crew Leader

This report is almost identical to the Overall Machine Performance report but it additionally shows figures for the crew leaders.

Overall Crew Leader Performance

The Overall Crew Leader Performance report shows performance indicators by crew leader for the selected period compared with average values since the beginning of the year. The report contrasts the crew leader’s monthly performance values with the average of the year. Graphical indicators show if the crew leader performance has improved or changed for the worse.

Protect Yourself from Damages Claims with Safety Instructions Functionality

PcTopp — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:36:00 +0200

Imagine one of the machine operators in your plant has an accident due to issues warned against in the safety instructions provided to the crew. How to prove to your insurance company that he has disregarded or failed to read them?

What It Is Good for

This is where the new Safety Instructions functionality at the PC-Topp.NET Machine Terminal and Multi Machine Terminal comes into play:

It forces crew members who haven't signed in at a machine for a certain period of time to take note of important information (e.g. reminders to wear safety clothes, hints on things to keep in mind or changes in the workflow etc).
It allows you to prove that a crew member has acknowledged important information so you aren't liable for damages incurred through non-observance.

How It Works

If a crew member who hasn’t signed in at a machine for the specified number of days signs in at the Machine Terminal a dialog prompts him to read the safety instructions for this machine.
This dialog appears if the safety instructions file has been modified, too. Everybody who signs in at the machine for the first time after the modification is prompted to read the changed safety instructions.
At the same time the feature demands confirmation by a superior that the person in question has done so, thus guaranteeing that users really view relevant information and don't just skip the dialog.
The Safety Instructions feature is best used in conjunction with the PC-Topp.NET Messaging functionality. It can alert the supervisor by email or text message in real time that a crew member has to read the safety instructions, thereby automatically creating written evidence of the procedure.
Moreover, when the supervisor comes to the workstation of the person in question to give his confirmation he can print out two copies of the safety instructions, have the person in question sign both, and file one copy in the crew member's personal record.

If the new feature is used as outlined above, your personnel is kept up-to-date on important information, and at the same time the fact that staff members have received this information is fully documented to protect you against unjustified claims.

How to Switch It On

To activate this feature you have to:

Upload a safety instructions file to the PC-Topp server via the Machine Settings page (Machine Terminal tab),
Define how much time has to pass after the last sign-in of a crew member for the safety instructions to be displayed (in the DataSet Parameters, Machine Terminal tab).

New Plant Wide Waste Report Available

PcTopp — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:02:00 +0200

We have created a new report which summarizes waste by corrugator and conversion machines, with totals for the whole plant.

It gives production key figures and all incurred waste in finished goods and m² or kg, including detailed waste reasons (if configured).

Calculate Exact Die-Cut Waste with New Machine Terminal Option

PcTopp — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:27:00 +0200

PC-Topp now gives you close control of the amount of die-cut waste occurred during production at the PC-Topp.NET Machine Terminal.

This optional new feature prompts the user to enter the sheet weight before and after production before allowing him to close an order. From the difference between these two figures you can easily calculate the die-cut waste of this order.

In the production statistics, the die-cut waste appears in the PC-Topp.NET Plant Performance Report.

To enable this feature, some PC-Topp parameters have to be modified so if you want to use it please contact the PC-Topp team.

Production Summary with Passes and Products

PcTopp — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:23:00 +0200

We have created a variation of the PC‑Topp.NET Production Summary which shows the same data as the original report but gives the number of finished goods in products as well as in passes. (The Production Summary displays passes only.)

PDF Report on Pallet Requirements

PcTopp — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:13:00 +0200

The pallet requirements can now be downloaded in PDF format for printout, emailing etc.

They are available in summary form as well as in full detail in the toolbox of the Pallet Requirements page.

Better Visibility of Machine Performance on Plant Summary Page

PcTopp — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:45:00 +0200

Now you can see the machine performance on the plant summary page at a glance because the speed is now displayed in different colors. The following colors indicate the relation between actual speed (including downtimes) and planning capacity (defined in the Conversion Machine settings):

Red – Actual speed is more than 20% lower than planning capacity
Bright Blue – Actual speed is more than 20% greater than planning capacity
Dark Blue – Actual speed is within tolerance

Easier Overview of Quality Checks at the Machine Terminal

PcTopp — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:45:00 +0200

The list of quality checks during the current shift at the PC-Topp.NET Machine Terminal has been enhanced so that you can now optionally display it either vertically as usual or horizontally in a more graphical style.

The new horizontal view is rather graphical than textual and therefore more or less self-explaining. With its economical layout, clear organization and color codes, it provides a well-structured overview of the shift's quality checks.

The overview can show more quality checks at a time because the quality checks are listed in a timeline, additionally organized by check type (rather than just by chronological order as before).
Whether upcoming, pending, or already performed, all quality checks remain in view (whereas in the vertical layout you see mostly the pending and upcoming ones).
The status of the quality checks is instantly visible thanks to their color codes which are similar to the PC-Topp order status colors:
- Yellow – Upcoming quality checks
- Blue – Due / imminent quality checks
- Gray – Performed quality checks
- Red – Expired quality checks
Additionally, failed quality checks are marked in red, passed quality checks in green:

You can switch the quality checks to the new view in the Machine Terminal tab of the DataSet Parameters page:

Suspended Orders Marked in Conversion Machine Scheduling

PcTopp — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:38:00 +0200

Due to their pink background color, orders flagged as "Forbidden" by Planning or Sales clearly stand out in the machine schedule of the PC‑Topp.NET Conversion Machine Scheduling page. As of now, you can spot orders flagged as "Suspended" by Planning or Sales more easily, too: They are displayed with a pink order number.

Plant Summary: More Details on Machine Performance

PcTopp — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 12:04:00 +0200

In the PC‑Topp.NET Plant Summary you can now click the Plus icon in the upper right corner of any machine box to open a dialog displaying more performance figures for this machine.

In addition to the information shown in the machine overview, in this new dialog you will find:

More orders from the machine schedule
More details for those orders
Production times and OEE of the displayed shifts
Performance details of the current order