May 2023

Feels like we’re on the move a lot; maybe with the winter over and nobody particularly worried about COVID anymore, the world is waking up from a long slumber. I’ve already been to the states twice in the last 4 weeks (including one very painful 20-hour stint to San Francisco), and am about to head over to South Carolina and Chicago (for Rapid) again. If you’re around, let me know!

It’s busy as things are getting, the amazing team is not losing sight of the detail! Two “detail” updates in this round of improvements. 

#1 Are Sublocations. This has been in the works for a while and allows users to create separate facilities for in a specific location. With sublocations they can specify where, for instance a material is stored. It also serves as foundation for future improvements such as “machine rooms” that allow us to project machine performance for certain areas on one screen. We’ll also be able to associate environmental data with a sublocation for greater traceability. 

The second detail is an improved work instruction interface. When it was first conceived, work instructions were simple text + SOP links. Now they’re more complex – including various responses, ability to set thresholds, actions against those thresholds and soon, including the ability to include machine data in them too 🥵. So, we had to tidy up the interface. While doing that we also gave folks the ability to review the instructions for each step in a clear, practical way. Take a look! 

It’s these types of details that push the whole platform forward. Guidelines, our If-This-Then-That Engine for Manufacturing is one example of that. That has just been shortlisted for the TCT software prize. It’s more than just a recognition of our software development – Guidelines is intricately linked with our mission of placing the operator at the centre of a smart workflow.

I’ll be talking about Guidelines at Rapid on Thursday morning, so come listen if you can. But even if you can’t – it’ll be hard to stop me talking about it wherever we meet. 

I look forward to it!