Manufacturing
Execution System

We established a structured development process, from requirements gathering and ideation through visual design, development collaboration and release. In parallel, we tackled the complexity of the information architecture through iterative exploration, until user needs and business goals lined up.

Six of the modules developed and deployed to factories around the world. Each one is shown with its key decisions marked on the screen.

Module 1 · Production control

Run every order from one table

A centralised interface for shop floor activities: production orders in interactive tables, with the actions for each stage of the process. Users create and release orders, confirm produced quantities, declare scrap or rework and track progress in real time.

1. Orders by stage. Planned, in process and completed orders sit in their own tabs.
2. Progress at a glance. A status flag and a progress bar on every row.
3. Actions on the row. Start or hold production without leaving the list.
4. The next step stands out. Inside an order, the main action is the one bright button.
5. Everything for the order, one tap away. Consume, quality inspection, comments and declaration along the bottom.

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Module 2 · Work center

See every channel and its orders at once

A real-time overview of production channels and their active orders in an area: order status, part quantity, scheduled start time, buffer quantity and runtime hours. Colour-coded statuses make prioritising quick.

1. One row per channel. Each channel's active orders line up beside it.
2. Status by colour. Started, on hold and released read before the text does.
3. Runtime stands out. The number operators check most is the largest on the card.
4. Cards or table. One switch, top right, changes the view.
5. The same data, denser. The table view suits supervisors scanning many orders.

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Module 3 · Material staging

The right material, at the right place and time

A detailed overview of material staging: material numbers, descriptions, tolerance classes, demand and request quantities, and available stock. Users manage stock from several suppliers and allocate quantities by batch and heat number.

1. The order stays in view. The production order list sits beside the staging table.
2. Two ways to stage. Automatic staging, or manual staging when the floor needs it.
3. Demand against stock. Requested quantities next to what is available, with a status dot.
4. Pick by supplier and batch. Expand a material to allocate across suppliers, batch and heat numbers.
5. Priority in one tick. Urgent staging is marked as high priority.

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Module 4 · Quality inspection

Catch deviations while they are still small

Systematic checks that production meets its standards: verifying tool calibration, sampling produced pieces, recording measured values and updating inspection status. Deviations show up early, and every step stays traceable.

1. One tab per characteristic. Each measured parameter has its own view.
2. Tolerance at a glance. The measured value sits on a scale between its lower and upper limits.
3. Calibrate before measuring. The probe warns when it needs calibration.
4. The trend, not just the number. A chart of measurements against control limits.
5. Every result labelled. Pass, out of tolerance and not measured, each with its own icon.

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Module 5 · Shifts

Plan the workforce around production

Tools to create and edit shift schedules, adjust working hours, add breaks and define recurring shift patterns. Shift changes run smoothly and scheduling conflicts drop.

1. Shifts in one list. Morning, afternoon and night, each with its own times.
2. A pattern per weekday. Each day of the week can follow its own pattern.
3. Times and hours together. Start, end and scheduled hours for every shift.
4. Add another shift. A day can hold as many shifts as production needs.
5. Patterns on machines. Patterns are assigned to areas and machines.

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Module 6 · Performance & losses (MPO)

Turn lost minutes into reasons

A clear view of production performance: losses and their root causes, such as scrap, rework or equipment downtime, logged in real time. Key metrics including OEE, and actual against planned output, show where to improve.

1. OEE first. Availability, performance and quality sit at the top of every shift.
2. Actual against plan. A chart of produced pieces against the target.
3. Losses waiting for a reason. Unclassified intervals are listed until someone explains them.
4. Justify a loss. Downtime, speed loss, scrap and rework each get a reason and a quantity.
5. Reporting set per channel. Hourly, by event or by shift.

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The interface was designed to adapt seamlessly across desktop and tablet devices, depending on what each factory uses. Even without clear device requirements early on, the UX approach anticipated this need and ensured flexibility from the start.

Responsive breakpoints and a flexible grid system made it possible to support different screen sizes without sacrificing usability. This was particularly important on the production floor where operators work at varying distances from their screens.

The project initially used Sketch with a design system that was difficult to maintain and offered limited access for developers. To improve collaboration, the entire workflow was migrated to Figma, with all mockups recreated from scratch, enabling a more efficient shared workspace.

As the design team expanded, a new component library was built in Figma based on the company's brand identity, making the design process smoother, more consistent, and accessible for the entire team across all five products.

To improve cross-team collaboration, a dedicated UX training was developed for non-designers, including business analysts, managers, developers, and product owners. The training covered UI/UX fundamentals, clarified their differences, and highlighted their importance in product development.

The goal was to shift the perception of UX from "graphic work" to a strategic, user-focused process, reducing misunderstandings and building a shared design language across the entire product organisation.