How to Digitalize the Shop Floor: A Step-by-Step Guide

Peakboard digitalizes the shop floor without a big IT project: existing machines, PLCs and ERP systems are connected, and a first use case – Andon board, shift log or OEE dashboard – goes live within a few days. That is the Peakboard approach: not an 18-month mega-project, but first value in week 1 – and growing from there iteratively.

What does digitalizing the shop floor mean?

Digitalizing the shop floor means replacing manual processes and paper-based information chains with digital, automated workflows. This typically covers: shift handovers, machine status, production metrics, order data, quality documentation and the communication between shift lead, operator and plant management.

The goal is not a digital copy of the analog shop floor, but a system that captures and aggregates data automatically and brings the right information to the right people at the right time.

The typical starting point

Many manufacturers who begin digitalizing the shop floor share a typical starting picture: shift handovers on paper or in Excel, machine status only visible by walking the floor, KPIs that are only available the next day or at the weekend, and fault reasons that at best are noted in a spreadsheet – but never systematically evaluated.

The right entry point

Digitalizing the shop floor does not have to start as a mega-project. The most successful entry points are use cases with fast value and low risk:

• Andon board: machine status in real time on a display. Immediately visible, immediately useful, no manual entry.
• Digital shift log: shift handover structured, searchable and audit-proof. Replaces paper without a major change.
• OEE dashboard: availability, performance and quality calculated automatically from the machine controller. No more manual collection.

Iterative build-up: from the first use case to a platform

Peakboard is designed to grow with the operation. The first use case runs on existing hardware and connects to existing systems. An Andon board becomes a complete shop floor management system: the Andon board escalates into the shift log, the shift log feeds the shop floor meeting, the meeting leads to measures that become visible in the next OEE value.

Digitalizing the shop floor without an IT project

A common misconception: digitalizing the shop floor requires a long IT project. With Peakboard that is not necessary. The platform connects to existing PLCs, ERP and databases – without replacing existing systems, without its own server infrastructure, without programming effort. In plants with Bosch, Würth and Siemens as customers, that is not a theoretical promise but lived practice.

For the strategic context and the wider trends behind this shift, see our overview of digital shop floor management.