Live Batch Tracking for Machine Shops and Production Runs
Track work orders through every operation, see live WIP counts on any screen in the shop, and catch delays before they stall your downstream stations.
Why Production Shops Lose Control of WIP
Shops running batches of repeatable parts face a different set of visibility problems than one-off fabricators. When part counts live in people's heads and WIP piles up between operations, the floor runs on assumption instead of data.
Part counts move through operations without a live tally. Supervisors walk the floor to find out how many brackets cleared deburr or how many shafts are waiting for the lathe. Status lives in operators' heads, not on a screen.
Part counts tracked manually or not at all.
When a machine goes down or an operator is pulled to another cell, downstream operations stall without knowing why. By the time a delay surfaces, it has already backed up the whole run.
Delays surface too late to recover.
Without a single view of every work order and its current operation, supervisors jump between paper travelers, whiteboards, and ERP screens to piece together where a job stands. It takes longer to find out than to fix it.
No unified view of floor status.
"We were running 200 parts through four operations and I had no idea how many had cleared each station. I was calling out to the floor every two hours just to get a count."Owner, 12-person precision machining shop
Production Runs in 30 Seconds
From open work order to shipped parts, every operation stays visible.
Pull in open work orders or job releases, set part quantities per operation, and organize them into a named production run with a target ship date.
Move work orders through configurable operation stages: Saw, Turn, Mill, Deburr, Inspect, Pack. Each stage shows part counts, who is on it, and what remains.
Each station runs a tablet view where operators mark operations complete, log time, and flag issues with a single tap. Manager-provisioned logins keep it simple (no emails or back-office screens).
Every tablet action pushes instantly to the shop floor TV and the manager dashboard. Supervisors see live WIP counts, active timers, and any flagged issues the moment they happen.
Updates Happen at the Station, Not the Office
Each station gets a tablet view built for one-tap floor use. Operators mark operations complete, log time, and flag issues without ever leaving their station or touching a back-office screen.
What This Gets You
Supervisors see every operation at once
No more walking the floor or calling out for part counts. The run board shows every work order, its current operation, and live completion counts in one view.
Bottlenecks and pile-ups are visible in real time
When parts are piling up between operations or a station has gone quiet, the display shows it immediately. Supervisors act on data, not instinct.
Holds and delays are caught before they ripple
Paused work orders and flagged holds are visible the moment they happen, giving supervisors time to redirect work before downstream cells go idle.
Everything Included
Core functions and production workflows, purpose-built for machine shops and batch manufacturers.
Run builder
Group open work orders into a named production run, set quantities per operation, and assign a target ship date.
Stage management
Move work orders through configurable operation stages and assign floor leads per stage. Stages are customizable to match your process flow.
Station tablet view
A simplified tablet interface for each station: mark operations complete, start timers, and flag issues with a single tap. Operators sign in with a manager-provisioned login (no email accounts required).
Live production display
Full-screen TV view showing real-time run status and part counts, updated by tablet actions the moment operators tap.
Pause and hold tracking
Log holds, machine downtime, or material shortages against specific work orders in a run so delays are documented and visible to supervisors.
Run history
See completed runs, output per run, and actual versus planned cycle time by operation to improve future scheduling and capacity planning.
Production Workflows Covered
Works With
Production Runs connects seamlessly to the rest of your OpenSpindle workflow.
Project Management
Production runs draw from active projects and push completion status back automatically.
Learn moreEquipment Management
Assign runs to specific machines and see machine availability before building the schedule.
Learn moreTeam Management
Assign operation stages to specific people or crews and track workload across the run.
Learn moreFrequently Asked Questions
A production run in OpenSpindle is a named batch of work orders organized to move through your shop's operation stages together. You pull in open jobs or releases, set part quantities, define your stages, and track real-time completion counts as parts move through each operation.
Yes, but logins are quick and set up entirely by a manager. No email addresses are required for operator accounts; a manager creates each operator in the back office and the operator signs in at the station in seconds. There is nothing to invite, verify, or self-register.
Yes. OpenSpindle includes a full-screen production display designed for a shop floor monitor or TV. It updates in real time from tablet actions, so your floor crew always sees current part counts and operation status without checking a computer or asking a manager.
Yes. A production run can contain multiple work orders at different operation stages at the same time. Some parts might be in Mill while others are in Deburr or Inspect, and the display shows the status and counts for each independently.
Most ERP job tracking modules were designed to log transactions after the fact, not to give a floor supervisor live visibility across an active batch. OpenSpindle Production Runs is built around a real-time floor display and on-floor tablet updates, so supervisors see what is actually happening now, not what someone entered at the end of the shift.
Ready to See Every Part, Every Operation, in Real Time?
Join production and machine shops using OpenSpindle to run batches without losing track of where parts are.