4.3 Dashboards & Shopfloor Displays

Data must be visible to be actionable. In a high-speed environment, operators and managers do not have time to "analyze" charts. They need instant situational awareness.

The 3-Second Rule

Requirement: A viewer standing 5 meters away must be able to understand the Line Status (Running/Down) and Performance (Winning/Losing) within 3 seconds.

Constraint: If the dashboard requires a mouse click or scroll to find critical data, it is a failure.

Standard Layout A: The Operator Cockpit (Station Level)

Displayed on the HMI or Tablet directly at the work center.

Focus: Immediate Execution & Feedback.

Zone	Widget / Block	Metric
Top Left	The Identity	Current WO, Part Number, Description.
Top Right	The Score	Actual Qty / Target Qty (for this hour).
Center	The Instruction	Current Step Image + Active Alert (e.g., "Check Orientation").
Bottom	The Pulse	Last Cycle Time vs. Target Cycle Time.

Logic:

• If Cycle Time > Target → Then Background turns Yellow.
• If Machine Error → Then Full Screen Overlay Red with Error Code.

Standard Layout B: The Digital Andon (Line Level)

Displayed on Large Format TVs (55"+) mounted overhead. Visible to the entire cell.

Focus: Flow, Pace, and Bottlenecks.

The Hourly Output Board (The "Pace" Block)

A simplified table showing hour-by-hour performance.

• Row: Hour (08:00, 09:00...)
• Col 1: Target (Plan)
• Col 2: Actual (Produced)
• Col 3: Delta (+/-)
• Visual Rule: If Delta is Negative → Then Text is Red.

The Line State (The "Status" Block)

• Visual: Massive background color change.
• Green: Running (Speed > 90%).
• Yellow: Micro-stop / Slow (Speed < 90%).
• Red: Down (Duration > 5 mins).
• Blue: Material Call / Support Needed.

The Pareto (The "Fix It" Block)

• Widget: Top 3 Downtime Reasons (Current Shift).
• Widget: Top 3 Defect Types (Current Shift).
• Goal: Tells the Line Lead exactly what to attack next.

Data Visualization Rules

Adhere to strict UI/UX standards to prevent cognitive load.

• Color Hygiene:
  • Green: Good / Running / On Target.
  • Red: Bad / Stopped / Below Target.
  • Grey/Black: Idle / No Schedule.
  • Rule: Never use Red for "Company Branding." Red is reserved for "Alarm."
• Font Size:
  • KPIs: Min 150pt (Readable from 10m).
  • Labels: Min 40pt.
• Animations:
  • Prohibited: Scrolling tickers (Marquees). They distract peripheral vision.
  • Allowed: Blinking (Red Only) for "Line Down" states.

Refresh Rates & Latency

Old data is dangerous. Define strict refresh intervals based on data type.

Data Type	Max Latency	Mechanism
Machine State	< 2 Seconds	WebSockets / MQTT Push
Production Count	< 5 Seconds	Event Trigger
OEE / KPI Calc	< 1 Minute	SQL Aggregation Job
Shift Report	1 Hour	Periodic Snapshot

Drift Control:

• Watchdog: The dashboard must ping the server every 10 seconds.
• If Connection Lost → Then Display "Offline / Stale Data" overlay clearly. Do not show frozen numbers.

Hardware & Ownership

A TV on the wall is an orphan unless owned.

• Hardware:
  • Use Commercial Displays (rated 16/7 or 24/7), not Consumer TVs.
  • No Peripherals: No mouse/keyboard attached. Use "Kiosk Mode."
  • PC: Micro-PC (NUC/Raspberry Pi) mounted behind the screen (VESA mount).
• RACI Ownership:
  • IT: Owns the Hardware, Network, and OS (Patching).
  • MES Team: Owns the Layout, Data Source, and Logic.
  • Production Mgr: Owns the Target (The number being displayed).

Final Checklist

Category	Metric / Control	Threshold / Rule
Legibility	Distance Test	Critical numbers readable from 10 meters (30ft).
Speed	State Refresh	Machine state updates on screen in < 2 seconds.
Logic	Color Coding	Red = Stop/Fail. Green = Run/Pass. No aesthetic deviations.
Pace	Hourly Board	Must show Hour-by-Hour Target vs Actual variance.
Hygiene	Stale Data	Screen blacks out or shows "Disconnect" icon if network fails.
Input	Zero Touch	Displays run 100% autonomously (no mouse/keyboard required).