Someone must then summarize all of the inputted information together and then somehow format that data into a dashboard. If your company has several locations, maybe each location has its own tab. In this scenario, there are people on the line that input quality, downtime, and production data into an Excel sheet. It is possible to build a dashboard in Excel, but it is extremely complicated, can become outdated quickly, and is difficult to share with multiple people in a company. How Do You Turn Manufacturing Data in Excel into a Dashboard? It goes without saying that there is a lot of data included in a spreadsheet. You name it, and it’s probably included in a spreadsheet. Those spreadsheets can include everything from job work orders (if you want to get technical, job work and production order also mean the same thing), downtime, OEE, maintenance schedules, and quality data. Not to sound redundant, but, manufacturers keep literally everything in spreadsheets. What Data Do Manufacturers Typically Keep in Spreadsheets? Stick with us as we explore the possible reasons for the worn-out reliance on traditional reporting methods, and what solutions, (ahem SensrTrx!) can help do to transform the industry. So, why do manufacturers still use the traditional method of pen and paper to record data from the factory floor? It’s a question that continues to perplex us. It is often prone to human error in the recording process, not available in real-time, and requires extensive work and time to create any sort of reporting dashboard. In the world of manufacturing, Excel is used to record data, but converting that data to something that can be understood is another story.

Helpful in some regards, yes, but confusing and easy to screw up, definitely. Microsoft Excel – it’s a beast of a product.

Turn on data analysis excel