JP7506375B2 - Production progress monitoring system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a production progress monitoring system that monitors the progress of food production.

Conventionally, a system for monitoring the progress of production has been known in a factory where multiple envelope inserting machines that insert documents into envelopes are installed, and which displays the number of documents produced by each envelope inserting machine, the progress rate, the total target production number, etc. on a large monitor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2012-174019 A

Meanwhile, factories that produce prepared foods ship many different kinds of prepared foods to many clients, and because the quantities, mixes, shipping times, etc. of the prepared foods vary for each client, the factories produce a wide variety of prepared foods in small quantities. Furthermore, for hygiene reasons, the factory is divided into a cooking area where ingredients are prepared and a packaging area where cooked food is plated and packaged, and workers are prohibited from moving between each area. Therefore, even if production numbers, progress rates, total target production numbers, etc. are displayed on a large monitor as in the above-mentioned system, there is a problem that it is difficult for workers to fully grasp the progress of prepared food production.

Furthermore, the production of prepared foods is carried out on multiple production lines, and the workers assigned to each production line are frequently replaced, so not only is the communication of information to each line and worker insufficient, but objective evaluation information on the production capacity of each production line actually performing production has not been obtained.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a production progress monitoring system that improves production efficiency by informing workers of objective evaluation information on the production progress and production capacity of each production line in a factory, thereby eliminating idle time for workers by allowing them to objectively recognize the work they should be currently doing.

The production progress monitoring system of the present invention is a production progress monitoring system having a display unit that displays the progress of production of ordered food items, and includes an order information storage unit that stores the number of orders for each of the ordered food items, the scheduled end time of plating and packaging for each of the ordered food items, and an estimated time a predetermined time before the scheduled end time of plating and packaging for each of the ordered food items, a food item information storage unit that stores food item information including the standard number of workers, which is the number of workers to be put in, the standard work time when working with the standard number of workers, and the standard production capacity when working with the standard number of workers, for each production line that produces the ordered food items, a production performance storage unit that stores the production performance for each of the ordered food items, and a first display unit that displays the production progress based on the number of orders for each of the ordered food items stored in the order information storage unit and the production performance for each of the ordered food items stored in the production performance storage unit. a first calculation unit that calculates the value of the actual production capacity of a specific production line that is producing a specific food order item based on the number of workers actually put into the specific production line that is producing the specific food order item and the actual working time; a first display control unit that, when it is determined that the production of the ordered number of the food order item has not been completed based on the first value indicating the production progress calculated by the first calculation unit at the estimated time stored in correspondence with the food order item, displays a warning on the display unit that the production of the food order item has not been completed; and a second display control unit that displays on the display unit the standard production capacity of the specific food order item stored in the food item information storage unit and the actual production capacity calculated by the second calculation unit as information indicating the production capacity of the specific production line.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the food item information storage unit further stores the standard switching time of the specified production line, and the second display control unit further displays the standard switching time and the actual switching time of the specified production line as information indicating production capacity.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the number of orders for the food order items is the aggregate number of orders for each customer, and the scheduled end time is determined based on the earliest shipping time among the delivery times for each customer.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, when the first display control unit determines that production of the ordered quantity of the food order item has not been completed based on a first value indicating the production progress status when the scheduled completion time of the food order item arrives, the display unit displays a warning indicating that production of the food order item has not been completed.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the display unit switches between the display by the first display control unit and the display by the second display control unit.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the warning display related to the first display control unit is displayed superimposed on the display by the second display control unit.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the second display control unit sequentially displays information indicating the production capacity of each production line on the display unit.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the second display control unit displays information indicating the production capacity of each production line on the display unit provided corresponding to each production line.

The production progress monitoring system of the present invention is also installed for each line that has multiple display units or for each predetermined group.

In addition, the production progress monitoring system of the present invention switches the display on the display unit according to a predetermined schedule.

The production progress monitoring system of the present invention also includes a labeler that outputs labels to be affixed to the packaging of the ordered food items, and counts the production results of the ordered food items based on the number of labels output by the labeler.

In addition, in the production progress monitoring system of the present invention, the display unit is installed in both the cooking room where the ordered food items are cooked and the plating and packaging room where the ordered food items are plated and packaged.

The present invention provides a production progress monitoring system that improves production efficiency by obtaining objective evaluation information on the production capacity of each production line in a factory.

The present invention provides a production progress monitoring system that notifies workers of objective evaluation information on the progress of production and production capacity for each production line in a factory, allowing them to objectively recognize the work they should be doing at the moment, eliminating idle time for workers and improving production efficiency.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the process of producing prepared food in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a plating packaging line according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a production progress monitoring system according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing information stored for each food order item in the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing order information in the embodiment. 13 is a screen showing the production progress status of an ordered food item displayed on a display unit according to an embodiment. 11 is a screen showing the production capacity of a specific line displayed on a display unit according to an embodiment. 11 is a diagram showing a screen in which a warning display according to the embodiment is displayed as an independent screen. 11 is a diagram showing a screen in which a warning display according to the embodiment is inserted;

The production progress monitoring system according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the process of preparing prepared foods in a production factory for prepared foods and boxed lunches (hereafter referred to as prepared foods) in which a production progress monitoring system 2 according to the embodiment (see Figure 3) is installed. Within the prepared food production factory, there are multiple areas, such as an area for producing simmered dishes and an area for producing salads, and each area is provided with a cooking area. There are also packaging areas for plating and packaging the prepared foods produced in each cooking area, and a sorting room for sorting the prepared foods plated and packaged in the packaging areas.

For example, in an area where simmered dishes are produced, as shown in Figure 1, the delivered raw materials such as meat, fish, and vegetables are first transported to the cooking area. In the cooking area, each raw material is processed in the raw material processing room, such as washing and cutting, and then cooked in the heating cooking room to prepare the simmered dishes. The cooked simmered dishes are cooled in the cooling room and stored as semi-finished products in the semi-finished product refrigerator.

Prepared dishes stored in the semi-finished goods refrigerator are transported to the packaging area in time for the scheduled shipping time, where workers plate and package them in the plating and packaging room. The plating and packaging room is equipped with multiple plating and packaging lines as shown in Figure 2. Here, on the plating and packaging lines (production lines), prepared dishes (ordered food items) assigned in the production plan are plated and packaged.

As shown in Figure 2, the plating and packaging line is provided with a belt conveyor 20 for transporting packaged prepared foods, and on the left and right sides of the belt conveyor 20 on the upstream side of the conveyor belt 20 in the direction in which the prepared foods are transported, as indicated by the arrow, there are multiple plating and packaging tables 22 on which workers perform plating and packaging work. Also, on the downstream side of the transport direction, there are a metal detector 24 for detecting metallic foreign objects, an X-ray inspection device 26 for detecting foreign objects, and a labeler 14 for outputting labels to be affixed to the packaging of the prepared foods, which are arranged in that order. Therefore, when a worker places a prepared food that has been plated and packaged on the plating and packaging table 22 onto the belt conveyor 20, the prepared food passes through the metal detector 24 and the X-ray inspection device 26 in that order to be detected for foreign objects.

The prepared food that has passed through the X-ray inspection device 26 is transported to the labeler 14, where a label is attached to the package of the transported prepared food. The worker places the labeled prepared food on a food tray and carries it into the sorting room.

Next, a production progress monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of a production progress monitoring system 2 according to an embodiment. The production progress monitoring system 2 comprises a control unit 4, a memory unit 6, an input unit display unit 8, an input unit 10, and a communication unit 12, and further comprises a plurality of labelers 14 (14a, 14b, 14c...) and a plurality of display units 16 (16a, 16b, 16c...).

The control unit 4 controls the operation of each unit of the production progress monitoring system 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the memory unit 6 has a memory area for storing order items (food order items), estimated time, scheduled completion time, scheduled shipping time, order quantity, actual quantity, actual completion time, progress rate, etc. The input unit display unit 8 displays an input screen, etc. for changing order information, etc. stored in the memory unit 6. The input unit 10 includes a keyboard, mouse, etc., and is used to input information into the input screen, etc.

Order information consisting of the number of food order items ordered, delivery date and time, etc., is input from the input unit 10, or is received by the communication unit 12 from the shipping destination (order recipient) etc. via an internet line etc. Figure 5 shows the order information, and shows that 200 units of item A (food order item A) have been ordered from Company A's store a (order recipient) with a delivery time of 18:00. It also shows that 100 units of item A have been ordered from Company A's store b with a delivery time of 19:00, and that 191 units of item A have been ordered from Company A's store c with a delivery time of 18:30. Order information similar to the order information from Company A is also received from Companies B, C etc. via the communication unit 12 etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, one labeler 14 is installed for each row of the plating and packaging line. The display units 16 are, for example, 60-inch monitors, and are placed in the cooking area and packaging area, respectively, to display a screen showing the progress of production of the ordered food items. Note that multiple display units 16 may be placed in each area, rather than just one. The number of display units 16 in each area may also be determined depending on the size of the area. Also, one display unit 16 may be shared by multiple lines.

Next, the process when order information is sent from the shipping destination (order recipient) to the production progress monitoring system 2 will be described. The control unit 4 acquires the order information as shown in FIG. 5 via the input unit 10 or the communication unit 12, and stores each item of the order information in the storage area of the storage unit 6 based on the order information. That is, the order item included in the order information, for example, item A, is stored as the order item. Also, the number of orders is stored as a value obtained by aggregating the number of orders for item A for each order recipient included in the order information, for example, the total number of orders for item A received from each of A Company's a store, A Company's b store, and A Company's c store, 491. The scheduled shipping time is stored as a shipping time determined so as to meet the earliest delivery time among A Company's a store, A Company's b store, and A Company's c store, which are the aggregated number of orders for item A. The scheduled end time is stored as a time a predetermined time before the shipping time (for example, 45 minutes to 1 hour before), and the estimated time is stored as a time a predetermined time before the scheduled end time (for example, 1 hour before).

The actual number stores the actual production number of each ordered food item that has been plated, packaged, and then labeled. The progress rate is a value that indicates the production progress status, and for example, stores the ratio of the actual production number of item A to the number of orders for item A. The end result time stores the time when the value indicating the production progress status reached 100%.

Next, the number of achievements and the progress rate after production of item A has begun will be explained. The control unit 4 adds the number of achievements for item A in the memory unit 6 each time a label is issued by the labeler 14. Therefore, for example, when item A is being packaged and labeled, the number of achievements in the memory unit 6 is added each time a label is issued, and the control unit 4 calculates the production progress rate based on the number of orders and the number of achievements stored in the memory unit 6 each time the number of achievements is added, and stores this in the progress rate storage area of the memory unit 6.

While the control unit 4 is producing the ordered food items, it displays a screen showing the progress of production in real time on all display units 16a, 16b, 16c, etc., based on the contents stored in each memory area of the memory unit 6. The screen showing the progress of production displays, for each ordered item, the number of orders, the number of items actually produced to date, and the progress rate based on the number of orders and the number of items actually produced, as shown in FIG. 6.

When the current time has reached the estimated time for any of the ordered food items stored in the memory unit 6, the control unit 4 reads out the progress rate of that ordered food item from the memory unit 6. When the read progress rate is less than 100%, the control unit 4 displays a warning that production has not yet been completed, for example by displaying the column for the ordered food item on the display unit 16 in yellow.

When the current time is the scheduled end time for any of the ordered food items stored in the memory unit 6, the control unit 4 reads out the progress rate of that ordered food item from the memory area of the memory unit 6. When the read progress rate is less than 100%, the control unit 4 displays a warning that production is not yet complete, for example by displaying the column for the ordered food item on the display unit 16 in red. In addition, a dedicated screen for displaying a warning that production is not yet complete may be created and displayed for each line or for each group of pre-defined lines (Figure 8).

The warning message can also be displayed superimposed on the screen shown in Figure 6 (Figure 9). In this case, the warning message can also be displayed while scrolling.

The production progress monitoring system according to this embodiment also displays information about the production capacity of each assembly and packaging line (production line). Here, FIG. 7 shows the display state of information about the production capacity of line A (production line) on the display unit 16. This display shows that on line A, item A will be produced followed by item B.

The memory unit 6 has a memory area corresponding to the display state shown in FIG. 7, that is, a memory area related to the production plan for each food order item to be produced, which includes memory areas for quantity (production quantity), start (production start time), end (production end time), number of people used (number of standard work personnel used on Line A), planned production capacity of Line A (meals/h), and time required to switch to the next production item (switching time (min)). Here, the difference between the production start time and production end time is the standard work time. Also, planned production capacity (meals/h) is a value related to the planned production capacity of Line A calculated from the standard work time and the number of standard work personnel.

In addition, there are areas for storing values related to production results, including the quantity (actually produced quantity), start (time when production actually started), end (time when production actually ended), number of workers (number of workers actually deployed on Line A), actual production capacity of Line A (meals/h), and time actually required for switchover (switchover time (min)). Here, actual production capacity (meals/h) is a value related to the actual production capacity of Line A calculated from the actual working hours and number of workers actually deployed.

The values related to the production plan in the memory unit 6 are values input from the input unit 10 or the like before starting production of the ordered food items. The values related to the production results are values stored based on the production results during or when production of the ordered food items is completed. The control unit 4 displays the values related to the production plan and the production results stored in the memory unit 6 on the display unit 16 as information related to production capacity.

The control unit 4 switches between the display shown in FIG. 6 and the display shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit 16 installed in the packaging area. The control unit 4 may also sequentially display information about the production capacity of each of a plurality of production lines installed on the display unit 16 installed in the packaging area. Furthermore, when display units 16a, 16b, 16c, etc. are provided corresponding to the respective production lines, information about the production capacity of each production line is displayed.

Furthermore, values relating to production performance for each production line can be accumulated and used as information to improve business efficiency.

According to the production progress monitoring system of this embodiment, the display units 16 are arranged in the cooking area and packaging area, and the production progress status is displayed on the display units 16 in real time, so that workers in the cooking area and packaging area can grasp the production progress status of ordered food items, thereby improving production efficiency.

In addition, according to the production progress monitoring system of the embodiment, a warning is displayed on the display unit 16 when the current time reaches the estimated time, and a warning is displayed on the display unit 16 when the current time reaches the end time. Notification information can also be displayed on the display unit 16, so that workers can accurately grasp the degree of delay in production and understand the work that needs to be done and the current situation.

Furthermore, the production progress monitoring system according to the embodiment switches between multiple screens on the display unit 16 according to a predetermined schedule. For example, when production starts, the screen showing the production progress status of the ordered food items (Figure 6) is displayed for a longer period of time while the warning display screen is displayed for a shorter period of time, and the schedule is such that the warning display screen is displayed for a longer period of time as the estimated time approaches. Furthermore, the production progress monitoring system according to the embodiment displays the production progress status of the production line close to the installation location of the display unit 16 for a longer period of time and the other lines for a shorter period of time depending on the installation location. Furthermore, depending on the installation location, the display of production lines farther from the installation location is either kept short or not displayed at all.

In addition, according to the production progress monitoring system of the embodiment, by displaying values related to the production plan and values related to production results side by side for each production line, it is possible to provide objective evaluation information on the production capacity of each production line, which can improve worker awareness and enhance production efficiency.

In addition, based on values related to production performance, production plans can be modified, such as by changing the number of workers assigned to each production line, thereby improving production efficiency.

In addition, when the same food order item is produced on multiple production lines, by comparing the production performance values for each production line, and when the same food order item has been produced on the same production line in the past, by comparing the past production performance values with the current production performance values, objective evaluation information on the production capacity of the current production line can be obtained and worker awareness can be improved.

2...production progress monitoring system, 4...control unit, 6...storage unit, 8...display unit for input unit, 10...input unit, 12...communication unit, 14...labeller, 16...display unit.

Claims (12)

A production progress monitoring system having a display unit that displays the progress of production of food order items,
an order information storage unit that stores an order number for each of the food order items, a scheduled end time of the plating and packaging for each of the food order items, and an estimated time a predetermined time before the scheduled end time of the plating and packaging for each of the food order items;
a food item information storage unit that stores food item information including a standard number of workers, which is the number of workers to be put into each production line that produces the ordered food items, a standard work time when working with the standard number of workers, and a standard production capacity when working with the standard number of workers;
a production record storage unit that stores the production record for each of the food order items;
a first calculation unit that calculates a first value indicating a production progress status based on the order quantity of each of the food order items stored in the order information storage unit and the production results of each of the food order items stored in the production result storage unit;
a second calculation unit that calculates an actual production capacity of a specific production line that is producing a specific food order item based on the number of workers actually put into the specific production line and an actual working time of the specific production line;
a first display control unit that, when it is determined that the production of the ordered quantity of the food order item is not completed based on the first value indicating the production progress calculated by the first calculation unit when the estimated time stored corresponding to the food order item arrives, displays a warning on the display unit to the effect that the production of the food order item is not completed;
a second display control unit that displays on the display unit the standard production capacity of the specific food order item stored in the food item information storage unit and the actual production capacity calculated by the second calculation unit as information indicating the production capacity of the specific production line;
A production progress monitoring system equipped with: The food item information storage unit further stores a standard changeover time for the predetermined production line;
2. The production progress monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the second display control unit further displays the standard changeover time and the actual changeover time of the predetermined production line as information indicating production capacity. The production progress monitoring system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of orders for the food order items is an aggregate number of orders from each customer, and the scheduled end time is determined based on the earliest delivery time among the delivery times from each customer. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the first display control unit determines that production of the ordered quantity of the food order item has not been completed based on the first value indicating the production progress status when the scheduled completion time of the food order item arrives, the first display control unit displays a warning on the display unit to the effect that production of the food order item has not been completed. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display unit switches between the display by the first display control unit and the display by the second display control unit. The production progress monitoring system according to claim 4, wherein the warning display related to the first display control unit is displayed superimposed on the display by the second display control unit. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second display control unit sequentially displays information indicating the production capacity of each production line on the display unit. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second display control unit displays information indicating the production capacity of each production line on the display unit provided corresponding to each production line. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the display unit is installed for each of a plurality of lines or for each predetermined group. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the display on the display unit switches according to a predetermined schedule. a labeler for outputting a label to be affixed to a package of the food order item;
11. The production progress monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the production results of the ordered food items are counted based on the number of labels output by the labeller. The production progress monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the display unit is installed in both a cooking room where the ordered food items are cooked and a plating and packaging room where the ordered food items are plated and packaged.