Automatic Production Reporting. How to Build an Effective Data Flow and Gain Better Control Over Production
Until recently, production reporting was mainly associated with Excel spreadsheets and shift logs written in pencil. Today, as manufacturing plants face quality requirements, cost pressure, and the need for full process visibility, the reporting system becomes a foundation of production management.
See how modern reporting works, what problems it solves, and what implementation practice teaches. Our service engineers share their experience with us.
Why production reporting changes the way a plant operates
Traditional reporting methods – paper sheets, binders, a few words thrown into a report during shift handover – are no longer sufficient when the number of orders increases, machines operate continuously, and the quality department requires full process traceability.
That is when… problems begin. What challenges do companies most often bring to us? I would list the golden five:
- delays in reports and missing data,
- imprecise entries or lack of details (who, what, when, on which machine),
- difficulty comparing lines and shifts,
- lack of production context in the ERP system,
- lack of traceability and quality data, especially during audits.
Can you imagine automatic production report generation free from such difficulties? In fact, almost every company would benefit from automated production reporting, because every company consumes energy, materials, and technological media – and each of these parameters can be measured and analyzed.
What can be reported using a modern production reporting system
In explitia solutions, effective production reporting is not based on boring forms. Our reporting system consists of a stream of data – acquired, recorded, archived, and presented in the form of clear indicators.
What data can be recorded?
- raw material and component consumption (full traceability),
- operation logs with date, time, machine ID, and operator ID,
- process parameters (temperature, pressure, speeds, torque, voltage),
- information about tools, operation status, scrap, and NOK reasons,
- full product genealogy – from raw material to finished product.
Data from machines (from PLCs, sensors, IoT modules) is transferred automatically to the system. This eliminates the risk of human error. The operator only supplements information that automation cannot detect (e.g. the reason for downtime).
Types of production reports in the explitia Production Portal
Being aware of the different needs of individual companies, we provide various types of production reports. We offer our clients:
- daily/shift reports,
- quality reports / NOK and rework analysis,
- OEE and machine efficiency reports,
- downtime reports including root causes,
- batch and raw material traceability reports,
- energy and utilities consumption reports,
- operator efficiency reports.
All these data are embedded in the context of the ERP system and the production plan, making each record part of a broader order history.
Where does the data come from, where does it get lost, and what can be automated?
Talk to the explitia team and see which production areas have the greatest automation potential. Contact us or schedule a Free 360 Workshop.
Two pillars of automatic production reporting: data acquisition and visualization
The entire reporting system can be divided into two main parts:
- Data acquisition system – enables the collection of data without which nothing can be displayed. This is the first step in building a reporting system.
- Reporting layer – responsible for data presentation and visualization.
Before starting system development, it is crucial to define the final goal and determine what data we want to obtain. Based on this, production lines or machines can be properly instrumented and database structures prepared. If input data is incorrect or incomplete, it will have a direct negative impact on reporting indicators.
When certain processes are not measured (e.g. a manual production phase on the shop floor, as was the case in one oil manufacturing company), calculated production KPIs will be incorrect. In such cases, the system allows missing data to be entered manually via forms to maintain data consistency.
What does the implementation of a production reporting system look like
The implementation process can be divided into several stages.
- Plant visit and process analysis
At explitia, cooperation always begins with an on-site visit, analysis of machines and infrastructure, and discussions with operators – because operators know best what breaks down, what needs improvement, and where bottlenecks appear. - Definition of data to be recorded
We determine which phenomena should be measured, which sensors are required, and which values have the greatest business importance. Often, companies already have data, but only in paper form – which means the data collection process must be automated and digitized. - Machine instrumentation
If required data cannot be collected in a given plant, the first step is to equip machines with sensors so that their data can be included in reports. - Automatic data acquisition
Machine data is collected cyclically. A stable network infrastructure and controller redundancy are key to avoiding interruptions in data collection. - Integration with ERP and production planning
Thanks to integration, the system can automatically transfer to the ERP system information about material consumption, order status, OK/NOK quantities, and downtimes. - Visualization and dashboards
Dashboards vary depending on the user role: the operator sees only their own data, the leader/foreman sees line or shift data, and management sees aggregated data and trends. - Reports, analysis, and data history
Data can be compared day to day, shift to shift, line to line, or year to year.
Reporting systems – technology choice, licenses, and scalability
Reporting systems are available in various licensing models. For example, Microsoft solutions offer a free version of Reporting Services, which operates with certain limitations (e.g. a 10 GB database limit). In this basic version, features such as email distribution are missing. More advanced solutions like Power BI offer richer visualization capabilities and are more user-friendly for data comparison, but they are paid solutions.
The reporting system itself requires a server and network access. It is worth noting that a reporting system can pull data from multiple databases or even Excel files, allowing limitations of free versions related to data storage to be bypassed.
Business benefits of production reporting automation
Automatic production reporting delivers significant benefits essential for organizations striving to optimize production.
- Reliability of production data
Automated data collection and visualization increase data reliability. Eliminating manual reporting removes delays, mental shortcuts, and operator errors (such as incorrectly recorded or read data). - Time savings and workload reduction
Automation relieves managers and other staff from manual production reporting, data collection, and Excel updates, giving them more time for other tasks. - Faster response to failures and deviations
Reporting enables detection of alarming increases in downtime, quality drops, and extended production cycles. The system helps diagnose problems, for example by highlighting in red the shifts or hours where issues occurred, while Pareto charts can show which machine failure or error occurred most frequently. However, it should be remembered that although reporting systems support diagnostics, alerts for major deviations are usually a function of production monitoring systems. - Cost and resource optimization
Clear data on energy, utilities, and raw material consumption allows losses to be planned and eliminated. Data collected for the reporting system can be transferred to accounting systems to precisely calculate production costs, for example based on utilities consumption and hourly rates. - Traceability and compliance
Production reports make it possible to track the full history of a given part (audit trail). Reporting systems facilitate inventory and data storage for inspections or audits, enabling quick access to required information without searching through paper documentation. - Better strategic decisions
Trend, alarm, failure, and quality analysis becomes simpler, leading to bottleneck identification, investment planning, and Lean/Kaizen improvements.
Reliability and availability: benefits related to data security and mobile access
Reporting systems are usually available in web-based versions. This makes data accessible not only from computers and laptops, but also from mobile phones. However, this requires a well-prepared network infrastructure in the plant.
Reporting systems also provide greater data security, as data can be backed up or made available across multiple servers, ensuring continuous access. These systems also enable automatic distribution of key reports and summaries to managers or executive boards.
Most common challenges during reporting system implementation
Our experience shows that a manufacturing plant is not always ready to implement a production reporting system. What are the most common challenges on the path to reporting automation?
Challenge no. 1: Data preparation and infrastructure
Without a stable network and proper instrumentation, data will not be complete. Before implementing a reporting system, the plant must prepare data or at least define what data is required. The biggest challenge is knowing exactly what the report should look like, which data should be presented, and how it should be connected.
Challenge no. 2: Legacy machine park
An old machine park is not an obstacle to automation, but it requires additional sensors, modernization of selected components, and consultation with technologists.
Challenge no. 3: Operators’ fear of change
The system is a tool for leaders, managers, and maintenance departments. The operator only supplements data that the machine cannot see and does not have to sit in front of a dashboard.
Challenge no. 4: Large number of alarms
The reporting process often follows the Pareto principle, allowing teams to focus on fixing the two most frequent failures and eliminate 80% of problems.
How to recognize a good production reporting system
Practice shows that a good production reporting system:
- operates reliably (without interruptions or data loss),
- allows users to independently set analysis ranges (dates, shifts, lines),
- integrates automatic PLC data with manual operator input,
- is flexible (delivers reports with different structures for different users),
- allows project scaling – from a single line to the entire plant.
And most importantly: effective reporting systems are those that companies actually use, because they provide a real information advantage every day.
Modern production reporting is not an add-on to plant operations – it becomes its central element. Thanks to automatic data collection, ERP integration, downtime and quality analysis, the plant gains predictability, control, and the ability to react before losses occur.
If you want to move from Excel to reports powered by machine and ERP data, we can show you how we do it in explitia projects
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