General manufacturing: WIP, part history and toolsJobs, parts and tools lost between stations?
Independent advice for machinery, consumer goods, battery, vehicle and other mixed plants: where work in progress really is, what happened to each part, and which tools were used on it. We don't sell hardware, so our advice stays independent.
Free 30-minute call with an adviser · written proposal with the price after · fixed-scope engagements from £3k.
WIP tracking and part history across mixed plants
Most plants are not a single moving line. Jobs wait in buffers, go out to paint or test, come back and get reworked. Locating technology is useful when it answers a shop-floor question: where is this job, what is waiting for what, and what happened to this part.
- Machinery and equipment builders: large assemblies and kits that move between bays, with long lead times and late changes.
- Consumer goods: batches, tooling changeovers and returnable packaging between lines and stores.
- Battery plants: cells, modules and packs that need a strict part history, and controlled storage.
- Vehicle and rail-vehicle manufacturers: low-volume, high-value builds where each unit has its own configuration.
Passive RFID, BLE or UWB: choose by the decision
Did it pass this point?
Passive RFID at gates, stations or racks. Tags are cheap and need no batteries; RFID records that an item passed or arrived, not where it is in between.
Which zone or bay is it in?
BLE gives room or zone location at moderate cost, and suits kits, carts and fixtures that move between areas.
Exactly where on the floor, and is it moving?
UWB gives fine location for high-value items, vehicles and safety use cases, with more infrastructure to install.
Many plants need two of these, not one. See choose a locating technology.
Connected to MES and ERP, not a separate dashboard
Location data earns its keep when it changes the work order. We specify which reads start, complete or hold an operation in the MES, which update stock or WIP in the ERP, and which only raise an alert. A dashboard that nobody acts on is a common way for a programme to stall. See MES integration.
We survey the site and do the cabling and fit your hardware ourselves. Your IT team provisions the network connections and keeps control of them; we do not configure your networks or run your production systems.
Tool control and calibration records that stand up in an audit
Torque tools, gauges and fixtures issued against a job, checked for calibration at issue and returned at the end of the shift. The record shows which tool was used on which part, which is what an auditor asks for under ISO 9001, and under IATF 16949 or AS9100 where they apply. See IATF 16949 and tool control.
Pilot rules
- Run at full production load. A quiet shift or an empty line hides the read problems and interference that matter.
- Pass and fail criteria agreed before any equipment goes in, in writing, with operations, quality and IT.
- One flow, one decision. Pick the question the pilot must answer and measure that, not everything the system can show.
- A decision at the end. Go, change or stop, with a specification you can take to suppliers.
If a pilot has already stalled, see recovering a failed RTLS pilot: what to check.
Frequently asked questions
Is this only for automotive plants?
No. The same questions apply in machinery, consumer goods, battery, vehicle and rail-vehicle plants. For automotive programmes such as just-in-sequence, see our automotive page.
RFID, BLE or UWB: which should we use?
It depends on the decision. RFID records that an item passed a point, BLE shows the zone it is in, and UWB shows where it is on the floor. Many plants combine two. We choose per flow, then test the choice on your floor.
How does location data reach our MES or ERP?
Through events defined before integration starts: which read starts, completes or holds an operation, and which updates stock. We write that event model with your MES and ERP owners.
Who installs the system?
We carry out the RF site survey and install the cabling and hardware ourselves. Occasionally a delivery partner may help, but only with your written agreement and under a written contract. Your IT team provisions the network connections; we do not configure your networks or run your production systems.
Do you sell hardware or an MES?
No. We advise, specify, help run the tender and accept the system on your side. You buy hardware and licences direct from the supplier; we don't resell them.
Last updated: 5 October 2026