From the production floor

Practical guides for supervisors, plant and maintenance managers, written by someone who ran production floors for 25+ years.

A maintenance technician checking a stopped plastic moulding machine while the operator waits on the radio

Newest · Maintenance

Machine Breakdown? 5 Steps for the First 15 Minutes That Save Your Shift

When a machine breaks down, the repair takes as long as it takes. The first 15 minutes decide how much of the shift you lose around it.

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Gamil Tadross · Oct 19, 2026 · 7 min read

A production supervisor reading a printed schedule covered in highlighter, looking frustrated

Scheduling

4 Signs Your Schedule vs Actual Is Costing You Late Orders

Your schedule says the job is on time. Your floor already knows it is not. Here are four signs the gap between the two is quietly costing you orders.

Oct 12, 2026 · 6 min read

A maintenance manager comparing two printed proposals in a plant office, snow outside the window

CMMS

CMMS in Ontario: 5 Questions Canadian Manufacturers Should Ask Before They Sign

Most CMMS buying guides are written for American plants. Here are the five questions a Canadian manufacturer should ask before signing anything.

Sep 30, 2026 · 6 min read

Downtime

7 Ways to Track Downtime on the Shop Floor Without Slowing Down Your Shift

The operator knows exactly why the machine stopped. The problem is the time between the stop and the record. Here are seven ways to close that gap without slowing anyone down.

Sep 30, 2026 · 7 min read

A production planner on the phone at a desk with a spreadsheet, looking out at the shop floor

Scheduling

5 Steps to Turn Your Excel Production Schedule Into a GPS for Your Floor

An Excel schedule is a map: it shows where you want to go, not where you are. Here is how to turn it into a GPS for your floor, without taking Excel away from your planner.

Sep 30, 2026 · 7 min read

A young maintenance technician using his phone beside a CNC router in a woodworking plant

CMMS

Six Signs of an Easy CMMS That Can Transform Your Production Floor

Every maintenance software promises it is easy. After 25+ years on the production floor, here are the six signs I look for, and a test you can run on your own machines in one afternoon.

Sep 30, 2026 · 6 min read

A plant manager with arms crossed while consultants present a slide deck

OEE

Why continuous monitoring beats one-time consulting

A consulting engagement is a spike. A production tracking platform is a line. Spikes fade. Lines compound.

Apr 24, 2026 · 5 min read

A process engineer checking numbers with a calculator beside a packaging line

OEE

How OEE is really calculated

OEE is one number, but it is built from three. Here is what each means, where the inputs come from, and the traps that make the final number lie.

Apr 24, 2026 · 7 min read

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