Shop Floor Data Collection In Infor CloudSuite Industrial

shop floor data collection cloudsuite

This article is part of our CloudSuite Industrial Feature Focus series.

Each post highlights a specific feature within Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI). In this one, we’re diving into Shop Floor Data Collection, which explains how CSI captures real-time activity on the production floor through Factory Track.

You’ll get a clear explanation of how it works, a micro demo of the Factory Track module, links to related features, and expert insight from Visual South’s Nick Mendolia. Nick has implemented ERP for real manufacturers and knows what the documentation doesn’t tell you.

Here’s what we’re focusing on today:

Feature: Shop Floor Data Collection
Module: Factory Track
Product: Infor CloudSuite Industrial ERP

Shop Floor Data Collection Overview

Factory Track

Shop Floor Data Collection in CSI automates the capture of real-time production data at the source. Using Factory Track, manufacturers can log labor, material usage, machine activity, and job status right from the floor. There's no manual entry or batch syncing required.

Key capabilities include:

Touchscreen kiosks and mobile-friendly interfaces
Barcode scanning for quick, error-free input
Real-time start/stop/pause tracking of jobs
Immediate labor and material reporting into CSI
Direct integration with jobs and work centers
Configurable prompts to guide operators step-by-step

This seamless data flow feeds directly into job costing, inventory updates, and performance reporting, helping managers make fast, informed decisions.

Expert's Take On Shop Floor Data Collection

Nick Mendolia is the Director of Client Solutions at Visual South and has guided dozens of manufacturers through successful CloudSuite Industrial implementations. Below, you'll read Nick's expert take on shop floor data collection in CSI based on real-world experience.

One of the most valuable yet under-discussed benefits of CSI’s Shop Floor Data Collection, according to Nick, is eliminating the need for paper travelers. Instead of printed instructions or schedules, operators can view an electronic dispatch report directly on the data collection screen. It shows the exact jobs they're supposed to work on, in the right order, based on either the system’s schedule or the supervisor’s sequence.

Nick emphasizes two critical reasons manufacturers invest in shop floor data collection:

Capturing actual labor costs
Driving accurate scheduling

“Capturing the actual start and end times of a resource activity provides both the ‘Actual’ labor time and cost that can be compared to the planned time and cost while also relieving the capacity schedule of time used so it only schedules remaining time on the next run.”

This real-time deduction of used capacity ensures the scheduler doesn’t keep planning against time that’s already been consumed. It’s a practical way to keep production plans grounded in what’s really happening on the floor.

Nick also points out that CSI offers flexibility, even if you’re not ready to track labor start and stop times in detail.

“You can simply capture move quantities. The system backflushes the standard time for you. So if clock-in/clock-out tracking is too much for your team right now, you're not stuck. You still get useful data.”

In short, shop floor data collection doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. CSI lets you scale based on your team’s readiness.

Factory Track Micro Demo

Want to see how Shop Floor Data Collection actually works in CSI? This quick demo shows how Factory Track captures production activity directly from the shop floor and feeds it into the ERP.