Man-Machine Charts

Man-Machine Automation Models That Improve Productivity

Timer Pro lets you create a man-machine chart of the operation under study, then add links that define the relationships between manual activities and machine cycles to build a complete automation model. With it you can rapidly explore multiple performance scenarios to optimize existing processes, cost and plan new equipment deployments, and track the ROI on your investments.

Watch the overview video below to see man-machine modeling in action.

Determine Your Highest Achievable Production Level

Given the work steps required to load, operate, and unload machines-alongside the process times of the machines themselves-a man-machine automation model determines the highest production level achievable with the resources available. The goal is to perform as much manual work as possible internal to the machine cycle, so that when a cycle completes, the production-generating cycle can restart with as little downtime as possible.

With today’s aging workforce and tight labor markets, manufacturers everywhere are looking for opportunities to optimize man-machine tending operations and man-cobot integrations. Man-machine models let you cost-justify investment expenditures, track ROI, and optimize existing processes. New clients report that this feature alone can often justify Timer Pro with their first model.

Clear, Asset-Level Results

The summary below reports, by asset, the activity being performed, the time for that activity, total cycle time, units per hour, OEE time, OEE %, value-added time, and value-added OEE %.

Accurate Models, Straight from Video

Timer Pro’s Video Time Study module is the perfect complement when modeling your current processes. Because the actions of your automation assets are consistent, a single-cycle video of the process supplies every time you need to build an accurate model, capturing each asset’s activity times with millisecond accuracy.

Ideal for Equipment Vendors and System Integrators

Equipment vendors and system integrators can use man-machine automation models to support proposed solutions to potential clients, sharing their automation report packages and actual models for secure online review in a hosted, limited-feature copy of Timer Pro. No company- or customer-identifiable data is required, collected, or stored.

From a single cycle of video to a fully linked automation model, Timer Pro turns man-machine analysis into a fast, repeatable path to higher throughput and stronger ROI.