Factory Floor Data Collection is Not Enough to Stay Competitive

ERP systems are designed to plan and record — they manage orders, schedules, and financials well, but they weren't built to capture what's actually happening on the factory floor in real time. The gap between what the ERP thinks is happening and what's actually happening is where most production inefficiencies live. FACTIVITY sits between the ERP and the shop floor, capturing actual labor time, machine output, scrap, downtime, and job progress as it happens — then feeding that data back to the ERP automatically. The result is that ERP data reflects reality rather than estimates, and management has visibility into the floor without waiting for end-of-shift or end-of-day reports.

FACTIVITY has deep integration experience with a wide range of ERP systems including QAD, SAP, Navision, Baan, BPICS, and many legacy and custom-built ERP environments. QAD is a primary integration partner — Factivity regularly participates in QAD user group events and has extensive experience with QAD-specific deployments. Integration is handled through existing pre-built interfaces or configured to fit each customer's specific ERP environment. The goal is always for FACTIVITY to control shop floor execution while the ERP remains the system of record.

FACTIVITY is designed for fast deployment — operators can be trained and productive within hours, not weeks. The system is plug-and-play for core shop floor data collection, and non-technical users can configure the operator interface without programming. Most customers see results within weeks of installation, with measurable improvements in labor accountability, production visibility, and inventory accuracy appearing quickly after go-live. Implementation complexity scales with the number of modules deployed and the depth of ERP integration required.

FACTIVITY serves manufacturers across a wide range — from single-plant job shops to multi-plant global operations. The system is used in 16 countries across industries including metal fabrication, plastics, medical devices, automotive components, and general discrete manufacturing. The modular architecture means manufacturers can start with core shop floor data collection and expand to machine monitoring, documents, and OEE analytics as needs grow. FACTIVITY is not limited to large enterprises — many mid-size manufacturers have deployed it specifically because it's faster to implement and easier to use than enterprise-class MES alternatives.

Customer results vary by starting point, but common outcomes include significant reductions in labor reporting time, improved on-time delivery through better bottleneck visibility, more accurate WIP and inventory tracking, and measurable OEE improvement through data-driven identification of downtime causes. One customer reported $200,000 in recurring annual labor savings alongside reduced setup times. Medical device manufacturers have cited FACTIVITY's scrap reporting as critical for quality compliance. The common thread is moving from anecdotal or delayed data to hard, actionable information management can use to drive continuous improvement.