Quickbase, the software application platform for work management in complex industries, announced Sept. 5 the Quickbase Work Management platform for Manufacturing. Combining pre-built, customizable solutions called Pro Apps, templates, and AI-powered app building capabilities, Quickbase’s Work Management for Manufacturing addresses many of the most common data-driven use cases – including facility management, employee training, permit to work, site safety and compliance, machine maintenance and reporting, and more – all within a platform environment connecting teams, processes, and machines for a comprehensive view of operations.
I began working with manufacturing execution software a long time ago. I volunteered with the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) for more than 10 years. A consistent theme remains that MES software brings complexity along with its power. Implementing a system is not trivial. For the motivated and persistent engineers, a payoff eventually comes.
Manufacturing organization has changed significantly over the past 15 years or so. I’ve long been excited by Inductive Automation’s approach to SCADA/IoT applications. [Disclaimer: they are a long-time sponsor.]
The work management side has been a bit confusing to me. Then Quickbase approached me with an opportunity to learn more about no-code and low-code operations management software. [Another disclaimer: Quickbase compensates me for certain marketing-oriented work such as appearances on web presentations and occasional writing.] I met two customers (virtually) earlier this year. Their stories about functionality and ease of installing and updating made me excited about this segment of software again.
Anthony Offredi, Director, Customer Advisory Team at Quickbase, recently briefed me on this latest release. Key functions that Quickbase targets include maintenance, safety, project management for new product introduction, and shop floor management. One pain point for manufacturers concerns labor. Recruiting has become difficult. Actually getting people to show up for work every day exacerbates the problem.
I brought up the common knowledge that many companies still rely on Microsoft Excel managing everything on spreadsheets. He acknowledged that indeed Excel is a main competitor when they are presenting to a prospect.
(Aside: I’ve been preaching this for 20 years. I can’t believe that engineers and managers are trying to manipulate complex spreadsheets attempting to manage human and asset performance.)
“Industries like manufacturing, where physical work meets digital processes, demand a new class of specialized solutions built for their needs,” said Ed Jennings, CEO of Quickbase. “The stakes for safety, compliance, and productivity are too high, and these industries can’t afford to live in a world of paper forms and disconnected spreadsheets, data, and systems. Our Work Management platform is designed specifically for the unique needs of manufacturers, solving their most common challenges right out of the gate with pre-built apps and templates developed in concert with feedback from our customers. Combining the specialization of point solutions, the confidence of a connected platform, and the flexibility of easy-to-use AI-powered no-code tools, Quickbase can support the modernization of manufacturing to deliver impact every day.”
Quickbase Work Management for Manufacturing comes complete with pre-built, ready-made solutions, called Pro Apps, and app templates for some of the more common, data-driven use cases in manufacturing – including facility management, employee and site safety and compliance, and maintenance and reporting – that are easily customizable to connect teams, processes, and machines for a comprehensive view of operations. Along with those Pro Apps are a collection of templates that include prefab tracking, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS), plant/project tracking and reporting, human error root cause analysis (HERCA), and permit to work tracking.
In addition, Quickbase’s Smart Builder AI gives manufacturers (regardless of technical expertise) the power to build their own custom apps with just a few clicks. Now, manufacturers can build a customized system of applications and workflows in a single platform environment, unlocking agile and connected operations and elevating efficiency, increasing adaptability, and boosting productivity today and into the future.
Available today, Quickbase Work Management for Manufacturing’s pre-built solutions include:
- SFMS (Shop Floor Management Solution) Pro App – Ensure the right person is in the right job at the right time, enhancing the capabilities of the existing workforce to help manage the labor shortage and skills gap, solve for absenteeism, share tribal knowledge, and increase efficiency and throughput, enabling greater visibility on labor, productivity, and scrap tracking.
- Site Safety Audits Pro App – Promote a safer work environment, reduce accidents, and ensure the highest safety standards using a streamlined process for conducting safety audits on the shop floor for inspections, hazard identification/remediation, and regulatory compliance using real-time reporting, photo documentation, and automatic generation of audit reports.
- OSHA Incident Tracking and Recordkeeping Pro App – Elevate your safety posture from reactive to proactive by automating incident reporting and tracking compliance activities, eliminating the lost time and resources (aka, Gray Work) from the inefficient logging and manual tracking of incidents, defect reporting, corrective actions, and compliance documentation across notebooks and disconnected spreadsheets, and promoting a more efficient and safer workplace.
