FAQs

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Below you’ll find answers to the questions we get asked the most about SCW.AI’s products and service.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

The Chrome Browser, tablets and desktops. It supports Windows and IOS. We actively support Google Chrome and browsers that are based on the Chrome engine, e.g. MS Edge (based on Chromium). The global trend regarding this issue is converging towards chromium-based browsers, so the system will be natively compatible with all browsers like Chrome, Edge, Mozilla Firefox.

Yes, it does. ERP, MES as well as Document Management Systems can be integrated with the solution suite. On top of that, the solution has API building blocks which can be leveraged for custom integration cases.

This is a fully SaaS system. All the data and system components are Maintained and stored on the MS Azure Cloud.

Your data will reside on MS Azure Cloud. Therefore, the backups will be fully covered by MS Azure Database automated backup services. Where needed, Point in Time Restore mechanisms are available.

SCW.AI by Supply Chain Wizard, a digital innovation and software solutions company, and a global leader in digital transformation, is certified with ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27017 complying with Quality Management and the Information Security Management System Requirements for Digital Transformation with Software Development, IoT Sensor Design & Development and Software as a Service.

English, Turkish, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Polish and Italian are our supported languages for now. Our product development team’s focus is to extend our supported languages to meet our growing customer needs.

Yes, all our solutions have single sign on capabilities. Our single sign on capability supports Microsoft, Okta and Oauth 2.0 protocol. We can also integrate with other authentication providers where needed.

We have a release upgrade plan for every 1-2 weeks. As SCW.AI, we deliver all release upgrade services through our R&D investments and our customer requirements. We communicate our roadmap and our release plans with our customers in advance.

SCW.AI runs on modern browsers with Chrome engine. Most browsers support Chromium backend and our system is designed in a responsive way so mobile devices are supported by design.

The pricing differs with respect to our customer’s requirements and the services needed. However, the metric is usually the number of lines.  Our solutions are priced per line or machine at a one simple low software subscription fee. We also offer a volume discount, hence, the richer the scope, the lower the cost of our service. Please check the ROI calculator from our portal.

Our primary supported browser is Google Chrome, as it is the dominant browser in the market and ensures the best compatibility with our platform. However, based on our knowledge, Microsoft Edge, which also uses the Chromium engine, is compatible with our system. We also expect Safari to work without any problems.

While we advise that you can use Edge/Safari with a very low risk of issues, please note that in the event of a bug or compatibility problem, we will consider and try our best to address it. Nonetheless, our active and continuous support remains with Google Chrome to ensure the highest level of performance and reliability for our users.

The Digital Factory is a web-based application that requires a well-performing Chrome browser. Any high-performing device capable of running Chrome smoothly should work, but please consider the following:

    •    For shop floor operator use cases, we recommend using an iPad with a minimum screen size of 10.2 inches and a resolution of 2160-by-1620 pixels. This is the device on which we run our tests. However, the key requirement is that the device runs Google Chrome smoothly. Many of our customers also leverage other tablet PCs in shop floor use cases.
    •    For shop floor TV dashboard use cases, we advise using a Windows system with at least 8 GB of RAM (16 GB or higher for optimal performance) and Windows 10 or higher. We strongly recommend avoiding low-end devices like stick PCs due to poor thermal management, as well as native TV operating systems and browsers due to potential compatibility issues.
    •    For non-shop floor use cases, most modern computers running Google Chrome should handle the platform without any issues, and we do not anticipate any problems in this context.

Please note that for all use cases, we assume dedicated usage of the device. While it may be possible to share resources with other applications, it is up to the user to manage this.

PRODUCT AND SERVICE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

Digital Factory

Digital Factory is a single digital platform connecting data-driven decision-making solutions. As a cloud-native modern technology platform, Digital Factory solves most common production challenges to improve manufacturing visibility & performance with speed and cost-effectiveness. With an open architecture, Digital Factory can integrate to any enterprise system and bring modular solutions to fit into the digital roadmap of our customers. The implementation time can be as short as a couple of days.

The platform includes OEE Tracker, Scheduler, Labor Tracker, Asset Tracker, Digital Forms and GMP compliant Digital Logbook. On top of these, there are several other modules in the roadmap, such as  Maintenance Module, Finance Module, Process Tracker and GMP compliant Digital Batch Record.

MES’s scope is to drive, control and track manufacturing systems only, whereas Digital Factory tracks systems and non manufacturing entities such as Labor. MES, which although provides a rich capability set, is costly to implement together with longer implementation time frames, which is incomparable with Digital Factory services. On top of that, MES has a more rigid structure, not providing a flexible environment for customers to extend. The number of upgrades are higher with Digital Factory, providing a more flexible environment to align with the digitalization trends. From a user experience perspective, MES can be defined as comprehensive, whereas Digital Factory provides focused and easy to learn screens and services. MES systems provide on demand support services at a defined cost. However, Digital Factory proactively delivers value added customer support within the SaaS subscription.

Depending on the implementation scope, this can vary from a few days to a couple of weeks. Our implementation team will provide you with a detailed project plan soon after you confirm your project scope. You can choose from self-installation options to our on-site professional services support. First week is dedicated to scope approval and objective alignment; which will be followed by identification of KPIs and installation and initial training which will conclude the installation phase and will be followed with report and value generation, automations, and action item management.

All infrastructure is cloud based (Microsoft Azure) only. No on premise deployment is necessary, which minimizes the dependency on local IT teams.

Digital Factory uses different levels of shop floor integration & data collection automation solutions from OPC level PLC-data software integrations, to direct PLC electrical integrations to add-on IoT Sensors (e.g., SCW HexBox IoT devices) to streamline most of the data collection efforts. The Digital Factory supports fully automated data collection, minimizing the dependency on manual input of shop floor teams.  OPC integration is the preferred methodology to leverage the existing sensors wherever possible for data collection. SCW.AI can also deploy additional sensors through the HexBox IoT device, which only needs a basic wifi connection. On top of these, in case shop floor teams need to provide data manually, they can use their user friendly touch screen terminals.

Hexbox is designed in a generic way supporting almost all type of industrial sensors such as temperature, humidity and counter sensors  through industrial M12 connectors. Hexbox also supports labor and asset tracking as an inbuilt capability.

Digital Factory is designed to be integrated with ERP/MES Systems through APIs  which enables the Work Order, Product, Line Activity and other necessary  information to flow between the two systems.

Digital Factory is deployed as a SaaS model and the support service is included. Customer success team does not only solve issues but also is a proactive team driving value to your organization.

By design, the modules are based on the same data structure. That means our products are natively integrated. For example, one can easily correlate production data (OEE Tracker) with the labor data (Labor Tracker) & asset utilization (Asset Tracker). On top of that, one can track those with a plan vs actual manner (Scheduler).

OEE Tracker

OEE – Overall Equipment Effectiveness, has three metrics which are performance, quality and availability. The performance metric of OEE is about reduced production speed due to a variety of reasons. Secondly, the quality factor of OEE measures whether the products being produced are acceptable and at the desired level in terms of the defined standards. Finally, the availability factor takes into account all the activities that interrupt planned production for a significant period of time, which are called downtime activities.

The OEE Tracker enables you to improve your OEE by getting instant access to shop-floor production data, tracking work order progress, monitoring production performance, instantly getting notified about issues and having end-to-end visibility & data-driven decisions.

The platform includes OEE Tracker, Scheduler, Labor Tracker, Asset Tracker, Digital Forms and GMP compliant Digital Logbook. On top of these, there are several other modules in the roadmap, such as  Maintenance Module, Finance Module, Process Tracker and GMP compliant Digital Batch Record.

Digital Factory products are compliant with ISO 27001. Digital Factory runs on Microsoft Azure Cloud, which provides the best-in-class infrastructure and data center security. You can check our security policy document through this link.

All new releases are automatically deployed without disturbing the production environment. All the new features and capabilities are included within the service. New feature requests are always welcome. SCW.AI customer success team receives new feature requests and plans in accordance with our internal technical teams while keeping the customer in the client.

SCW.AI’s standard solution offering includes flexible dashboards. Among these are homescreen KPI library, line view dashboard and production review dashboards. These screens provide enhanced capability by means of real time data calculation and its presentation.

Digital Logbook

Digital Logbook can be used to replace all the paper logbooks used in all sites including production areas, warehouses and laboratories.

The Digital Logbook, which is a cloud based GMP compliant software solution, is built specifically to replace legacy paper logbooks and activity forms used at production sites. The Digital Logbook enables the relevant personnel with different access levels and permissions to fill out, review and approve activity forms and logs.

Digital Logbook allows you to build logbooks in a hierarchical manner to match the shop floor (e.g. Equipment part belonging to the main equipment, which resides in a room, which makes up a unit). This hierarchical structure allows you to see where each logbook resides and is connected to. The main usage of logbooks is to log activities to an equipment and/or room. The Digital Logbook enables you to log these activities while actually performing them and documenting them by filling out the relevant forms defined as an activity in the logbook.

Yes, the Digital Logbook enables you to define activities you want to log, create the workflow of these activities as a form and use this form to create a log in the system for different areas/equipment.

Every action recorded in the system is recorded with user credentials and time and date stamps in the form of an electronic signature which is in compliance with 21 CFR part 11 and each action is available in the system’s audit trail for traceability purposes.

There are different ways to access the required data. The search feature within the solution enables you to search within the logs with keywords used in the logs. In addition, advanced reporting allows you to create flexible reports to monitor the required data periodically.

The Digital Logbook manages logbooks and form templates in compliance with document management requirements. The system allows you to draft a template, send that template to approval, activate the template at a desired date and control its versions. The active version is the only version that is in use while the older versions are obsolete.

The system notifies users for tasks and information via, email or a defined chatbot.

Yes, the system supports different languages upon request.

Yes, the system has a feature to archive logbooks and forms which are no longer in use. Once archived, these documents won’t be available for use within the system although they can be retrieved as read only for other purposes.

Flexible scopes are created for logbooks and forms to assign to users to manage their access. A user can only see logbooks and/or forms which are in their scope.

Each user is assigned a role, and each role has its own permissions defined. Initial setup of the system allows you to create roles based on segregation of duties and assign these roles to relevant users. In addition to this, the system has checks such as; a user that creates or edits a logbook, form, or a log is not able to review or approve the logbook, form or log entry.

The solution is GMP compliant because it complies with the regulations that have requirements for data integrity, data processing, data storage and retention, electronic records and signatures, access control and authorization, configuration and change management, and audit trails.

Yes, you can log in using Microsoft or Google single sign on.

The system is built initially on user requirements which are translated into specifications that guide the development team. The quality team then tests the system against these specifications prior to release. Any other validation is customized, documented and performed together with the client based on their requirements.

The project team gives an end to end support from the beginning to going-live with the system including building data in the system, supporting digitalization of forms, supporting the documents and the activity of validation.

Digital Logbook  is deployed as a SaaS model and the support service is included. SCW has a help desk support which is available for receipt of complaints/questions. Response time and resolution depends on the severity of the complaint/question as agreed upon in the service level agreements we have with our clients.

The timeline heavily depends on the number of logbooks and forms you want to digitize. On average, digitizing approximately 250 logbooks and 50 forms, setting the system up, validating the system and going live takes about 3 to 6 months.

Labor Tracker

SCW.AI Labor Tracker helps our customers improve labor productivity & reduce overtime through cloud-integrated IoT based RFID card reader. Labor Tracker is one of the Digital Factory’s powerful features. This feature allows users to manage the “check-in/check-out” operations and track the time the team spends on a line or a station. Line leaders and supervisors need to review and -when necessary- update the team’s check-in records. With this feature, the data integrity regarding users’ working hours will be better maintained by the team in a UX friendly manner.

Yes, the solution  shows labor hours spent on different products and lines for each user. With this capability, you can see skill gaps and your team’s generalist and specialist labor capacity.

Yes, logs are populated based on check-in functionality on application or badge scanning through the RFID card readers.

Scheduler

Scheduler is a cloud based tool to manage, plan, track your work orders in an intuitive manner. Scheduler is there to solve the following industry challenge: Scheduling of work orders has a direct influence on time to production and overall cost. Assignment of work orders to the lines and staff is a complex daily challenge that depends on many variables and constraints. Manual scheduling is a very common practice which results in inefficient use of resources. Cost reduction of more than 20% and capacity increase of more than 50% could be achieved with no additional investment.

With the Scheduler, you will get a machine learning powered system that dynamically learns the production constraints and rules using machine learning algorithms. An optimization tool being able to schedule with different objectives: minimum cost, minimum duration, using advanced analytics to optimally distribute work orders.

Scheduler basically works hand-in-hand with OEE Tracker. It optimally distributes the work orders to the lines while obeying production constraints to minimize cost or time. The Master Scheduler could effortlessly revise schedules via drag & drop Gantt charts. Scheduler is highly configurable that can accommodate hot orders and schedule changes.

As a module of Digital Factory, Scheduler can be integrated with ERP/MES systems to exchange data by leveraging APIs such as Work Order, Product, Line Activity APIs.

Asset Tracker

This solution helps our customers track the shop-floor assets in real time. Many high-value production assets are shared across production lines or zones. This makes it difficult to track available assets or tooling for critical operations. With Asset Tracker, the information of real-time locations and availability of the assets on the shop floor is quickly accessible. This supports increasing the throughput, while minimizing investments in unnecessary assets or tooling.

Our Hexbox has the capability to be equipped with a card reader. Therefore if you have a Hexbox in place, there won’t be any need for additional equipment.  In case you don’t have a Hexbox and are interested in Asset tracking only, we will install the Asset tracking devices at your premises.

Yes, on top of automated data collection via HexBoxes, manual data consolidation is also possible.  Users can view and manage data using the iPad as well as the mobile app, or browser access through any device.

Digital Forms

As a part of Digital Factory, Digital Forms enables customers to design any type of form layout easily, so that they can switch from paper-based shopfloor forms to digital, user-friendly, flexible and scalable forms. It is natively Integrated to OEE Tracker and Labor Tracker which unlocks unlimited number of  use cases.This product can be utilized quickly for form tracking that does not have GMP compliance requirements. With Digital forms you can digitize and maintain forms, that may include data, pictures or videos from the shop floor, work instructions and checklists. This helps with associating and reporting from data with production work orders and performance variables. You can launch new forms within minutes.

Do you still have questions or would like to book a demo to explore Digital Factory? 

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