What if paper stopped slowing everything down—and tracking production was as simple as a scan?
Plenty of manufacturers still rely on clipboards, hand-written notes, and paper job travelers, even though digital tools are more accessible than ever. Instead of asking people to write, re-write, transfer, and reconcile information, we could be tagging and tracking every order’s progress in real time.
Paper vs. Scan: Two Very Different Days
The paper way:
- An order gets printed.
- Someone carries it over to the queue.
- It’s handed off to the next station.
- Another person scribbles a status update or checks a box.
- Later, someone else tries to read the handwriting and re-enter it into a system.
The scan way:
- A worker scans a barcode when the job starts.
- They scan again when it leaves the station.
- The system automatically updates status, triggers the next step, and logs the timestamps—no extra writing, no chasing paper.
Same work, completely different level of clarity, speed, and error risk.
Why Going Digital Matters
Moving from paper to digital production records isn’t just about being modern—it’s about unlocking real money and time:
- Companies that replace manual, paper-based processes often report major cost savings, with some estimates putting inefficient manual operations as high as $20,000 per week. (MasterControl)
- Digital workflows on the shop floor enable near real-time, “to-the-minute” tracking, so you can rebalance resources or spot delays while they’re still fixable. (McKinsey & Company)
- Real-time data collection using barcodes/RFID and digital tracking helps reduce unplanned downtime, improve quality, and smooth material flow end to end. (Folio3 Data)
When you can see what’s happening right now—not what someone wrote down yesterday—your decisions get sharper and faster.
A Practical Starting Point
You don’t need a full plant-wide overhaul on day one. Start with a pilot:
- Pick one workflow
Choose a single, visible process—like order production tracking or a key bottleneck area—to pilot your scanning approach. - Replace paper with barcodes + scanners
Add barcode tags and scanners at each station so workers only have to scan when a job starts and when it finishes that step. - Set up simple triggers
- When Task A is scanned complete, the system sends the next work order to the right station.
- If a scan shows a step is done out of sequence, the system alerts that prerequisites aren’t complete.
- Connect it to your ERP or dashboard
Feed those scans into your ERP or production dashboard so the floor, supervisors, office team—and even customers, where appropriate—can see live status. - Use the data to ask better questions
Once you have timestamps and status in real time, you can start asking:- Where’s the bottleneck?
- Who’s waiting and why?
- Which stage consistently causes delays?
It sounds small, but gaining just a few minutes back per job adds up quickly—and your team feels less buried in paperwork.
“Isn’t This Going to Be Expensive?”
Not necessarily.
Many modern systems already include automation, barcode, or tracking modules—you just haven’t turned them on yet. Often it’s more about configuration and integration than buying a whole new platform.
Start with a focused pilot, prove the value, then roll it out step by step.
One Last Question
What’s one process in your production flow that still uses paper—
and could shift to a simple scan in seconds?