Mobile Time Recording Optimizes SAP Production Confirmations

Manufacturing companies regularly motivate their employees through performance-based wages or performance-related compensation components. The foundation for performance-based payroll in SAP is the most accurate possible recording of employee-specific production times.

Mobile recording of working times and break times in production provides essential information for evaluating both overall lead times and the performance of individual employees. This becomes especially important when performance-based wage models are in use for example, time-based piecework, bonus wages, or other performance-related pay elements. In these cases, accurate recording of production orders is indispensable.

Paper-based recording of production order parameters is error-prone and often results in significant delays before data is finally posted in SAP. With mobile capture of production-relevant data, production managers gain much faster access to key performance indicators at the level of employees, work centers, or individual orders enabling continuous monitoring and improvement of production processes and supporting downstream activities.

The following example illustrates how time recording and posting to SAP is performed per operation of a production order:

• 1. Login
  The process begins by entering the personnel number, for example by scanning an employee card.
• 2. Operation Entry
  The following data is entered typically by scanning a barcode or QR code: Cost center and Cost object
• 3. Confirmation
  A timestamp for the operation is automatically generated, and the data is transmitted to SAP. After the posting is successfully completed, the system prompts the user to enter the next personnel number for the following operation.

Similarly, other types of activities can be recorded, such as work interruptions or break times.

One of the advantages of mobile apps in production is that they can also be used to post upstream and downstream logistics processes—for example, supplying work centers with materials or transferring finished goods to the warehouse. In practice, time recording is often combined with the following SAP production-related processes:

On the employee’s MDE device, SAP-managed detailed data for production orders is displayed. Depending on the system configuration, the employee can enter relevant information such as Yield quantity, Scrap quantity, and Scrap reason. Based on the reported quantity and the remaining open order quantity, SAP automatically determines whether the posting is a partial confirmation or a final confirmation.

Using a confirmation number or production order number, employees can initiate the process via the mobile logistics app. In addition to the quantity and a transfer posting reason, a responsible party may also be recorded. Typically, this uses a list of error codes predefined in SAP.

Mobile capture of production data provides companies with a real-time data foundation for monitoring and analyzing production processes. It delivers immediate visibility into the location of materials and goods, as well as the status of production orders. This ensures a high level of transparency within SAP production logistics and can be leveraged for optimized payroll processes and more accurate performance targets.