What happens inside your machine, moment by moment.
It seems like a trivial question. The answer, however, depends on a variable that usually remains hidden: where does that time go? Is it spent on the actual machining, waiting between one part and the next, or on order management?
If you base your answer on gut feelings and a sheet of paper filled in at the end of the day, you’re measuring your production with the wrong tools.
The Saomad Management System (SMS) is designed precisely for this: to provide accurate, real-time data directly within your machine’s interface.
What is the Saomad Management System?
SMS is the software that controls production on your Saomad machining centre. The aim is to computerise the organisation and monitoring of the production department to make it more efficient.
Essentially, it supervises and controls the entire system, from individual workpieces to the whole order.
It is integrated as standard into Saomad machines and gives you something that matters a great deal in joinery: knowing at all times what is happening in production, rather than finding out after the event.
The practical benefits for window and door manufacturers
The ‘open’ nature of the software is designed to grow alongside your business: over time, you can integrate new controls, new functions and links to other management systems, without having to start from scratch.
On an operational level, managing the production line becomes simpler and faster, and the customisable work sequencing allows you to change the processing order batch by batch, based on what production actually requires. All this without the need for specialist IT skills: a basic understanding is all you need to use SMS.
What SMS does in detail
In terms of production objectives, SMS tracks every job from the moment the order is received right through to the finished part. It receives details of each job, including the customer order and quantities, along with the data required to carry it out – from machining parameters to the part programme; it links orders, customers, window frames and profiles, ensuring the production process remains flexible, whilst the connection to any company ERP system maintains a continuous flow of data.
Everything that happens – from processes and materials to operator and machine operations – is automatically recorded: the system directs and supervises machining operations in real time and monitors every movement that takes place on the machine. The machine’s status is always clear at a glance: on or off, local or online, available or in alarm mode.
When it comes to production control, SMS plays a key role in decision-making. Thanks to a clear overview of what has been machined and what still needs to be done, it becomes increasingly easy to organise production and, if necessary, adjust it according to requirements – even at the last minute.
The maintenance team works with the same data: the programme analyses machine performance, flags faults, provides a diagnosis, alerts you when action is required, and also displays the status of the tools in the machining units. When necessary, you can change the feed rate, start, pause or resume machining of one or more jobs directly from the programme.
An interface designed for shop floor staff
A management system is only as good as its ease of use, and SMS is designed for the company’s operations. Access is organised by distinct profiles (Administrator, Power User and User), so that everyone sees and manages only what falls within their remit.
The production status is always clearly visible; data entry is guided by dedicated sections, and a filtering system takes you to the information you’re looking for in a matter of seconds.
The interface also displays scheduled activities, including part programmes and work dimensions, and monitors the machine’s motors via pre-set parameters.
The pages you use every day
On the work orders screen, you always have a clear overview of all the programmes for the parts to be machined and their specifications.
- TheEverest page – the loading warehouse – tells you what’s in stock and what needs to be loaded: a graph shows which and how many parts are present, along with all their specifications, and by clicking on a part in the list, you can immediately find its location.
- The Picking page is where unloading takes place: you choose which parts to pick and in what order – for the entire order, whether to start with the frames or the doors first, or even just a single part. The display rows show you what you’ve already unloaded, which is also useful when you need to apply the identification label.
- The Alarms page brings together all the alarms present on the machine on a single screen.
- The Maintenance page lists the checks required to keep the machining centre in optimal condition. An alarm is even displayed to indicate where and how a maintenance operation needs to be carried out, based on predefined parameters.
- The History page. Here you can view the machine’s performance results with daily data and graphs, and here SMS distinguishes between two time periods that are often conflated into one. On the one hand, there is the net part time, calculated excluding pauses between one part and the next. On the other hand, there is the time from the end of the first part to the end of the last, including breaks. This is not a theoretical distinction: it tells you whether time is spent on the actual machining, waiting between parts, or managing the job order.
Stop working in the dark
For manufacturers of wooden joinery, keeping track of machine downtime and status has a significant impact on the bottom line: it’s the difference between a profitable order and one that erodes your profit margin without you even realising it.
The Saomad Management System brings all this information into the machine’s interface, presented clearly and accessible directly by the operator.
Would you like to see SMS in action on your production line? Contact us: we’ll show you how to analyse your production using data that speaks your language.
