Does the changeover app connect to SAP and the machine PLC?

Yes. It pulls the day's production orders live from SAP via the OData production-order API and lays them out per line, then pushes the full recipe parameter set to the machine PLC automatically at the recipe step, showing a sent or failed status. If no PLC endpoint is configured, the app logs the parameters for manual entry, so the changeover is never blocked.

How does Arctory measure changeover time?

Changeover time is calculated from the Last Good and First Good times, with the app computing real stopped time against target. Last Good is stamped automatically the moment the setter types LOTO to confirm the lockout, so the official clock is tied to isolation, not to when the app was opened. Every step is also timed against a live countdown to expose which steps run over.

Can it replace our paper changeover work instructions?

Yes. It replaces the paper changeover binder with a guided workflow on a tablet at the line: it briefs the setter on parts to kit and parameters that change, runs every step through colour-coded external, internal and verification phases with live timers, enforces LOTO, pushes the recipe, and closes with a signed first-good check. Because every step is timed, the analytics prove the time saved instead of estimating it.

Do setters need training to use the changeover app?

The app guides the setter step by step and gates progress, so the correct sequence is enforced rather than remembered. Execution stays locked until every change-part is ticked off, the line cannot be marked locked out until LOTO is confirmed, and the run ends with the six-point first-good checklist.

How do we add more lines and products to the changeover app?

Each line is a self-contained work-instruction template covering its change-parts, parameters, recipe, ordered steps and first-good checklist. Adding a line or product means adding a template, with no other changes required, so the app scales across lines while keeping per-line analytics like on-time rate and step-level bottlenecks.

Does it enforce LOTO lockout before restarting the line?

Yes. The line cannot be marked locked out or restarted until the setter types LOTO to confirm isolate, lock-and-tag and test-for-zero-energy. That confirmation both enforces the lockout and stamps the official Last Good time, tying stopped-time measurement directly to the safety step.

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Cut changeover time with a guided work-instruction app

Changeover

Cut changeover time with a guided work-instruction app

Name: Cut changeover time with a guided work-instruction app
Uploaded: 2026-06-30
Duration: 1 min 2 s
Description: The paper changeover binder goes away. The app pulls the day's orders from SAP, walks the setter through every step with live timers, enforces the LOTO lockout before restart, pushes the recipe to the machine PLC, and closes with a signed first-good check.

The paper changeover binder goes away. The app pulls the day's orders from SAP, walks the setter through every step with live timers, enforces the LOTO lockout before restart, pushes the recipe to the machine PLC, and closes with a signed first-good check.

Use case: Replace paper changeover work instructions with a guided, timed workflow connected to SAP and the machine PLC that cuts stopped time and proves it.

Published: 2026-06-30

Video length: 1:00

Cut changeover time with a guided work-instruction app. The paper changeover binder goes away. The app pulls the day's orders from SAP, walks the setter through every step with live timers, enforces the LOTO lockout before restart, pushes the recipe to the machine PLC, and closes with a signed first-good check.

What this is

A changeover is dead time, and most of it goes to reading a paper work instruction and hunting for the right settings. This app runs the whole changeover on a tablet at the line. It reads today's orders from SAP, briefs the setter on the parts to kit and the parameters that change, guides every step through the external, internal and verification phases, and will not let the line restart until LOTO is confirmed. It pushes the recipe to the machine PLC and ends with a signed first-good unit check. Every step is timed, so the analytics show exactly which steps run over target.

How it works

Step 1. Start from today's schedule. The app pulls the day's production orders from SAP and lays them out per line. Where the product changes, it inserts the changeover (full CIP or quick, with its target stopped time), and a Begin button starts the session.
Step 2. Brief and kit before the line stops. While the line is still running, the setter confirms the change-parts kit and reviews a side-by-side table of every parameter that changes: fill weight, nozzle, fill speed, torque, checkweigher limits. Execution stays locked until every part is ticked off.
Step 3. Work the steps by phase. Steps run in three colour-coded phases: external (line running), internal (line stopped) and verification (after restart). An elapsed timer and a countdown against the target run the whole time, and a tap on any step jumps straight to it.
Step 4. Confirm LOTO, then push the recipe. The line cannot be marked locked out until the setter types LOTO to confirm isolate, lock-and-tag and test-for-zero-energy, which stamps the official Last Good time. At the recipe step the app sends the full parameter set to the machine PLC automatically, with a sent or failed status.
Step 5. Sign off on the First Good unit. The setter enters the Last Good and First Good times, the app computes the real stopped time against target, runs the six-point first-good checklist (fill weight, torque, vision, label, batch code, carton) and signs off. The record lands in the changeover log, and the analytics dashboard tracks on-time rate and the steps that run long.

What you see in the video

The video runs a full changeover end to end. It opens today's SAP schedule, kits parts and reviews the parameter changes in the brief, then works the colour-coded external, internal and verification steps against the live target countdown. The setter types LOTO to confirm the lockout, the recipe pushes to the PLC, and the first-good check is signed off. It closes on the analytics view that tracks on-time rate and step-level bottlenecks across lines.

When to use this

Changeovers still run off a paper work instruction and the stopped time swings between setters.
You cannot see which step in a changeover actually eats the time.
Recipe settings are keyed into the HMI by hand and LOTO is confirmed on a clipboard.

Frequently asked questions

Does the changeover app connect to SAP and the machine PLC?: Yes. It pulls the day's production orders live from SAP via the OData production-order API and lays them out per line, then pushes the full recipe parameter set to the machine PLC automatically at the recipe step, showing a sent or failed status. If no PLC endpoint is configured, the app logs the parameters for manual entry, so the changeover is never blocked.
How does Arctory measure changeover time?: Changeover time is calculated from the Last Good and First Good times, with the app computing real stopped time against target. Last Good is stamped automatically the moment the setter types LOTO to confirm the lockout, so the official clock is tied to isolation, not to when the app was opened. Every step is also timed against a live countdown to expose which steps run over.
Can it replace our paper changeover work instructions?: Yes. It replaces the paper changeover binder with a guided workflow on a tablet at the line: it briefs the setter on parts to kit and parameters that change, runs every step through colour-coded external, internal and verification phases with live timers, enforces LOTO, pushes the recipe, and closes with a signed first-good check. Because every step is timed, the analytics prove the time saved instead of estimating it.
Do setters need training to use the changeover app?: The app guides the setter step by step and gates progress, so the correct sequence is enforced rather than remembered. Execution stays locked until every change-part is ticked off, the line cannot be marked locked out until LOTO is confirmed, and the run ends with the six-point first-good checklist.
How do we add more lines and products to the changeover app?: Each line is a self-contained work-instruction template covering its change-parts, parameters, recipe, ordered steps and first-good checklist. Adding a line or product means adding a template, with no other changes required, so the app scales across lines while keeping per-line analytics like on-time rate and step-level bottlenecks.
Does it enforce LOTO lockout before restarting the line?: Yes. The line cannot be marked locked out or restarted until the setter types LOTO to confirm isolate, lock-and-tag and test-for-zero-energy. That confirmation both enforces the lockout and stamps the official Last Good time, tying stopped-time measurement directly to the safety step.

Tags: Changeover, Line clearance, SAP integration, PLC recipe, LOTO, OEE

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