How Does Blue Dog Tracker™ Work?
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Calibration Screen
Work Order Screen
Blue Dog Tracker™ system has two parts. A Portable WinMobileOS data collection terminal with a high density bar code imager runs the Blue Dog Tracker™ Portable Data Collection Program.
A user logs onto the device and selects his or her user ID from a dropdown menu or by scanning an employee badge. The time and date are added to the collection string from the portable terminal’s operating system. The user selects a transaction type from a dropdown menu and then scans the work order ID barcode and the process barcode they are performing.
Scan the item and Blue Dog Tracker™ shows the Description, and Serial Number to verify that item. Now scan variable data associated with the process and add notes about the process. The Blue Dog Tracker™ portable terminal has an onboard keypad or handwriting recognition to record free form notes about the transaction. When finished, save the record and move onto the next task.
When you are ready to transmit data to the Blue Dog Tracker™ Database, insert the terminal into the communication cradle tethered to your PC. The terminal data automatically synchronizes with the database and upon successful transmission, clears the data from the portable terminal.
Now that you have uploaded the data, the real value begins. Microsoft Access is an open database. Blue Dog Tracker™ furnishes reports and queries and also allows you to write your own custom reports and queries that address your specific business needs.
Blue Dog Tracker™ is flexible. You can name many of the fields to meet your own needs. You maintain the employee list and the action list that populates the dropdown menus on the portable terminal. Add equipment or standards to the instrument database and import the information to the portable reader for lookup validation.
Possible Applications
For example, in the machine shop environment, the Quality Control Manager can rely on Blue Dog Tracker™ to gather information about a manufacturing order. An item to be manufactured is created to specifications listed on the work order. A machinist will use tools to record that the item is in specification to the design, but which instrument was used to certify that result and when was that item last certified, qualified or calibrated?
A service manager who routinely services or repairs equipment and needs to keep a log of who, when, where and why an item was maintained can deploy Blue Dog Tracker™ to record that data.
Shop floor managers who need to put programs in place to qualify for ISO or other certifications can provide clear standardized processes to document that procedures are being followed correctly.
