Redzone

Redzone is not a traditional MES software. I can be difficult to define exactly. Along with the visual workplace software Redzone will coach you in to how to use the system most effectively. It is part software, part standardized lean approach, and part custom lean consulting. It provides a visual workplace along with a program to manage a highly productive and collaborative work environment.

Some of the features can be cumbersome to manage through the iOS interface. Good customer service is provided to help make the management easier.

- Ease of use especially for hourly workers including any language speaking employees! Because it's as simple as identifying Red / Green and make a decision.
- Software use to drive the productivity.
- Great knowledge of Redzone Coaches.
- Accessing the history is terrific, especially when we have a BRC audit, lot of auditors were super impressed and even mentioned that every company needs to use the Redzone to make the auditor lie easier too!
- Etc etc, because I can keep going and write 2 pages about it.

- Nothing I can think of.
- Somebody need to own this and be an expert, it's definitely not like turning on the switch and forgetting about it.

Previously we were collecting data at the end of the shift using spreadsheets and the lag between data recording and decision making left a lot of opportunity on the table. Not only did we get the relevant data faster so we could make quicker informed decisions, Redzone came along side us as our partner through their coaching program to help us teach our workforce to use that data themselves and make those decisions closer to the process and drive productivity. 3 years on and we still engage with Redzone through the coaching program as a learning partner.

Some constraints exist within the software - it is not fully customizable at the application level. It cannot be all things for all businesses which, like the iOS platform it is built on is both a strength and weakness.

Redzone has given us the insight and understanding about our processes that we were missing. The best part about Redzone is that this visibility is accessible to the entire organization. Operators, managers, quality control, maintenance, and company executives can see what is going on in real-time. The option of bringing Google Translate into the program has increased communication among our employees, especially between departments. With Redzone, we are able to get a clear understanding of the performance of our production lines and also get a better understanding of the issues on the lines leading to downtime. Ultimately Redzone has allowed us to quickly identify quality or process efficiency issues, then create and test solutions.

Redzone has exceeded our expectations. The ability to access and interact with the program with an iPad or iPhone is a key benefit, though it would be nice to have the ability to access the program through a computer as well.