Floor Plan
Open Manufacturing → Floor Plan to create a visual layout of a factory area and see the current status of each workstation.
The floor plan uses workstations that have already been approved in ERPX. Live job-card data shows the status, current operation, operator, and linked production document for each workstation. The layout is for monitoring the factory floor, so it does not need to be an exact building plan.
Before you draw the layout
Create and approve the workstations first. Use the names supervisors already use, such as “Press 2” or “North Cutting Table”. Add an image if it will help people recognise the workstation. A workstation can appear only once on the same floor plan.
See Shop-floor Setup if the machines are not ready yet.
Creating a floor plan
Create the plan record
Select New, enter a clear name such as “Factory A, Main Floor”, and add a short description if the organisation has several buildings or shifts. The default canvas is large enough for most layouts and can be changed while the plan is still a draft.
Open the editor
After the record is created, ERPX opens the layout editor. Approved workstations that are not yet placed appear in the left panel, grouped by workstation type.
Place the workstations
Search or expand a group, then drag each workstation onto the canvas. Arrange the workstations in a layout that employees will recognise. Exact scale is less important than showing the production flow clearly.
Review and save
Move or resize nodes as needed. Undo and Redo help while you work. The number on Save Layout tells you how many additions, moves, or removals have not yet been saved.
Test the view
Open View Mode, use Fit to Screen, and check the layout at the size it will normally be displayed. A wall screen and a laptop may need different zoom levels.
Approve the plan
Approval freezes editing and makes the plan suitable for day-to-day viewing. Use Unapprove if the physical layout changes and you need to edit it again.
The editor is available only while the floor plan is in Draft. Save the layout before approving it. Unapproving is meant for a genuine layout change, not for changing a workstation’s live status.
Working in the editor
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Available Workstations | Shows approved workstations not yet placed, grouped by type |
| Search | Narrows the list by workstation name |
| Zoom + / Zoom − | Changes the canvas magnification |
| Reset View | Returns to the default pan and zoom |
| Fit to Screen | Fits the full canvas into the available space |
| Undo / Redo | Reverses or restores layout changes made in this editing session |
| Delete / Backspace | Removes the selected workstation from the draft layout |
| Save Layout | Writes all pending additions, moves, resizes, and removals |
| Image View / Detail View | Switches between a visual node and a data-rich node |
A removed workstation is not deleted from ERPX. It simply becomes available to place again.
Reading the live view
The status overview on the left counts workstations by state. Select a status to filter the list, then select a workstation to see its current job card, operation, operator, quantity, and source document where available.
| Status | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Available | Ready for work and not tied to an active job card |
| In Use | Active production is recorded against the workstation |
| Under Maintenance | Intentionally unavailable for production |
| Not Available | Offline for another reason |
| Unknown | No usable live status was returned; refresh and check the workstation record |
When a workstation is In Use, the production plan or sales order link opens the source of the work. This is usually quicker than searching for the document from the menu.
The page updates from live events and also refreshes periodically as a fallback. Use Refresh when a supervisor has just corrected a job card and wants to confirm the change immediately.
Display and export
Use Fullscreen for a shared floor display. The status legend remains visible so every viewer can understand the colour scheme.
The Export menu provides PNG, JPG, SVG, and Print / Save as PDF. PNG or JPG works well in a daily production message; SVG is better when the image will be printed large because it remains sharp.
Common problems
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| A workstation is missing from the editor | It must be approved, and it may already be placed on this plan |
| The editor redirects to view mode | The floor plan is Approved; unapprove it before editing |
| A machine shows Unknown | Refresh, then check its availability and active job card |
| A machine looks free but work is running | Confirm the job card is assigned to this exact workstation and has been started |
| Changes disappeared | They were not included in Save Layout before leaving the editor |
| The plan is hard to read on a wall screen | Use Fit to Screen, fullscreen, and shorter workstation names |
Layout tips
Keep the layout easy to recognise and leave space between production areas. You do not need to reproduce every wall and doorway. The goal is to help supervisors find active work and bottlenecks quickly. If a machine is difficult to locate on the diagram, simplify the layout.
Related pages
- Shop-floor Setup: creating the workstations that appear here
- Job Cards: where live operation status comes from
- Capacity Planning: the forward-looking schedule