# The factory handbook

> A free reference for people who run small and mid-sized plants: an OEE calculator, shop-floor formulas, machine data collection, job card templates and a glossary.

Source: https://deda.systems/handbook
Last updated: 2026-11-13

A working reference for people who run small and mid-sized manufacturing units. Standard formulas, calculators you can use on the page, and templates you can print today. Nothing here needs our software, an account or an email address.

## What is in the handbook

- **H01 · [OEE calculator and guide](https://deda.systems/handbook/oee-calculator):** Calculate OEE from one shift of data: the formula for availability, performance and quality, a worked example, the six big losses and common mistakes.
- **H02 · [Shop-floor formulas](https://deda.systems/handbook/shop-floor-formulas):** Standard shop-floor formulas, each with a worked example and a calculator: takt time, first pass yield, DPMO, Cp and Cpk, MTBF, MTTR and TEEP.
- **H03 · [Getting data out of machines](https://deda.systems/handbook/machine-data-collection):** Five ways to collect data from CNC machines and PLCs, from operator entry to Modbus, MTConnect, OPC UA and FANUC FOCAS, and what to ask your machine builder.
- **H04 · [Job card and stop-code templates](https://deda.systems/handbook/job-card-template):** A printable production job card, starter stop reason codes mapped to OEE losses, and a daily production report. Free to print or download as CSV.
- **H05 · [Manufacturing glossary](https://deda.systems/handbook/manufacturing-glossary):** Plain-language definitions of 55 manufacturing terms: OEE, takt time, Cpk, PPAP, FMEA, SMED, kanban, MES, MTBF and more. Written for plant owners and supervisors.

## How the handbook is written

We wrote this because the same questions come up on every shop floor we visit, and most of the answers online are either a sales page or a formula with no example.

- **Standard formulas only:** Every formula is the textbook one, shown in full, with a worked example you can check by hand. The calculators run the same arithmetic in your browser and send nothing to us.
- **Sources are named:** Where a definition or a number comes from a book, a standards body or a machine builder, the page says so and links to it.
- **No invented benchmarks:** We do not publish “industry average” figures we cannot source. Where a commonly quoted number has a caveat, the caveat is on the page.
- **Templates are starting points:** The job card and the stop code list are ours. Change them to fit your plant.
- **Corrections are welcome:** Each page carries the date it was last reviewed. If something is wrong or out of date, write to [deep@deda.systems](mailto:deep@deda.systems).

Everything in this handbook can be done on paper. When you want it captured at the machine and on a screen during the shift, that is [what we build for plants](https://deda.systems/ai-for-manufacturing).