In many factories, the maintenance department is a "Black Hole."
A machine operator reports a breakdown. The request goes into the system (or a paper pile). And then… silence.
The Production Manager doesn’t know if a technician has been assigned. They don’t know if parts are missing.
They don’t know when the line will run again. This lack of visibility leads to friction, finger-pointing, and—most importantly—inaccurate production planning.
Work Order Tracking Software is different from a standard CMMS. While a CMMS records history, Tracking Software manages the live flow of work.
It answers the one question that matters to the factory floor: "What is the status of my machine?"
Here is why upgrading to a real-time tracking system is the single fastest way to lower your Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) in 2026.
The High Cost of "Radio Silence"
When Work Orders aren't tracked in real-time, three things happen:
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Redundant Communication: Supervisors waste hours on radios/phones asking for updates.
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Wrong Priorities: Technicians cherry-pick easy jobs while critical bottleneck machines sit idle.
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Data Drifting: Technicians fill out the paperwork at the end of the shift, guessing the timestamps. This makes your MTTR data useless.
The Solution: A unified digital board where Production and Maintenance see the same status.
3 Core Capabilities of Modern Tracking
1. Live Status Boards (The Airport Screen)
Fabrico replaces the whiteboard with digital dashboards that can be displayed on shop floor TVs.
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Visual Management: Just like an airport departure screen, everyone sees the queue.
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Color-Coded States:
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Red: Open / Emergency (Unassigned)
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Yellow: Assigned / In Progress
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Orange: Blocked (Waiting for Parts)
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Green: Completed / Validating
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The Impact: Production stops asking "Is anyone coming?" because they can see John Doe is assigned and En Route.
2. The "OEE Validation" Loop
Most software treats the Work Order as a separate island from the machine's performance. Fabrico connects them.
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The Workflow: When a machine stops, the OEE system detects the downtime. A Work Order is created automatically (or linked).
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The Validation: When the technician closes the Work Order on their mobile app, they select a "Failure Code."
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The Result: This code updates the OEE chart. You no longer have "Uncategorized Downtime." You have precise data: "Line 1 lost 4 hours this week due to Motor Overheating."
3. Mobile "Push" & Accountability
Tracking requires speed. If a technician has to walk to a PC to update a status, the data is already old.
Fabrico’s Mobile-First design ensures:
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Push Notifications: Technicians get a buzz in their pocket the second a high-priority breakdown is reported.
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Geolocation: Managers can see where technicians are in the plant, ensuring resources are distributed correctly.
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Instant Updates: A technician clicks "Start Job" and "Finish Job" at the machine. This captures the exact wrench time (MTTR) without human guessing.
Strategic Workflow: Prioritization Matrix
One of the biggest failures in tracking is treating all Work Orders equally. A lightbulb out in the hallway is not the same as a breakdown on the bottleneck packer.
Fabrico allows you to implement a Risk-Based Prioritization:
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Criticality A (The Bottleneck): Immediate notification to the Maintenance Lead. If not acknowledged in 15 mins, it escalates to the Plant Manager.
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Criticality B (Production Impact): Assigned to the next available shift slot.
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Criticality C (Facilities): Added to the backlog for low-production periods.
Using Fabrico’s Drag-and-Drop Planning Board, you can reshuffle these priorities instantly as production demands change.
Comparison: Ticketing vs. Tracking
| Feature |
Fabrico (Live Tracking) |
Basic Ticketing (Jira/Helpdesk) |
Paper / Whiteboard |
| Visibility |
Real-Time to All Depts |
Siloed (Requester blind) |
Visible only in office |
| OEE Link |
✅ Direct Integration |
❌ None |
❌ None |
| Escalation |
✅ Auto-Alerts |
⚠️ Email only |
❌ None |
| Time Tracking |
Exact (Start/Stop buttons) |
Manual Entry |
Guessed |
| Parts Link |
✅ Deducts from Inventory |
❌ No |
❌ No |
How to Implement Real-Time Tracking (4 Steps)
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Define Your States: Don't complicate it. Start with Requested, Assigned, In Progress, Waiting for Parts, Complete.
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Tag Your Assets: Put QR codes on machines so operators can open a request instantly without typing serial numbers.
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Equip the Team: Give technicians rugged tablets or allow BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Tracking fails if they can't update status at the machine.
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Display the Board: Put the Fabrico Dashboard on a screen in the production office. Transparency builds trust.
Conclusion: Visibility is Speed
You cannot fix what you cannot see. By implementing Work Order Tracking Software, you turn maintenance from a "Black Box" into a transparent service provider. You reduce the time spent chasing information and increase the time spent fixing machines.
Stop the radio calls.
[Request a Demo] and turn on the lights in your maintenance department.
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