IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE CONTROL OF PRODUCTION PROCESSES

摘要

In an industrial plant individual work stations (108, 112, 122) are each provided with a respective stand alone reading device (2). Each individual worker has an IC card (44) carrying an integrated circuit (42) with memory in which is stored information identifying the individual. Each product being manufactured is similarly provided with an individual ID card carrying in its memory information identifying that product. The reading devices (2) can read the information carried by the ID cards and write to those cards as appropriate. Each reading device (2) has a plurality of access slots (4) for receiving ID cards. This enables an exchange of information between ID cards inserted in the reading device. A job card (46) may be provided at the reading device (2) of each work station to display for the worker the tasks to be undertaken. At the end of a shift details of the workers who have worked at an individual work station and of the products that have been worked on can be analysed by, for example, a computer (104) from data stored on the job card.