Original Date: 05/08/1995
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

The Electronic Work Order (EWO) System, developed by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA)-St. Louis as an Air Force MANTECH project, integrates manual and automatic shop floor processes with computer-integrated manufacturing planning, scheduling, and control.

The EWO System runs on a DEC VAX cluster using McDonnell-Douglas developed software with text and graphic windowing workstations, a custom keyboard, barcode data entry, and an optical archival system. The system schedules and tracks work for the Integrated Composites Center, using input from the Automated Planning System. The EWO System supplies an electronic package with the text and graphics required to accomplish the assigned task. It automatically updates information using the latest instructions and collects an audit-ready, as-built history. The system checks the work order for incomplete operations and open inspection sequence buy-offs. It maintains an audit trail of all time-sensitive material, and schedules work to use the material with the lowest remaining shelf life. The system collects and provides on-line visibility of labor hours expended and produced. It is also used by management to report on topics such as cycle times, hours remaining on parts when moved to cure, and part and material status.

The EWO System uses personnel qualification records and requirements to define user privileges to control, update, and sign-off on operations. Data entry on the floor is simplified through the use of barcode scanning and menu driven screens.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.