Paperless MES: what really goes paperless on the shop floor

A paperless shop floor means the forms, tracking spreadsheets and whiteboards are replaced by records operators make while the work is done. This guide covers which paper a manufacturing execution system (MES) actually removes, which paper stays for a while, and how to plan the move.

Last updated: 24 October 2026

Where paper is used on the shop floor

In a shop that runs on paper, information is written down in several places and reaches the office at the end of the day or the week:

Daily production sheets, where operators write down which jobs they worked on, for how long and how many parts came out.
Downtime logs for why and for how long a machine stopped. Often nobody writes it down at all.
Scrap and inspection forms with first-piece, in-process and final inspection results, and how many parts were scrapped and why.
Tracking spreadsheets and the whiteboard, showing which job is on which machine and what comes next.
Maintenance logbooks that record when preventive maintenance was done.
Printed drawings and work instructions.

The problem is not the paper itself. It is that information arrives late and incomplete. Someone retypes the forms into Excel, hours get rounded and stops get forgotten.

Which paper an MES replaces

On paper	In ModernMES
Daily production sheet	The operator starts, pauses and finishes the job on the terminal, and time, machine, person and quantity are recorded on the spot
Downtime log	Operators pick a reason such as setup, tool breakage or waiting for material at every pause. Stops left without one are classified later in the panel
Scrap and inspection forms	First-piece, in-process and final inspection results are kept on the work order. Scrap is recorded by defect type, with a photo if needed
Tracking spreadsheet and whiteboard	A live shop floor view and a TV board per resource group
Maintenance logbook	Maintenance plans per machine, with a maintenance work order that opens automatically when a plan falls due
Month-end report	Production status, workload, plan versus actual and operator hours reports, with every table exportable to Excel

Which paper stays for a while

To be honest, a completely paperless shop is not possible on day one, and it does not need to be:

First, the barcoded route card. ModernMES prints a route card, or traveler, for each project. Every step has its own barcode or QR code and the card travels with the parts. An operator using their phone scans that code to start the job. Where a terminal sits at the machine, the card is optional, because the operator sees that machine's queue on screen and picks the next job from the list.
Second, drawings. Drawings, photos and PDF instructions can be attached to parts, operations and machines and opened from the office screens. The operator terminal does not show these files yet, so at the machine a drawing is still printed or opened on a nearby screen.

Paper stops being a way of recording and becomes just a label that travels with the work. That is the real gain, because nobody retypes data from paper any more.

How to plan the move

Pick one machine group and start there only. Keep the paper form next to the MES for a week, then drop it.
Import parts and routings from the Excel template.
Give operators a badge or a code to sign in. The terminal runs in a browser, on a tablet or on the operator's own phone, and there is nothing to install.
Adjust downtime reasons and defect types to your shop's own words, starting from the ready-made lists. In the first weeks, classify the stops left without a reason together in the panel.
After a month, read the first reports to see which machine stopped how long and where real times drifted from plan. OEE can follow once the records are reliable.

Where ModernMES fits

ModernMES is a cloud or on-premise MES for job shops and small to mid-sized factories, in English and Turkish. Data comes from operators, so it works on any machine whatever its make or age. Machines that can report running and stopped can also send that over HTTP or MQTT. You can look around the live shop floor demo or start a 14-day free trial without a credit card. The plans are in the pricing section.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need sensors on the machines to go paperless?

No. In ModernMES the data comes from operators starting, pausing and finishing jobs on the terminal, and nothing has to be wired to the machine. If you want, a machine's running/stopped state can also come in automatically. A PLC gateway, Node-RED or a sensor box sends it over HTTP or MQTT, and you set this up under Settings → Machine signals. A stop nobody recorded becomes a downtime once it lasts longer than the limit you set.

Can operators see drawings on the terminal?

Not yet. Files are attached to parts, operations and machines and opened from the office screens. The operator terminal does not show them.

Can we work without printing route cards?

Where there is a terminal at the machine, yes, because the operator picks the job from that machine's queue. Operators working from their phones need the QR code on the card.

What is a paperless MES?

An MES in which production records such as times, stops, quantities, scrap and inspections are entered on a terminal at the moment they happen, instead of on paper forms that are typed in later.