The Five-Second Excel Production Tracker

Factories drown in ERP reports that show problems weeks late. This Excel template flips the script – operators log two numbers by hotkey, and supervisors see live scrap cost and productivity drift. No PLC taps, no add-ins, just a couple of macros and the formulas below.

1. Why bother

• Daily truth, not month-end surprises – Spot rising scrap while the tool is still in the press.

• Shift-level coaching – A PPH sparkline shows when output sags, so a five-minute huddle can fix the slope.

• Rapid ROI math – Extra 200 € scrap per shift = 50 k€ per year. Now you have numbers to fund better tooling.

• Operator ownership – Crews watch their metrics move in real time. Accountability follows.

Small, accurate data beats big, late data every time.

2. One-key macros

Paste these into Alt + F11 – Module1.

'Ctrl+Shift+P – finished parts
Sub LogProduction()
    Dim ws As Worksheet: Set ws = Sheets("PphLog")
    Dim r As Long: r = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row + 1
    
    ws.Cells(r, "A").Value = Now
    ws.Cells(r, "B").Value = InputBox("Part number?")
    ws.Cells(r, "C").Value = InputBox("Quantity produced?")
End Sub

'Ctrl+Shift+S – scrap pieces
Sub LogScrap()
    Dim ws As Worksheet: Set ws = Sheets("ScrapLog")
    Dim r As Long: r = ws.Cells(ws.Rows.Count, "A").End(xlUp).Row + 1
    
    ws.Cells(r, "A").Value = Now
    ws.Cells(r, "B").Value = InputBox("Part number?")
    ws.Cells(r, "C").Value = InputBox("Scrap quantity?")
End Sub

Bind LogProduction to Ctrl + Shift + P and LogScrap to Ctrl + Shift + S via Developer – Macros – Options. Save as .xlsm.

3. Build the workbook

A. PartCost (lookup)

Define A2:B100 as table name PartTbl.

B. ScrapLog

Headers: DateTime – PartNumber – ScrapQty – WeekNum – Cost

C. ScrapSummary (weekly roll-up)

D. PphLog

Headers: TimeStamp – PartNumber – QtyProd – PPH

PPH formula (row 3 and downward):

 =IF($A3=$A2,"", $C3/((A3-A2)*24))

E. PPHTrend

Insert a Line sparkline in cell A4:

 Data range → PphLog!D2:D100

Label A1 “Parts Per Hour Trend”.

4. Quick smoke test

1. Ctrl + Shift + P → PN100, 50 → watch PPH column and sparkline update.

2. Ctrl + Shift + S → PN100, 3 → ScrapLog fills WeekNum and Cost; ScrapSummary total jumps.

Result: five keystrokes, two numbers, instant visibility.

5. Payoff

• Real-time loss exposure – Scrap euros pile up line-by-line, not weeks later.

• Productivity radar – Trendline highlights drift before the shift ends.

• Minimal operator load – Two prompts, Excel does the rest.

That’s a five-second data habit with a year-long impact – no MES budget required.

Download the template

Feel free to use pre-filled template from MDCplus - all you need is to copy-paste the macro in your Excel, and let the chips fall. You can download it here.

About MDCplus

Our key features are real-time machine monitoring for swift issue resolution, power consumption tracking to promote sustainability, computerized maintenance management to reduce downtime, and vibration diagnostics for predictive maintenance. MDCplus's solutions are tailored for diverse industries, including aerospace, automotive, precision machining, and heavy industry. By delivering actionable insights and fostering seamless integration, we empower manufacturers to boost Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), reduce operational costs, and achieve sustainable growth along with future planning.