5 Essential Work-in-Process Management Solutions for Real-Time Production Control

Work-in-process management is the process of tracking materials, jobs, labor, containers, production activity, and inventory while work is still in progress. BellHawk work-in-process management software helps teams see what is being made, where materials are located, what has been used, and which jobs need attention.

Many production problems happen between receiving and shipping. Real-time work-in-process tracking helps manufacturers reduce missing materials, late job updates, inaccurate inventory counts, unclear job status, and production delays.

BellHawk captures barcode scans, RFID reads, labor entries, material movement, container activity, job status, and traceability records as work happens. This gives managers a real-time view of production activity instead of relying on delayed spreadsheets or manual logs.

Yes. BellHawk and MilramX can support data exchange with ERP systems, QuickBooks Enterprise, accounting systems, label printers, scanners, scales, databases, and shop-floor devices. ERP integration helps keep WIP activity aligned with production, inventory, purchasing, accounting, and customer order data.

Work-in-process tracking can help regulated operations maintain audit trails, lot history, serialized records, quality events, material movement records, and production documentation. This is valuable for food processing, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, defense manufacturing, and other compliance-driven industries. KnarrTek software supports documentation and does not certify compliance, and compliance responsibility remains with the customer.

Work-in-process management software is used by manufacturers, food processors, pharmaceutical companies, defense suppliers, medical device companies, chemical processors, packaging operations, industrial distributors, and other teams that need real-time production and material visibility.

Yes. BellHawk can support barcode scanning and RFID tracking for work orders, materials, containers, assets, inventory locations, labor activity, production stages, and shipping transactions. Barcode and RFID tracking help reduce manual entry and improve work-in-process accuracy.

Work-in-process management reduces inventory errors by recording material movement, consumption, transfers, scrap, rework, and production updates as they happen. This helps prevent missing materials, incorrect counts, duplicate entries, and disconnected production records.

Yes. BellHawk can support work-in-process visibility across multiple buildings, plants, warehouses, freezers, production areas, and remote locations. Multi-site WIP tracking helps teams coordinate inventory movement, job status, production activity, and traceability across locations.

KnarrTek works from offices in Millbury, Massachusetts and Panama City, Florida, and operates globally, with current accounts in Mexico and Canada. BellHawk can support cloud, on-premise, and connected operational environments, and the team supports work-in-process projects for manufacturers, processors, distributors, and regulated operations.

WIP tracking shows which jobs are active, which jobs are delayed, which materials are missing, and where bottlenecks are forming. Real-time production data helps managers adjust schedules before delays become customer service or fulfillment problems.

Spreadsheet-based WIP tracking depends on manual updates and after-the-fact data entry. BellHawk captures production activity with barcode scanning, RFID, mobile updates, container tracking, labor entries, traceability records, and ERP-connected workflows, giving teams more reliable real-time operational control.

LPN stands for license plate number. Each container, such as a pallet, box, reel, or tote, gets its own unique label, and scanning it shows what is inside, where it is, and what work order it belongs to. LPN tracking lets teams follow containers through production without re-entering what is in them.

Nested container tracking records containers inside other containers, such as boxes on a pallet or parts in a tote. When the outer container moves, the system knows what moved with it, which helps teams see what is inside every pallet, box, reel, tote, and bin.

Workers enter labor against jobs and operations from the shop floor, which gives managers job status, operation time, and elapsed time. KnarrTek's labor tracking white paper explains how this can support late-order warnings.

Yes. MilramX is rules-based, so alerts are configured around your business rules. Typical examples are low stock, delayed jobs, missing materials, equipment issues, and production bottlenecks. The alert can go to the right person, update the ERP, and log to the WIP record.

Yes. MilramX can connect BellHawk with QuickBooks Enterprise so that production and inventory activity captured on the floor can be shared with the accounting system, depending on the project scope.

Yes. Scrap, rework, and component consumption can be recorded against the job as they happen, so managers can see how much material a job actually used and where waste occurred.

BellHawk is the data capture platform that sits under KnarrTek's products. BellHawk Online is the cloud package, and WIPtracker is the on-premise MES and WMS package that includes every BellHawk feature with WIP and shop-floor control. SmartOps24x7 adds rules, alerts, and integrations built on MilramX.

No. BellHawk and MilramX work alongside your existing ERP, accounting, or business management system. The software captures activity at the point of work, and integration moves that data to the business system.

It can. When materials, lots, containers, and work orders are linked in one record, teams can trace which materials went into which jobs and where finished goods went. That helps keep a recall narrow. Recall procedures and compliance remain the responsibility of the customer.

Pricing depends on the package. BellHawk Online starts at $450 per month and WIPtracker starts at $900 per month, based on annual prepayment, and SmartOps24x7 is quoted by scope. Contact KnarrTek for a quote that matches your operation.

BellHawk works with barcode scanners, mobile devices, label printers, scales, and RFID readers or portals. The specific devices are chosen with you based on your environment, and the cloud version runs in a browser.

It depends on scope, the number of sites, and the systems to be integrated. Many customers begin with one area, such as receiving or a single production line, and expand from there. Contact KnarrTek to discuss your operation and get a realistic plan.

Call 774-415-7878 or email Sales@KnarrTek.com, or use the Request a Demo button on this page. You will get quick, friendly answers from people who know the software.