A manufacturing KPI dashboard for a small or mid-sized manufacturer needs eight numbers, and most of them come from the ERP you already run: on-time-in-full delivery, OEE (or, if you don't capture machine time, availability and output separately), scrap and rework rate, throughput against plan, work-in-progress value, stock cover on raw materials and on finished goods, the order book in weeks, and gross margin by product. Sage 200's Manufacturing module, Business Central's Manufacturing (which has a free Microsoft Power BI app), Epicor, SYSPRO and the other mid-market ERPs hold the works orders, routings, stock movements and sales orders those need. The quality system holds scrap and rework if it isn't recorded on the works order. Machine time, for OEE, is the one number that often isn't captured anywhere, and the honest dashboard shows what's measured rather than inventing it.
The eight KPIs
| KPI | Definition | Formula | Source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-time-in-full (OTIF) | Share of order lines delivered by the promised date in the full quantity | Lines delivered on time and complete ÷ lines due in the period | ERP sales orders and despatches | Weekly |
| OEE | Overall equipment effectiveness: availability × performance × quality | (Run time ÷ planned time) × (actual output ÷ standard output for the run time) × (good units ÷ total units) | Machine or shop-floor data capture; works order bookings | Daily/weekly |
| Scrap and rework rate | Share of output that's scrapped or reworked | (Scrapped + reworked units) ÷ total units produced | Works order completions, quality system | Weekly |
| Throughput vs plan | Output against the production plan | Units (or standard hours) completed ÷ planned for the period | Works orders vs production plan | Daily/weekly |
| WIP value | Value of work started and not completed | Sum of material issued + labour and overhead booked on open works orders | ERP works orders | Weekly |
| Stock cover | Weeks of raw material and finished goods at current consumption or sales | On hand ÷ average weekly usage (raw) or sales (finished) | Stock ledger | Weekly |
| Order book | Weeks of confirmed orders at current throughput | Open sales order value ÷ average weekly output value | Sales orders, works orders | Weekly |
| Gross margin by product | Revenue less material, labour and overhead cost, by product | (Revenue − cost of sales) ÷ revenue, at item level | Sales invoices and item costing | Monthly |
Source: standard manufacturing definitions; formulas are the ones I use. OEE has variants; write yours on the report.
The one people ask about is OEE. If machine run time isn't captured (no shop-floor data capture, no MES), the honest position is to show availability and output separately from what the works orders record, label it as such, and add the machine layer later. An OEE figure built from estimated run time is a number nobody will trust the first time it's questioned.
Where does the data live?
| System | What it holds for the dashboard | Power BI route | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sage 200 (with Manufacturing) | Works orders, BOMs, routings, stock movements, sales orders, despatches, item costs | Sage 200 connector (Standard) or SQL (Professional) | Scrap is on works order completions if the operators record it |
| Business Central (Manufacturing) | Production orders, routings, capacity, consumption, output, item ledger, sales | Native connector; the Manufacturing Power BI app covers production orders, output, capacity and consumption | The free app is the starting point |
| Epicor Kinetic | Jobs, operations, labour transactions, scrap, inventory, sales | Database or Epicor's data services; Epicor has its own BI | |
| SYSPRO | Works orders, WIP, inventory, sales | SQL or SYSPRO's reporting services/API | |
| Quality system (or spreadsheets) | Non-conformances, rework, scrap reasons | API, database or export | Often the only source for scrap reasons |
| Shop-floor data capture / MES | Machine run time, downtime reasons, cycle counts | Database or API | The source for real OEE; often absent in SMEs |
Source: each vendor's product documentation, read 21 September 2026.
For most SME manufacturers the ERP alone supplies six of the eight KPIs (OTIF, scrap if recorded, throughput, WIP, stock cover, order book) and the seventh (margin by product) if item costing is used. That makes the first version a single-source build.
What should the dashboard look like?
One page for the operations meeting, drill-through for each KPI:
Top row. OTIF, throughput vs plan, scrap rate, order book in weeks. Each against target, each with an arrow against last week, each with a twelve-week sparkline.
Middle. Throughput by day for the last four weeks against plan, as a bar-and-line. The gaps are the conversation.
Bottom left. Late and at-risk orders: sales order lines past or within N days of promise date with insufficient stock or an incomplete works order. This is the list the planner works from.
Bottom right. WIP by age (works orders open more than N days by value) and stock cover for the top raw materials.
Drill-through pages: OTIF by customer and reason; scrap by product, work centre and reason; margin by product; stock by item with the reorder list (Stock Report).
Design notes specific to a factory: it's read on a wall screen and on a phone, so large type, few colours, status by shape as well as colour. Print the as-at time. If the data is from yesterday's bookings, say so.
How do you build it in the right order?
- OTIF and order book from sales orders and despatches. Two tables, one calendar, two measures. This is the fastest win and it's usually the number the MD cares about most.
- Throughput, WIP and scrap from works orders. Depends on operators booking completions and scrap on the works order. If they don't, the dashboard will show it, which is often the nudge that starts them.
- Stock cover from the stock ledger, with the reorder logic.
- Margin by product from invoices and item costs, reconciled to the P&L's cost of sales.
- OEE, when there's machine data to build it from.
Steps one to four are one system (the ERP) and one report, which is what the First Report is for: one system, one report answering one written question ("are we delivering on time and what's stopping us?"), the headline figure reconciled back to the ERP to the penny, £1,950 fixed, ten working days (see the First Report). Sage 200 and Business Central are both named on the page. Adding the quality system or the machine data is a second source and a Reporting Sprint. Power BI Pro is £10.80 per user per month on Microsoft's UK page as of September 2026, for each viewer; a wall screen showing a shared page still needs a licensed account behind it.
Common questions
What KPIs should a manufacturing dashboard show?
On-time-in-full, OEE (or availability and output if machine time isn't captured), scrap and rework rate, throughput against plan, WIP value, stock cover for raw materials and finished goods, order book in weeks, and gross margin by product. Eight, with a drill-through page behind each.
How do you calculate OEE?
Availability (run time ÷ planned production time) × performance (actual output ÷ standard output for the run time) × quality (good units ÷ total units). It needs machine run time, which many SMEs don't capture; without it, show availability and output separately and label them.
How do you calculate on-time-in-full?
Order lines delivered on or before the promised date in the full quantity, divided by order lines due in the period. Decide whether "promised" means the customer's requested date or your confirmed date, and print the choice on the report.
Can Sage 200 or Business Central produce a manufacturing dashboard?
Both hold the data. Business Central has a free Microsoft Power BI Manufacturing app covering production orders, output, capacity and consumption, which is the place to start. Sage 200 Manufacturing exposes works orders and stock through the connector or SQL, and the dashboard is a model over them.
Where does scrap data come from?
From works order completions if operators record scrap quantities and reasons there, or from a quality system if non-conformances are logged separately. If neither, the dashboard can't show it, and that gap is usually the first process change the dashboard prompts.
How much does a manufacturing KPI dashboard cost?
From the ERP alone (six or seven of the eight KPIs), it's a First Report at £1,950 fixed, ten working days, reconciled to the ERP. Adding quality or machine data is a Reporting Sprint. Power BI Pro is £10.80 per viewer per month (Microsoft UK, September 2026).
Should the dashboard be on a screen in the factory?
Yes, if it's the right page: throughput vs plan, late orders and scrap, updated at least daily, large type, readable from across the floor. A licensed account has to be signed in behind the screen. The board page is a different page.