AI doesn’t run a line. It makes sense of your downtime and scrap logs, cleans up a work instruction, structures a defect analysis, and writes up the action list from the morning meeting. The schedule, the priorities, and shop floor safety stay yours.
AI helps production managers with tasks such as “Find a line’s top downtime causes,” “Calculate the week’s OEE and scrap,” and “Write a work instruction at the workstation.” Start with a single task, in Julius: allow 15 minutes the first time, and always review the result before you use it.
For each task: how it goes today, then with the tool. And the time it takes the first time.
Julius · Excel or CSV file, in the conversation
TodayThe downtime log runs to hundreds of rows a month, and everyone has their own idea of what costs the most time.
With JuliusThe Pareto chart of downtime causes, with the three issues to tackle first and the gaps between shifts.
Julius · Excel or CSV file, in the conversation
TodayEvery Monday, you go back through the logs, recalculate OEE and the scrap rate line by line, then build two charts for the weekly meeting.
With JuliusOEE and scrap rate by line and by shift, with two charts for the weekly meeting.
Claude · Attached photos, in the conversation
TodayThe right way to do the job lives in the head of your most senior operator. The posted work instruction dates back to commissioning.
With ClaudeA work instruction in Word, with numbered steps and key points, ready to review at the workstation.
Also
Claude · “Projects”
A handover sheet always sorted in the same order, which the next shift reads in two minutes.
Claude · Attached files, in the conversation
A clear problem description, the list of facts to go find, and the 8D report outline.
Claude · Excel file, in the conversation
A load and capacity table by line and by day, with the at-risk orders and two scenarios to discuss.
Gemini Notebook · One notebook per line
The answer in steps, each point tied to the page of the manual or routing.
Granola · Mobile app
A half-page action list, with an owner and a date for each item.
Tally · “Create with AI”
A form filled in at the workstation, photo attached, and a table that logs every issue for the next day’s meeting.
DeepL · File translation, with “Glossary”
The manual in English with its layout, and the list of passages to have checked.
All 10 use cases on this page are in Nova, each with its steps and its prompt.
Try the interactive demoWhat to check
Julius can misread a column or wrongly merge two causes: check a known total before you share anything. The data is stored in the United States. A gap between shifts is something to discuss with them, not to judge from a chart.
Find a line’s top downtime causesJulius · Excel or CSV file, in the conversationThe prompt to copy
Here is the downtime log for [line 2] over [four weeks]. Columns: [date, shift, machine, cause, duration in minutes]. Rank the downtime causes by cumulative duration, from heaviest to lightest, and draw a Pareto chart with the cumulative percentage curve. Give the number of stops and the average duration for each cause. Then compare shifts and days of the week, and flag any clear gap. If the same cause is written several ways, group it and tell me what you merged. Tell me how many rows you excluded, and why.
In Nova, “My path” starts from your level: one next step at a time.
The first moves, with free tools.
In your jobWrite a work instruction at the workstation
In your jobStructure a defect analysis (8D, 5 Whys)
In your jobFind a line’s top downtime causes
In your jobCalculate the week’s OEE and scrap
For a team: everyone moves forward in their own job. You see the team’s progress, never one person’s activity.
It reads photos of a workstation and your notes, cleans up a work instruction, structures a defect analysis, and returns a real Word or Excel file.
Recommended planFree to try, with no customer data. At work: Team, $25 per user per month ($20 if billed yearly).
You upload the downtime or scrap export and ask your question in plain English: it does the math, shows its steps, and draws the Pareto chart.
Recommended planFree, $0: 25 credits per day. To export charts and reports: Plus, $20 per month, or $16 per month billed yearly.
One notebook per line, with the machine manuals, routings, and work instructions: it answers with the exact passage and builds a quiz for new operators.
Recommended planFree: 100 notebooks, 50 sources per notebook, 50 questions per day.
Set near the group during the production meeting, your phone takes the notes. You run the meeting, and the action list is nearly ready by the end.
Recommended planBasic, $0. Notes older than 30 days are visible only with Business, $14 per user per month.
A form the operator fills in at the workstation on a phone, photo attached. Every issue lands in a table, with no retyping.
Recommended planFree, $0
It translates a machine manual or a work instruction while keeping the layout, with your shop floor terms locked in the glossary.
Recommended planIndividual, €7.49 per month, billed yearly. On this plan, your texts are not used for training.
Prices taken from the vendors’ official pages, dated on each tool page. These subscriptions are not included in Nova. Brands are named to identify the tools. No affiliation.
Nova recommends 6 to start with: Claude, Julius, Gemini Notebook, Granola, Tally, and DeepL. 5 of them can be used for free to get started.
It reads photos of a workstation and your notes, cleans up a work instruction, structures a defect analysis, and returns a real Word or Excel file. The plan to choose: Free to try, with no customer data. At work: Team, $25 per user per month ($20 if billed yearly).
With “Find a line’s top downtime causes,” in Julius (Excel or CSV file, in the conversation). Allow 15 minutes the first time. The Pareto chart of downtime causes, with the three issues to tackle first and the gaps between shifts.
No. Nova is software, not an accredited training provider: it issues no diploma or certification. It costs €19 per month for one person, and €129 per month for a team of up to ten people.