Free production scheduling software that keeps maintenance and production in step
Log shifts and OEE, keep a preventive maintenance schedule, and see per-machine performance so planned work does not collide with production. It runs in your browser, free, with no account.
The short answer
- Yes, it is genuinely free. OEE Lab is a browser-based tracker for logging shifts, OEE, and a preventive maintenance schedule, with no account and no cost.
- It is honestly light: manual two-minute shift logging, one plant on one device, and you read the clashes and causes yourself. It is not a finite-capacity or APS scheduler.
- Use it to keep planned maintenance from landing on top of production, then export everything as CSV or JSON whenever you outgrow it.
- For automatic PLC-read OEE, computer-vision micro-stop root cause, and work orders that route themselves, upgrade to Fabrico.
OEE Lab is a free, browser-local way to keep production and maintenance in step. You log each shift in about two minutes, and it turns that into OEE with availability, performance, and quality, plus a maintenance schedule so preventive work does not land in the middle of a run. If you mainly want to watch output by machine, pair it with the production tracking view.
Be clear on scope: this is a light OEE and maintenance-scheduling tracker, not a finite-capacity production scheduler or APS. It will not sequence jobs across work centers or optimise a route, but it will show you the maintenance KPIs and the cost of downtime that usually justify a real scheduler. The honest limits are spelled out below so you can pick the right next tool.
What you can do today is real work: build a PM schedule, raise and track jobs on a work order board, and keep an asset register, all on one device with CSV and JSON export. It sits alongside the rest of the free manufacturing tools here, so you can start narrow and add the pieces you need.
What you get, free
Two-minute shift logging
At the end of a shift, enter run time, downtime, output, and rejects. That is all it takes to get OEE for the shift, with no timers to wire up and no account to create.
PM schedule beside production
Keep preventive maintenance tasks on a schedule and see them next to your logged shifts, so planned work is not booked on top of a production run. You move the date, you see the clash, you decide.
OEE with A/P/Q and a per-machine view
Every shift rolls up into availability, performance, and quality, then a true OEE figure. Break it down per machine to see which asset is dragging the line.
Work order board
Raise a job when something breaks or needs attention, move it across open, in progress, and done, and keep the history against the asset. Simple, but enough to stop losing jobs on paper.
Downtime Pareto
Log a reason against each stop and the tool ranks your biggest losses, so you spend the next fix on the reason that actually costs you the most shift time.
Export, backup, and install
Everything is yours: export to CSV or JSON any time, save a full backup file, and restore it later. Install it as a PWA so it opens like an app on the shop-floor device.
Log one shift and the free tracker shows your OEE, your loss Pareto and how you compare to world-class. Add work orders and preventive-maintenance reminders in the same place.
Where free stops, and Fabrico begins
The free tracker is built for getting started fast and for one plant on one device. When a site gets serious about its losses, the manual steps start to cost more than they save. This is exactly where Fabrico takes over.
| Capability | Free OEE Lab tracker | Fabrico |
|---|---|---|
| Data capture | Manual shift entry, about two minutes at the end of each shift, typed in by an operator. | OEE read straight from the PLC, so losses are captured automatically as they happen. |
| From loss to fix | You read the downtime Pareto and raise a work order yourself on the board. | Closed loop: a detected loss auto-routes a work order to the right person with no re-typing. |
| Micro-stop root cause | You investigate short stops yourself from the reasons your team logs. | Computer vision identifies the true cause of each micro-stop and attaches video evidence. |
| Scope and sites | One plant, on one device and browser. Good for a single line or a pilot. | Many plants and lines in one place, built for multi-site rollout. |
| Integrations | CSV and JSON export you wire up by hand; no live connections. | Live PLC and line-side integrations feeding OEE and work orders in real time. |
| Access and roles | People and roles saved on the one device, with no logins and no cloud account. | Central accounts with role-based access across teams and sites. |
| Data residency | Data stays in your browser on that device, and nowhere else. | EU-built with EU data residency for teams that must keep data in-region. |
| Reporting | Printable PDF report and a shareable scorecard you generate on demand. | Records that support audit-readiness, backed by ISO 27001, 20000-1, and 9001 certification. |
| Production scheduling depth | A PM schedule and shift log that flag clashes; not a finite-capacity or APS scheduler. | Not an APS either. Fabrico's job is to keep maintenance from stealing capacity, with automatic OEE and closed-loop work orders. |
Frequently asked questions
Is this really free?
Yes. OEE Lab runs in your browser with no account, no trial, and no card. Your data lives on your device and you can export or delete it whenever you like.
Is this a full production scheduler or APS?
No, and we will not pretend it is. It is a light OEE and maintenance-scheduling tracker that keeps preventive work from colliding with production. For true finite-capacity sequencing across work centers you need a dedicated APS or MES.
How does it stop maintenance clashing with production?
You log shifts and keep PM tasks on a schedule in the same tool, so a planned job shows up next to the run it would interrupt. You see the overlap and reschedule before it costs you a shift.
Can I use it across several plants or on multiple devices?
Not in the free tool. It holds one plant on one device and browser by design, which keeps it fast and private. Use the backup file to move it, or step up to a multi-site platform when you grow.
What can I export?
Everything, as CSV or JSON, plus a full backup file you can restore later. You are never locked in, so trying it costs you nothing.
When do I need more than the free tool?
When manual logging stops scaling, or you need OEE captured automatically, root cause on micro-stops, or maintenance that acts on its own. Fabrico reads OEE from the PLC, uses computer vision to find the true cause of micro-stops with video evidence, and closes the loop into auto-routed work orders, all EU-built with EU data residency and ISO 27001, 20000-1, and 9001 certification.
When free is not enough, Fabrico is the upgrade
The free tracker is deliberately light: you type in shifts and you chase causes yourself. Fabrico is the paid step up when that stops scaling. It reads OEE straight from the PLC and closes the loop, turning a detected loss into a work order that routes itself, and its computer vision pins the true cause of each micro-stop with video evidence instead of a guess. It is EU-built with EU data residency and certified to ISO 27001, 20000-1, and 9001, so it stands up to procurement and audit. See it on a live line and book a Fabrico demo.
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OEE tracker · Free manufacturing software · Free maintenance scheduling software · Free preventive maintenance software · Free production tracking software · Free work order software