In many manufacturing environments, time tracking is more than payroll. Labor entries also become part of your production record, and in regulated work they can be used to prove that trained people ran the right steps on the right equipment.

If employees can log time against any machine or workstation, it is easy to end up with labor recorded in the wrong place. That creates cleanup work for supervisors, and it can weaken training, certification, and compliance controls. Cetec ERP addresses this with Work Location Controls, restricting where each user is allowed to log time.

What Work Location Controls Do

Work Location Controls let administrators define which equipment, machines, or workstations (work locations) a specific employee can log time against. When configured, employees can only record labor where they are authorized, keeping labor records aligned with training and certification requirements.

Operational Outcomes on the Shop Floor

This control is most useful when you need the system to prevent a common failure mode: well-intentioned labor entries made against the wrong station or operation. Restricting time logging helps keep production reporting cleaner and makes quality review more reliable when you need to trace who performed work and where it was performed.

How to Set It Up in Cetec ERP

Setup is a short configuration step on the user record, followed by enabling enforcement in time tracking for the New version of the Work Order system.

• User qualification setup: On the employee’s user profile, use the Qualified Work Locations multi-select to assign the work locations (or OrdlineStatuses) where the employee is allowed to log time. Use the CTRL key to multi-select when assigning multiple locations.
• Enforcement scope: This restriction applies to time tracking in the New version of the Work Order system.

Where This Matters Most

Work Location Controls are a practical fit when your manufacturing business needs tighter oversight of who can run specific equipment or perform controlled operations.

• Aerospace and defense: Limit time logging on sensitive stations to employees who are certified for that work.
• Medical device manufacturing: Support traceable, role-specific production records tied to controlled work locations.
• Electronics assembly (PCBA or wire harness): Reduce misattributed labor on complex machines and specialized workstations.

Key Takeaways

• Restrict time tracking to approved work locations so labor is recorded where it belongs.
• Align work location permissions with your training and certification records.
• Improve traceability for quality review, audits, and troubleshooting by preventing unauthorized labor entries.
• Configure qualified work locations on the user record, and enforce the control in time tracking in the New Work Order system.

Conclusion

Work Location Controls add a simple process control to time tracking in Cetec ERP. By limiting where employees can log labor, you keep production records aligned with authorization, reduce cleanup, and strengthen the integrity of your quality trail.