Kerf tells you where it's costing you. The System Auditor tells you why.
They're two different lenses on the same job. Kerf measures the machine — cost, cycle time, tool life. The System Auditor checks the system around it — was the job actually ready to run, was the process followed, is anything quietly broken. Run alone, each one is useful. Run together, they close the loop: find the problem, find the cause, fix it, and prove the fix held.
Flags it
A job’s cost per part or cycle time drifts out of line with similar work. Kerf’s Pareto chart puts it near the top of the list — not a guess, the actual worst offender.
Diagnoses it
Pull that job number into the System Auditor. Answer the standard question set — was the fixture ready, was the program controlled, was the paperwork there.
Finds the cause
A “No” isn’t the end of the question, it’s the start of the next one. Did the operator have to fetch the fixture themselves, or just wait on someone? Now you know if it’s a broken system or a slow one.
Fixes & re-audits
Make the actual fix. Next time that job runs, audit it again — the System Auditor already knows its history and shows exactly what changed since last time.
Confirms it
The next Pareto chart shows it directly: lower cost, tighter cycle time. The fix isn’t a guess anymore — it’s proven, on the record, in dollars.
What this actually looks like
Job 4471 shows up near the top of Kerf\u2019s cost Pareto \u2014 running well above what similar jobs cost per part.
Audit it in the System Auditor. \u201cWas the program ready for you?\u201d comes back No, three separate times this month \u2014 and the follow-up shows who: the programmer, every time.
That’s not a one-off. It’s a program-delivery bottleneck, not a fixture problem or a documentation gap. Now the fix can actually target the right thing — programmer scheduling, not the machine.
Job History already remembers the old numbers. Next audit of 4471 shows the wait times gone, and the improvement is on the record — not just a feeling that things got better.
Kerf’s next Pareto chart shows job 4471 dropped out of the top ten. The loop closes — and the next worst job is already waiting at the top of the list.
What each tool actually tells you
Kerf
- Which jobs and machines are actually costing the most
- Where cycle time is drifting from what it should be
- Which tools are wearing out faster than expected
- Whether a fix made things measurably better — in dollars
System Auditor
- Was the job actually ready to run — fixture, tooling, program, gaging
- Was the process followed — documentation, program control, sign-off
- What specifically broke, who was involved, and how long it cost
- Whether last audit’s fix actually held, or quietly slipped back
Start with Kerf
See which jobs and machines are actually costing you, ranked by real dollars — not a hunch.
Open Kerf →Start with the System Auditor
Already know which job is the problem? Find out why, and build a record of what got fixed.
Open the System Auditor →