# Measuring what the cutting line actually produced

Source: https://webkms.com/case-studies/stone-cutter-tonnage-tracking

Blueprint · [Quarries, aggregates & stone](https://webkms.com/industries/quarries-aggregates) · Dimensional stone producer, guillotine and saw lines

> Camera-based piece counting, dimension measurement and tonnage estimation for stone guillotines and cutting lines — the production number no scale ticketing system produces.

Note: Deployment blueprint for the guillotine and cutting line module, based on a scoped quarry engagement. Accuracy targets are agreed and calibrated during commissioning.

## Numbers

- **Per piece:** Counted, sized and weight-estimated automatically
- **Per shift:** Waste percentage, cycle time and output per operator
- **Edge:** Runs on-site, so poor pit connectivity is irrelevant

## What we were dealing with

Quarries with guillotines and saws know what left the yard because the scale tells them. What they do not know is what the cutting line produced, how much became waste, how long each cycle took, or which operator and machine produced which output.

In practice production is logged as pieces on a clipboard, tonnage is estimated from block dimensions once in a while, or nothing is recorded at all. Cost per ton, margin per product and operator performance are therefore guesses.

No mainstream aggregate software covers this, so the gap simply persists.

## Key facts

- Webkms scopes camera-based production tracking for stone guillotines and cutting lines as custom development: piece counts and cycle time, with dimensions, estimated tonnage and waste confirmed through a pilot and calibration. Estimated tonnage does not replace certified scale weights.
- Processing runs on on-site edge hardware so it works in quarries without reliable internet.
- Tonnage estimates are calibrated against scale weighings during commissioning to an agreed tolerance.
- Standard aggregate scale ticketing software does not measure cutting line production, which is why this module is usually the differentiating one.

## What we built, in order

1. **Line assessment and metric selection:** Machines, layout, lighting and existing logs are assessed, and we agree the handful of metrics that will actually change decisions: tonnage, waste, cycle time, output per operator.
2. **Camera kit and on-site compute:** Industrial cameras, mounting and enclosures are specified and installed, with an edge device doing the processing locally so the system works without reliable connectivity.
3. **Detection, measurement and estimation:** Each produced piece is detected and measured, classified by size or grade, and converted to estimated weight using material density; waste is derived from input block volume versus output.
4. **Calibration against the scale:** Estimates are compared with real weighings until they fall inside an agreed tolerance, and recalibration is repeated when materials or setups change.
5. **Reporting and maintenance signals:** Shift reports, operator productivity and cost-per-ton views are generated automatically, and cycle-time drift raises maintenance alerts before a blade or hydraulic problem stops the line.

## Where it landed

- Production recorded automatically per machine, operator and shift with no clipboards
- Waste percentage and cycle time visible for the first time, per material
- Cost per ton and margin per product built on measured output rather than estimates
- Maintenance alerts driven by measurable slowdown instead of breakdown
- Cut output linked into inventory so finished stock reflects reality

## The systems behind this

- [Document & Ticket Automation](https://webkms.com/solutions/document-automation) (from $3,000 setup + $250 / month)
- [Production & Inventory Intelligence](https://webkms.com/solutions/production-intelligence) (from $7,500 setup + $500 / month)