Product
Job Costing in Steelhead—Reliable Margin Data
Identity & metadata
Video title
Job Costing in Steelhead—Reliable Margin Data
Date published
October 22, 2025
Duration
4:33
Video type
Overview / Demo
Audience
Owners, production and plant leadership, operators, estimating and sales
Video summary
In one sentence
Steelhead ties swipe-based moves on the digital production floor
to automatic labor timers and material usage you record as you work,
then rolls it into the Work Order Margin Report and part-level margin history—
so you see where you make or lose money before small problems erode profit.
to automatic labor timers and material usage you record as you work,
then rolls it into the Work Order Margin Report and part-level margin history—
so you see where you make or lose money before small problems erode profit.
What this video covers
It opens with the job-costing questions teams ask: profit per job, labor in real time,
inventory and outsourcing in the margin picture, and costs still living in spreadsheets.
Then it shows automated job costing: timers tied to the work, one system for operations
and cost, and margin detail you can act on before the work order is complete.
From Prep through Shipping, one job shows swipes, depletions, and margin insight before
the work order is marked complete.
It closes with a thin-margin example, the Work Order Margin Report, part-level history,
a D&K Powder perspective, and a demo invitation.
inventory and outsourcing in the margin picture, and costs still living in spreadsheets.
Then it shows automated job costing: timers tied to the work, one system for operations
and cost, and margin detail you can act on before the work order is complete.
From Prep through Shipping, one job shows swipes, depletions, and margin insight before
the work order is marked complete.
It closes with a thin-margin example, the Work Order Margin Report, part-level history,
a D&K Powder perspective, and a demo invitation.
Problem it solves
When profit per job stays fuzzy, labor sits in spreadsheets, and inventory or outsource
dollars are missing from margin until the job is long closed, you react instead of
planning. Steelhead collects time and consumption as parts move and ties it to margin
reporting so you can adjust pricing, estimates, training, or process on the next run.
dollars are missing from margin until the job is long closed, you react instead of
planning. Steelhead collects time and consumption as parts move and ties it to margin
reporting so you can adjust pricing, estimates, training, or process on the next run.
Key capabilities shown
• Station workboards and daily to-do (Prep through Shipping), highest-priority work first
• Swipe in; Move Parts and Move; timers start and stop as parts enter and leave stations
• Job details with a live timer while work is in progress
• Deplete consumables (e.g. tape, plugs) against the job
• Step away from the tablet (e.g. during Racking), then swipe parts forward when you return
• Full production path in costing before the work order is marked Completed
• Work Order Margin Report: overall margin, Margin Per Part Number, Cost Per Station, Prep overrun example
• Part Number Margin And Cost Reports: averages and history across recent work orders
• D&K Powder: run quantity vs target margin
• Swipe in; Move Parts and Move; timers start and stop as parts enter and leave stations
• Job details with a live timer while work is in progress
• Deplete consumables (e.g. tape, plugs) against the job
• Step away from the tablet (e.g. during Racking), then swipe parts forward when you return
• Full production path in costing before the work order is marked Completed
• Work Order Margin Report: overall margin, Margin Per Part Number, Cost Per Station, Prep overrun example
• Part Number Margin And Cost Reports: averages and history across recent work orders
• D&K Powder: run quantity vs target margin
How the demo flows
• Opening: per-job margin clarity; what breaks when costing is slow or scattered
• Prep: to-do, swipe in, job details and timer, Deplete tape and plugs, Ready for Racking—timer
stops on move
• Racking → Coating: Racking workboard, optional tablet logout, swipe to Coating, Move Parts and Move
• Inspection → Shipping: swipe or move through stations; timers per area
• Margins: Work Order Margin Report, Margin Per Part Number, Cost Per Station, Prep detail, part-level
history
• Close: pricing and estimates with data, D&K example, book a demo
• Prep: to-do, swipe in, job details and timer, Deplete tape and plugs, Ready for Racking—timer
stops on move
• Racking → Coating: Racking workboard, optional tablet logout, swipe to Coating, Move Parts and Move
• Inspection → Shipping: swipe or move through stations; timers per area
• Margins: Work Order Margin Report, Margin Per Part Number, Cost Per Station, Prep detail, part-level
history
• Close: pricing and estimates with data, D&K example, book a demo
Work Order Margin Report
Open it on a work order to see Total Revenue, Total Cost, Gross Profit, and Gross
Margin, plus part- and station-level labor, Inventory Cost, Station Operation Cost, and Outsourcing Cost when
it applies.
Margin Per Part Number lists each part with count, labor, station operation, inventory, outsourcing where
relevant, and margin—select a part to drill in.
Cost Per Station shows labor, operation rates, average dwell per part, and cost by station;
expand a row for dwell detail and how time stacked while parts were there. For
assembled kits, Cost Per Child Part appears when relevant.
From the Part Number, Margins opens Part Number Margin And Cost Reports: averages over your
last several work orders, average charged price and average margin per part count, and margin
by work order for trend spotting.
Labor rates drive accurate costing; Steelhead flags when rates are missing.
Margin, plus part- and station-level labor, Inventory Cost, Station Operation Cost, and Outsourcing Cost when
it applies.
Margin Per Part Number lists each part with count, labor, station operation, inventory, outsourcing where
relevant, and margin—select a part to drill in.
Cost Per Station shows labor, operation rates, average dwell per part, and cost by station;
expand a row for dwell detail and how time stacked while parts were there. For
assembled kits, Cost Per Child Part appears when relevant.
From the Part Number, Margins opens Part Number Margin And Cost Reports: averages over your
last several work orders, average charged price and average margin per part count, and margin
by work order for trend spotting.
Labor rates drive accurate costing; Steelhead flags when rates are missing.
Full transcript
Speaker
Voice over / Host
Transcript
[00:00] Do you know exactly how much money you’re making—or losing—on every job?
[00:04] Welcome to Reel Talk, featuring job costing in Steelhead—reliable margin data that helps you catch
any problems before they chip away at your profits.
[00:13] How are you managing job costing today?
[00:15] Do you have difficulty tracking labor data in real time?
[00:18] Is it hard to get inventory and outsourcing costs into your margins?
[00:22] Are your cost calculations buried in paperwork and spreadsheets?
[00:27] Now, imagine the impact of easily seeing exactly where you’re making—or losing—money.
[00:32] That’s what you get with automated, fully reliable job costing in Steelhead: timers auto start
and stop, and detailed data is collected for you.
[00:41] The all-in-one system means seamless tracking of costs and operations at every stage.
[00:46] Full visibility into instant, granular margin data provides a complete view of every dollar.
[00:52] [navigates to the digital production floor] Let’s log in to Steelhead’s digital production floor and see how it transforms your profitability.
[00:59] [opens Prep station daily to-do] As an operator on the plant floor, I’m opening up my daily to-do list here
in the Prep station.
[01:02] You’d have several jobs in Ready for Prep, but for this demo we have just
one.
[01:06] [swipes in on the job; begins masking and plugging parts] I have the parts in front of me ready to go, so I swipe in
Steelhead and get to work, masking and plugging this JC-MP113.
[01:13] [opens job details; labor timer starts] Opening up the job details, the timer automatically starts the moment you swipe.
[01:20] [clicks Deplete for tape, then for plugs] When I’m done prepping these parts, I can click Deplete to mark down the amount
of tape I used for this job—let’s say ten feet of tape—then deplete fifteen plugs
for these parts.
[01:33] [moves parts to Ready for Racking] Let’s send these parts off to the next station. These parts are going to Ready
for Racking.
[01:37] [timer stops when parts leave Prep] I don’t have to remember to end the timer because when I move these parts,
the timer automatically stops.
[01:42] [opens Racking workboard] Now viewing the Racking workboard—the top-priority job will be at the top of my to-do
list.
[01:47] [swipes to start racking; timer runs] I’ll swipe when I’m ready to start racking and a timer is started in the
background.
[01:50] [logs back in; swipes parts to next station] As the operator, I can either log out or turn off my tablet while I
work, and when I’m done racking I come back in here to the Racking workboard
and swipe those parts to the next station.
[02:02] [parts in Ready for Coating] Now our parts are in Ready for Coating.
[02:04] [swipes to start Coating] Swipe to start Coating and the timer runs automatically.
[02:09] [opens job to show live timer] Once Coating is done, you can swipe to the next station, but let’s open this
job so you can see the timer ticking.
[02:15] [clicks Move Parts, then Move; goes to Inspection workboard] Click Move Parts if you want to see details and click Move to confirm, and
let’s go to the Inspection workboard.
[02:22] [swipes parts into Inspection] As the inspector, when I’m ready to start inspecting these parts, I just swipe ’em
into Inspection.
[02:27] At every step of the process, your timer automatically starts and stops, recording the time
spent in each area.
[02:34] [clicks Move Parts; parts to Ready for Packaging] Let’s click Move Parts again—but as you know, you can always swipe. The parts move
along to Ready for Packaging.
[02:40] [swipes to Packaging] When I’m ready to package, swipe those parts.
[02:44] [swipes to Shipping] Finishing packaging, swipe again, and the parts go to Shipping.
[02:48] Although the work order is not yet marked as Completed, your parts have gone through
the entire production process, giving you complete data to dive into the margins on this
job.
[02:56] [opens Work Order Margin Report] Ooh—our margins are low: 2%.
[02:59] [reviews summary at top of margin report] Digging in, it’s easy to see exactly what happened throughout this job.
[03:04] You have revenue, costs, and margin summarized at the top, and you’ll see any outsourcing
costs here when that part has outsourcing in its process.
[03:10] [scrolls to Margin Per Part Number] It’s also broken down by Margin Per Part Number, so all parts on the work
order get listed here.
[03:15] [Cost Per Station; clicks part number for breakdown] Then there’s Cost Per Station, and if you click on the part number, it breaks
down the station cost by that part.
[03:23] Here we can pinpoint exactly which step is causing problems and see exactly where money
is going.
[03:26] All stations seem to be what we’d expect for labor time spent—except the Prep station.
[03:31] It took a lot longer than we planned for in Prep.
[03:34] Maybe this job is more intricate than we thought, or we have a lazy operator,
or maybe they need a little more training.
[03:39] [scrolls to operator and station time detail] Scrolling down, you notice you have more details: which operator was in the Prep station
working these parts, what time the parts were in the Prep station.
[03:47] Maybe it’s a new job.
[03:48] Well, it’s good to know we estimated wrong, and now we can adjust prices for
the next time we get this part number.
[03:53] [opens Part Number Margin And Cost Reports / margin history] If it’s a part you’ve done before and you want to drill down further into
the margin history of that part, here you have an overview of averages over all
recently completed work orders—looks like we had 35% margins on this part in the past.
[04:05] It’s easy to spot trends, see recurring issues, and find out what drives your bottom
line, helping you make adjustments for future work.
[04:14] [customer perspective: D&K Powder] Ken, a Sales Project Manager at D&K Powder, says Steelhead proved that for a certain
part number, we lose money if we run 50. If we run 100, we hit
our target margin.
[04:24] Ready to find out where more of your profits are hiding? Book your Steelhead demo
today and discover the freedom and control of a digital production floor.
[04:32] Now that’s some Reel Talk.
[00:04] Welcome to Reel Talk, featuring job costing in Steelhead—reliable margin data that helps you catch
any problems before they chip away at your profits.
[00:13] How are you managing job costing today?
[00:15] Do you have difficulty tracking labor data in real time?
[00:18] Is it hard to get inventory and outsourcing costs into your margins?
[00:22] Are your cost calculations buried in paperwork and spreadsheets?
[00:27] Now, imagine the impact of easily seeing exactly where you’re making—or losing—money.
[00:32] That’s what you get with automated, fully reliable job costing in Steelhead: timers auto start
and stop, and detailed data is collected for you.
[00:41] The all-in-one system means seamless tracking of costs and operations at every stage.
[00:46] Full visibility into instant, granular margin data provides a complete view of every dollar.
[00:52] [navigates to the digital production floor] Let’s log in to Steelhead’s digital production floor and see how it transforms your profitability.
[00:59] [opens Prep station daily to-do] As an operator on the plant floor, I’m opening up my daily to-do list here
in the Prep station.
[01:02] You’d have several jobs in Ready for Prep, but for this demo we have just
one.
[01:06] [swipes in on the job; begins masking and plugging parts] I have the parts in front of me ready to go, so I swipe in
Steelhead and get to work, masking and plugging this JC-MP113.
[01:13] [opens job details; labor timer starts] Opening up the job details, the timer automatically starts the moment you swipe.
[01:20] [clicks Deplete for tape, then for plugs] When I’m done prepping these parts, I can click Deplete to mark down the amount
of tape I used for this job—let’s say ten feet of tape—then deplete fifteen plugs
for these parts.
[01:33] [moves parts to Ready for Racking] Let’s send these parts off to the next station. These parts are going to Ready
for Racking.
[01:37] [timer stops when parts leave Prep] I don’t have to remember to end the timer because when I move these parts,
the timer automatically stops.
[01:42] [opens Racking workboard] Now viewing the Racking workboard—the top-priority job will be at the top of my to-do
list.
[01:47] [swipes to start racking; timer runs] I’ll swipe when I’m ready to start racking and a timer is started in the
background.
[01:50] [logs back in; swipes parts to next station] As the operator, I can either log out or turn off my tablet while I
work, and when I’m done racking I come back in here to the Racking workboard
and swipe those parts to the next station.
[02:02] [parts in Ready for Coating] Now our parts are in Ready for Coating.
[02:04] [swipes to start Coating] Swipe to start Coating and the timer runs automatically.
[02:09] [opens job to show live timer] Once Coating is done, you can swipe to the next station, but let’s open this
job so you can see the timer ticking.
[02:15] [clicks Move Parts, then Move; goes to Inspection workboard] Click Move Parts if you want to see details and click Move to confirm, and
let’s go to the Inspection workboard.
[02:22] [swipes parts into Inspection] As the inspector, when I’m ready to start inspecting these parts, I just swipe ’em
into Inspection.
[02:27] At every step of the process, your timer automatically starts and stops, recording the time
spent in each area.
[02:34] [clicks Move Parts; parts to Ready for Packaging] Let’s click Move Parts again—but as you know, you can always swipe. The parts move
along to Ready for Packaging.
[02:40] [swipes to Packaging] When I’m ready to package, swipe those parts.
[02:44] [swipes to Shipping] Finishing packaging, swipe again, and the parts go to Shipping.
[02:48] Although the work order is not yet marked as Completed, your parts have gone through
the entire production process, giving you complete data to dive into the margins on this
job.
[02:56] [opens Work Order Margin Report] Ooh—our margins are low: 2%.
[02:59] [reviews summary at top of margin report] Digging in, it’s easy to see exactly what happened throughout this job.
[03:04] You have revenue, costs, and margin summarized at the top, and you’ll see any outsourcing
costs here when that part has outsourcing in its process.
[03:10] [scrolls to Margin Per Part Number] It’s also broken down by Margin Per Part Number, so all parts on the work
order get listed here.
[03:15] [Cost Per Station; clicks part number for breakdown] Then there’s Cost Per Station, and if you click on the part number, it breaks
down the station cost by that part.
[03:23] Here we can pinpoint exactly which step is causing problems and see exactly where money
is going.
[03:26] All stations seem to be what we’d expect for labor time spent—except the Prep station.
[03:31] It took a lot longer than we planned for in Prep.
[03:34] Maybe this job is more intricate than we thought, or we have a lazy operator,
or maybe they need a little more training.
[03:39] [scrolls to operator and station time detail] Scrolling down, you notice you have more details: which operator was in the Prep station
working these parts, what time the parts were in the Prep station.
[03:47] Maybe it’s a new job.
[03:48] Well, it’s good to know we estimated wrong, and now we can adjust prices for
the next time we get this part number.
[03:53] [opens Part Number Margin And Cost Reports / margin history] If it’s a part you’ve done before and you want to drill down further into
the margin history of that part, here you have an overview of averages over all
recently completed work orders—looks like we had 35% margins on this part in the past.
[04:05] It’s easy to spot trends, see recurring issues, and find out what drives your bottom
line, helping you make adjustments for future work.
[04:14] [customer perspective: D&K Powder] Ken, a Sales Project Manager at D&K Powder, says Steelhead proved that for a certain
part number, we lose money if we run 50. If we run 100, we hit
our target margin.
[04:24] Ready to find out where more of your profits are hiding? Book your Steelhead demo
today and discover the freedom and control of a digital production floor.
[04:32] Now that’s some Reel Talk.
Taxonomy tags
Steelhead product area
Production / Operations; Costing & margins
Feature / module
Digital production floor; workboards; timers; Deplete; Work Order Margin Report; Margin Per Part Number; Cost
Per Station; Part Number Margin And Cost Reports; outsourcing cost visibility
Per Station; Part Number Margin And Cost Reports; outsourcing cost visibility
Workflow category
Shop-floor execution; labor capture; margin review; estimating and pricing
Topics covered
Job costing and gross margin; station routing; labor timers and depletion; margin reporting and part
history; inventory and outsourcing in margins
history; inventory and outsourcing in margins