Startup Idea: Modern Software Solution for Weighing Stations at Food-producing Factories

Startup idea to create modern, intuitive, and reliable software for managing weights at food-producing factories. The new software must link scales to receiving and the main server, be compatible with modern printers, and generate accurate weight records. Additionally, the software should be able to connect weights to cards for truckers and be designed to reduce connectivity issues, random data generation, and troubleshooting demands on staff.

I was a weightmaster at a food-producing factory; my job involved filling out weight certificates as trucks delivered and left with product. We worked with a software that linked the scales (our station) to receiving, and to the main server. The software is from the late 90s; it only works with an outdated type of Epson printer. The program is actually two programs running simultaneously (which is clunky), crashes whenever (usually during high traffic or weird weather like excessive heat or cold, since it's connected to outdoor scales), and generates random information and copies (since it's used to keep track of the individual weights of hundreds of trucks a day, this causes confusion).

The interface is also very counter-intuitive. Each input has to be entered successive popup boxes, which takes more time than being able to enter all the data on one screen. Most of these boxes are labelled oddly, so new staff basically have to learn a new language because we don't have a manual for the program or a functional help menu built in. It connects the weights to cards we pass out to the truckers, but programming those cards seems very difficult (or so our on-site engineers insist) because they're often programmed to the wrong in-program keys.

What we need is a smooth, easy to use interface that doesn't ask for too much troubleshooting from the staff using it, with less connectivity problems between departments, doesn't generate completely random information for whatever reason, and a better method of linking weights to trucks. Compatibility with a printer that isn't so difficult to find would also be ideal. We basically just fix it as we go. There are on-site engineers who come out when it's something to do with the keys or connection, but other problems we've just learned to read ourselves. It can take a long time for something we can't solve to be resolved by other staff; they don't seem to realize that this causes inefficiencies. This is mainly because those of us on site aren't trained in troubleshooting it, and because the program is so odd to begin with, figuring out anything is more difficult than with something better designed. Subtly encouraging user autonomy would be helpful.