How to Export the Setup Matrix to CSV in EDGEBIC

Exporting the setup matrix in EDGEBIC by User Solutions produces a CSV of every changeover rule on one work center, family-level rows and product-level overrides together, in a five column layout: type, from, to, setup minutes, and notes. It is the artifact you hand to process engineering for sign-off and the fastest way to compare two stations that should match. Here is the task.

Every task in this library is mapped on the EDGEBIC how-to hub. For the concept behind changeover-aware sequencing, see production bottleneck identification.

Before You Start

• The work center already has matrix rows. Exporting an empty matrix produces a file with headers and nothing else, which is itself a useful finding but not what you usually want.
• You know which station you are exporting. The file does not name the work center inside its rows, so the file name is your only label. Include it.
• You have somewhere agreed to keep the file. A matrix export is a point in time record, and it is worth nothing if it is unfindable in three months.

Step 1: Open the Matrix for the Right Work Center

Open Work Centers, select the station, and go to the Setup Matrix tab. Confirm you are on the station you meant. Two paint booths with similar names is exactly the situation this export is most often used to untangle, so getting the wrong one at the start defeats the purpose.

Step 2: Click Export CSV

Click Export CSV in the matrix editor and choose a location. The file is written immediately.

Step 3: Read the Layout

The export uses one row per matrix cell with five columns.

Names containing commas are quoted correctly, so a product called "Bracket, Left Hand" does not split into two columns when the file opens in a spreadsheet.

The type column is the one to read first. A Product row is an exception that overrides the family rule for that specific pair, so a file with many Product rows tells you the families are not carrying their weight. Background on that distinction is in how to create a setup family.

Step 4: Repeat Per Work Center

Run the export once per station. There is no cross-station export, because the matrix is scoped per work center by design: the same from-and-to pair legitimately holds different minutes on two different machines.

Name the files so the station is obvious and add the date. A folder of files called export.csv, export1.csv, export2.csv is worse than no export at all.

Step 5: Use It

Three uses cover most of why planners run this.

1. Sign-off. Send the raw file to process engineering. Ask for changes in a spare column rather than in-place edits, so you can see what moved.
2. Comparison. Export two stations that should match and diff them. Missing rows on one side explain why that station schedules differently.
3. Archiving. Keep a dated export before any bulk matrix change. If a schedule gets worse after a matrix edit, the previous file tells you exactly what changed.

How to Check It Worked

• The file opens with five columns. If it opens as a single column, the spreadsheet applied the wrong delimiter on import rather than the export being wrong.
• The row count matches the grid. Count the rows in the family matrix and the product override grid, add them, and compare with the file.
• A known row is present and correct. Pick one changeover you can recite from memory and find it in the file. If your longest changeover is not there, the matrix is thinner than you thought.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming an empty export means the export failed. It usually means the matrix is empty, and that station is falling back to flat setup times on every job. Check the grid before you blame the file.
• Dividing minutes into hours before sharing. The file is in minutes because procedures are written in minutes. Convert nothing.
• Treating one station's export as the plant standard. It describes one work center only.
• Editing the file and expecting it to flow back. This is an export. Changes must be entered in the matrix editor or brought in through a bulk paste, as covered in how to add a product level setup override.

See how EDGEBIC uses changeover data when it builds a plan on the EDGEBIC product page.