Abstract: A point-of-manufacture data acquisition system for an industrial facility including a series of work stations through which workpiece units are transferred, comprising a multiplicity of workpiece unit identification members, which may be punched data cards, each bearing scannable workpiece unit identification data, a number of similar production operation identification members, and a plurality of similar operator identification members. There is a data terminal for each work station. Each data terminal includes a simple, manually-operated data scanner; for punched card identification members, the data scanner comprises one LED and one phototransistor. The data terminal also includes a data store, a data display, and a microprocessor which controls entry and retrieval of data in the store and processes that data; each data terminal further includes program means controlling the sequence and acceptability of all data.