The MES Beginners Guide

What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?

A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) helps businesses ensure that their manufacturing operations and production work efficiently. The software system connects, monitors, and controls machines, work centers, and data flows on the factory floor. The MES does this by tracking and gathering real-time data  throughout the production lifecycle and on every piece of equipment involved in the production process—from order to delivery.

An MES provides businesses with data on product tracking and genealogy, performance, traceability, management, work in progress (WIP), and other plant activities throughout the production cycle. This information provides decision-makers with detailed insight on how to optimize their operations.

On this page, we’ll cover manufacturing execution systems in detail and provide links to other resources on our website, helping you understand how this technology can create efficiency in your plant.

We’ll break each one down in a little more detail so you understand exactly what you can expect from an MES.

1. Operations management – provides employees with a global view of planned production orders and their production routing.
2. Resource allocation – defines and tracks the status of your resources and how they’re being used in manufacturing.
3. Dispatching production unit – manages real-time production data flow between the enterprise resource planning (ERP) and the factory floor.
4. Performance analysis – uses data to calculate key performance indicators (KPIs) like reword, scrap, process, capability, OEE, and more.
5. Maintenance management – helps accurately plan preventative machine maintenance to reduce downtime.
6. Process management – provides process routing and operational sequencing.
7. Quality management – assesses the quality of your manufacturing process and equipment, including deviations and exceptions.
8. Data collection/acquisition – gathers and recovers essential data when required.
9. Product tracking and genealogy – groups final parts or batches with the corresponding manufacturing data, from raw materials through to component assembly.
10. Labor management – ensures people, products and operations are in the correct place in the manufacturing process to maximize efficiency.
11. Document control – provides a simple way for operators to access important documents such as instructions, drawings, and notes.

In 2004, the MESA model was expanded to include business operations. The model shows how the core operations in the original interact with business operations, taking into account competition, outsourcing and asset optimization. This update is known as Collaborative MES or C-MES. The purpose was to create a link between MES and other business operation areas, including supply focused systems, customer focused systems such as CRM, performance focused systems such as ERP and BI software.

In 2008, the model was expanded to its current version. This model covers enterprise-level strategic initiatives, business operations, plant operations and actual production, creating a link between the different levels and disciplines within manufacturing and production and providing a platform for mutual understanding and planning for improved performance.

 

Originally, in order for a system to be considered an MES, it must have all of the functional groups included in the model. This new model acts as an intermediary between automation and corporate management, it is an integration hub for information throughout a corporation.

MES is a functional layer between business planning and logistics and the process control systems in manufacturing. Using real-time workflow visibility, flexibility and the insights provided by this technology will help decision-makers improve the efficiency and quality on factory floors.

MES is also important in industries where businesses are required to meet regulatory compliance set by the Food and Drug Administration for regulated products. Good examples of industries that will benefit from an MES are pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, medical device class and biotechnology.

Did You Know?

With a PLEX MES you can expect:

• Paperless, easy-to-use Control Panel.
• Automated tasks to prevent human errors and increase productivity.
• Mitigated compliance risk through database-driven traceability and direct, in-line quality control.
• A single source of truth to real time data between your top-floor and shop-floor.
• Cloud access from anywhere, at any time, on any connected device.
• Connectivity with your manufacturing ERP.
• Full tracking of every action on the shop floor.

With a traditional manual system you get:

• Pervasive manual processes.
• Excel or paper-based collection of production and scrap data.
• Delayed or incorrect business data.
• Disparate, disconnected stand-alone applications.
• Long lag times in addressing quality issues on the plant floor.