A manufacturing execution system (MES) is a control system that manages and monitors work processes on the factory floor. It provides limits and boundaries for individual processes to be controlled and monitored through operator interaction which allows additional data collection and storage. There are core blocks like orders, dashboards, and integration that allow the MES to function - orders track production quantities, dashboards allow user interaction, and integration automates processes and consolidates data for improved accuracy and reduced errors. Determining if an MES is needed involves asking questions about process adherence, data accuracy, user experience, and visibility needs.

1. A manufacturing execution system (MES) is a
control system for managing and monitoring work-in-
process on a factory floor. The system provides the
necessary limits and boundaries for individual processes to
be controlled and monitored. Operator interaction with the
system allows for additional information to be collected and
stored in the MES database. There are several core
foundational blocks that allow the MES to function. Three
of those blocks are orders, dashboards and integration.
Orders are used to enable the MES to track and separate
production quantities. Orders can be discrete or process
oriented and will drive very different manufacturing paths. Dashboards allow users to interact
with the system directly, enhancing the data collected, verifying instruction and process
adherence, entering nonconforming product data or viewing reports and statistics. Integration is
the heart of the MES system and allows for automation and consolidation of user interaction.
Manual processes can be redefined and replaced with automatic system-to-system
communication. This allows for redistribution of the user’s time to be spent elsewhere. Improved
accuracy of data can also be contributed to the integration of system to system communication.
Simple user errors will be reduced by removing the opportunity for data to be entered
incorrectly. System-to-system communication will not only improve data quality, but also
reduce the amount of time required for collecting the information.
When determining if a MES is required in your environment there are several questions that can
be asked to help define the answer. Here are some that will start the necessary conversation:
1. Does your manufacturing process have boundaries and limits that must be adhered to?
2. When looking at system reports, is the presented data accurate?
3. Is there a need to reduce and simplify the user experience?
4. Are there areas of reduced visibility within your manufacturing process?
5. Do you have excessive manual entry of data?
6. Does the product being produced have traceability requirements?
7. Can you rely on system data to identify and define necessary process improvement areas?
8. Can your existing system notify identified personnel of process trends?
9. Do the necessary personnel within the organization have visibility to required data?
10. Will the organization benefit from reduced process violations?
Defining business requirements will allow for a baseline while evaluating MES vendors and
software. Starting with business requirements that incorporate process pain points, a high level
vision will be developed. This vision can then be further defined into more detailed user and
system requirements that will outline the fully needed functionality. Once a complete collection
of requirements is defined you are ready to choose software and create the roadmap defining the
implementation plan for the deployment.

2. As with any IT solution there must be a benefit to the organization. MES benefit and value can
be measured in a variety of ways. Various metrics will focus on system-to-system
communications while others will focus on process adherence and user experience. Each
organization will need to weigh the benefits and value that correlate to their business when
deciding how to measure a system for proper fit. A popular area of discussion is internet-of-
things (IoT) and how its benefit can be maximized within an organization. Past IoT solutions
focused on individual pockets or specific incidents such as “machine down” or “out-of-stock”
situations. New research is showing that IoT data is much larger than these focused incidents.
IoT can provide an organization with a real-time window of visibility into the entire
manufacturing supply chain. Connected devices provide data to the MES and can be reported via
dashboards and personal notification messages. The speed at which key personnel can be notified
of trends and process variation is driving a much different environment than years past.
Preventative actions can be taken to improve product quality and decrease rework, ultimately
driving down the cost of production. MES provides the infrastructure for IoT to reach its
maximum potential, and will provide the ability for users to gain access to the data being
collected across the manufacturing environment. Access to this data is how businesses will
continuously drive process improvement while increasing over-all production performance.
Anyone that has been in manufacturing has seen the various whiteboards used to capture
and monitor critical data throughout a production facility. Replacing those manual processes
with automated digital solutions is the first step to realizing the full potential of IoT and MES.
Once the data has been virtualized and can be shared with the user community in a real-time
capacity, increased awareness will start driving pro-active conversations. Open visibility allows
for honest conversation about the health and consistency of the manufacturing life-cycle.
Redistribution of time spent on manual processes can be dedicated to higher priority tasks and
decrease total cost of ownership.
Implementing IoT and MES is a journey that needs to be mapped out starting with organizational
goals, and business requirements that are in alignment with a strategic roadmap.