What Are Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)?

Did you know that manufacturers have their own specific types of software systems? Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are one type of software used by manufacturers to help with the production process. MES helps optimize and manage the flow of materials through the manufacturing process. 

Let's review what MES are and how they can help your business.

1. What are Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)?
2. What are the benefits of using an MES system?
3. What are the features of an MES system?
4. Digital Transformation of Manufacturing Operations 
5. Aveva's Model-Driven Approach 

What are Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)?

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are computer systems that provide visibility and control over the manufacturing process, like for metal sheet cutting. They are used to tracking production progress, schedule production activities, and monitor equipment performance. MES systems typically interface with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other business systems to exchange data and information.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) share some common purposes in the manufacturing environment. The two systems are similar enough that their unique characteristics are easy to overlook. It is helpful, therefore, to examine some of the dissimilarities between the two.

MES systems can be used in a variety of manufacturing industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, automotive, electronics, and more. MES systems can be deployed using on-premise, cloud-based, or hybrid models.

On-premise MES systems are installed and operated within the manufacturing facility. Cloud-based MES systems are hosted off-site and delivered to users via the internet. Hybrid MES systems are a combination of on-premise and cloud-based deployments.

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) integrate live production information from a variety of locations, as well as equipment, controllers, and business applications. With transparency, control, and overall manufacturing optimization throughout the company, MES provides the digital backbone for Industry 4.0 and the Intelligent Enterprise.

What are the benefits of using an MES system?

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) provide a wide range of long-term and short-term advantages, as well as strategic and tactical benefits, including enhanced time to volume, higher yields, reduced operational expenses, and increased compliance.

Additional benefits include

• Eliminate non-value-add activities 
• Standardize and enforce processes across all sites 
• Gain real-time visibility and control across the manufacturing supply chain 
• Accelerate trace analysis, root-cause diagnosis, and issue resolution 
• Lower cost of good quality 
• Continuously improve product quality and new product designs 
• Make fact-based operational and strategic decisions 
• Complete control over your manufacturing process

What are the features of an MES system?

MES systems typically include the following features:

- Data collection and capture: MES systems collect data from various sources, including sensors, controllers, and business applications. The data is then stored in a central repository for analysis and reporting.

- Real-time monitoring: MES systems provide users with real-time visibility into the manufacturing process. This allows users to make proactive decisions to improve production efficiency.

- Production scheduling: MES systems can be used to schedule production activities and track production progress. This helps ensure that manufacturing operations are running smoothly and efficiently.

- Equipment monitoring: MES systems can monitor equipment performance and identify potential issues. This helps improve equipment uptime and prevent production downtime (see scheduled and emergency shutdowns).

- Quality management: MES systems can be used to manage quality control throughout the manufacturing process. This helps ensure that products meet quality standards.

- Analytics and reporting: MES systems provide users with powerful analytics and reporting capabilities. This allows users to make informed decisions about the manufacturing process.

Digital Transformation of Manufacturing Operations 

The traditional approach to managing people is changing. Manufacturing Organizations are transforming their operations by digitally upgrading their business processes in order to provide new and enhanced products that improve profitability or increase revenue while also providing delight for clients.

The introduction of new technologies in manufacturing has resulted in a fundamental change that impacts every aspect of the business. Digital transformation of manufacturing operations significantly transforms work processes to increase productivity and performance, enhance manufacturing flexibility, guarantee quality and consumer safety, and reduce compliance costs both internally or externally imposed regulations.

AVEVA’s Model-Driven MES approach is engineered to combine the traditional benefits of a manufacturing execution system with modern digital workflow management technology to bring people, organizations, and processes together for increased efficiency as well as for capturing work processes and operational procedures in digital workflows and related user experience configurations (models).

Aveva's Model-Driven Approach 

With its methodology-centric and Model-Driven approach, AVEVA reduces end-to-end time to value and cost of ownership for manufacturing execution system (MES) installations and multi-site rollouts by digitizing operational procedures for standardization with agility to adapt to change, continuous improvement in operational efficiency, and return on MES investment.

Customers achieve the following average benefits by implementing their Manufacturing Execution System:

• 30% quality improvement
• 30% more equipment uptime
• 20% reduction in manufacturing costs
• 10% increased productivity
• 20% OEE improvement

AVEVA’s Manufacturing Operations Management platform minimizes the risks and costs of MES deployment and reduces the time and effort for multi-site rollouts with the help of:

• Open Engineering and Runtime Platform with Digital Workflow Management Capabilities that are Industrial-ready and designed for integration of business, industrial operations, and production processes and data.
• A flexible MES software with a wide range of manufacturing management capabilities, from performance optimization to inventory, production and quality management.
• A standardized work process and a user experience modeling approach that standardizes all activities reduce the amount of time it takes to deploy procedures to equipment, systems, and people.

Manufacturing organizations can use this platform and modeling technique to:

• Boost production levels, enhance efficiency, foster collaboration, and increase agility in plant operations, by digitally changing work processes and data collection methods
• Reduce time to value for operational excellence projects that span multiple sites with the tools and assistance and standardization of procedures, KPIs, and reporting.
• Reduce the total cost of manufacturing IT ownership through the harmonization of technology and applications used across the enterprise.

Integrate Your Digital Roadmap

Make the most of your manufacturing organization by aligning people and processes with sophisticated digital technologies for a cost-effective, repeatable approach to operational excellence, compliance, transparency, and company agility.

By digitally managing business rules and capturing information for all operational activities and plant events in real time, your business can maximize profit, quality, and compliance in manufacturing.

At InCentrik, through cross-sectoral partnerships, we can develop and navigate your digital roadmap. We align your business needs with the right technology to build the perfect solution for maximizing operational efficiencies.

We have been assisting businesses and small companies in adopting a digital mindset and business operation method since Power Apps was first released. The outcomes have been amazing, to say the least.

Contact InCentrik (your Aveva Endorsed Partner) today!