Manufacturing Execution Systems

Virtual-to-Physical Manufacturing

How an enterprise leverages technology to manage and optimize the processes occurring at the shop floor level is critical to reap the full benefits and value offered by the Industry 4.0 concept. Digital Manufacturing requires a well-defined methodology for managing manufacturing operations and data coming off the plant floor. With the cost of raw materials on the rise, a highly competitive global market and increasing regulatory compliance concerns, companies that want to succeed need to cut waste, increase quality and monitor production processes while still increasing throughput. Together, a comprehensive Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) strategy and toolkit can enable all the above. Continuing along our Digital Thread for Industry 4.0, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) finally take us out of the virtual world of manufacturing design and onto the factory floor. Our product has been designed, validated with the Digital Twin, and manufacturing planning has defined the optimal way for it to be produced in the plant. Now, it is time to execute production.

The Manufacturing Problem

To remain competitive and profitable in today's market, every manufacturing organization must improve product quality, reduce production costs and minimize lead time to deliver the product, all while consistently meeting quality standards. To do this, they must operate better and faster. But how can a manufacturing enterprise efficiently and cost-effectively monitor, optimize and synchronize all the moving parts and real-time activities going on in the production plant?

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

The solution is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Manufacturing Execution System (MES) are the foundation of an integrated, connected Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) environment. An MES is an automated control system designed to manage and monitor all the work-in-process (WIP) on a factory floor. The goal of an MES is to improve productivity and reduce cycle times by optimizing and synchronizing real-time production activities, and often across globally distributed plants.

An MES keeps track of all manufacturing information in real time, receiving up-to-the-minute data from robots, machine monitors and employees. An MES also tracks and traces defects and non-conformances throughout the production process, defining the issue, when it occurred, why it occurred and what it occurred against (e.g. operation, material, tool, etc.). Once the defect or non-conformance has been identified, different actions can be taken by supervisors (e.g. to scrap, to rework, to replace or to continue the process).

An MES manages all material inventory, production orders and work instructions automatically. When materials are received, they are entered into the MES. When a work order is issued and sent to the shop floor, materials consumed in the execution of that work order are automatically removed from inventory. Plant managers can see remaining materials in inventory in real time.

An MES allows a production order to be sent out along with all the related work instructions to the operators on the shop floor. The real-time status of the work order is available for plant managers to monitor progress and ensure that production is on schedule. At the end of the day, reports can be generated to see overall production results and analytics for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), machine utilization, machine availability, etc.

Features of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Leveraging a global network of leading software partners, Engineering's team of specialists designs and deploys standard and customized MES solutions to both process and discrete manufacturing customers. While the needs of each are slighly different, most successful manufacturing execution solutions provide automation of functionalities including:

Production order scheduling and optimization
Work order management
Production order execution
Production process status and monitoring in real time
Machine data collection and performance monitoring
Inventory level monitoring in real time
Material genealogy (tracking & tracing)
Quality management and control
Real-time production data collection
Tools for KPI & OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) analytics, reporting and dashboards
Integration with Electronic Work Instructions (EWI) to support operators in order execution
Integration with PLM and ERP systems to facilitate accurate data exchange and enable revision control

Benefits of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Achieve paperless shop floor
Improve product quality
Reduce scrap and waste
Get rid of just-in-case inventory
Minimize lead time
Reduce “fire drill costs”
Optimize shop floor activities in real time
Maximize asset utilization and reduce machine downtimes
Make more informed decisions about production
Improve throughput
Synchronize production processes in plant and/or across global enterprise

Our MES & System Integration Expertise

No digital platform can provide sustainable business value or ROI if it stands alone as a siloed application. The entire premise of Industry 4.0 relies on the complete and seamless interconnectivity between systems, people, machines and networks. Simply put, no matter how much money you invest in the leading or latest software for your organization, you will not reap the benefits the Digital Thread has to offer if your IT systems do not talk to each other. For example, integrating your PLM system with your MES ensures that the products being produced on the shop floor are based on the latest product design and following the latest manufacturing process plan and work instructions. This minimizes rework, reduces production costs and improves throughput. Integrating your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system with real-time production data from your MES enables plant managers to be more proactive in how they schedule production, manage raw materials and optimize equipment utilization, ensuring the delivery of quality production in a timely and cost-effective manner. Enabling these critical integration points starting from the business level to product engineering and all the way to the machines and execution systems on the shop floor has been the Engineering team's focus and niche for more than a decade.