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In today’s data-driven world, manufacturers are constantly seeking ways to optimize production efficiency and maximize profits. However, manually collecting data from various sections of a manufacturing plant while overseeing production operations can be both demanding and costly.
This is where a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) comes into play, offering a streamlined approach to managing complex manufacturing operations and providing real-time analytics that can boost your business’s production efficiency.
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a transformative software designed to track, record, document, and control the entire production cycle of manufacturing industries. MES seamlessly integrates technology with production processes, offering real-time visibility into shop floor data by automating data collection and providing comprehensive analysis. This analysis aids in improving efficiency and overall profitability.
MES software works by collecting data from various sources on the shop floor, such as machine sensor, inspection devices, and operator inputs. This data is then consolidated into a centralized system, which processes it to provide detailed insights into the status of the entire production cycle.
Epicor MES stands out as an example of a premier MES solution designed to offer unified manufacturing operations management. Epicor Advanced MES provides real-time monitoring, visualization, and control of your manufacturing processes. Here are some key features that make it a powerful tool for manufacturers:
Manufacturing execution systems offer a wide range of functions. Here are some manufacturing execution system functions:
The primary function of the MES system is real-time data collection. It collects and analyzes data from various sources on the shop floor and makes it available to users through a central system.
After data collection, MES processes this data automatically and provides valuable insights and analytics on key concerns such as downtime, labor performance, and quality deviations, affording users time to make adjustments.
Manufacturing execution systems help manufacturers be consistent with the quality of goods they produce. It records data related to product quality and automatically alerts operators when there's a deviation from the process normally used in manufacturing.
Then, they provide information on the root cause of inferior quality and provide corrective and preventive actions
This allows operators to make timely corrections to meet quality standards and saves manufacturers from the loss that could be realized from errors and the legal burden of nonconformity to industry standards.
MES systems allow manufacturers to track the history of products and trace their movement easily.
By providing you with information on the genealogy of a product, the time and date it was made, its quality history, and its batch, it helps you easily identify defective or contaminated products. This particular function is essential for quality control and standard compliance.
Manufacturing execution systems are designed in such a way that they can monitor labor performance and help with labor allocation.
Manufacturers can also store production procedures and standard requirements within the MES system. The stored instructions then provide step-by-step guidance to workers during the manufacturing process to ensure tasks are performed accurately
The MES system can be integrated with machines and equipment on the shop floor to provide data on equipment utilization and repair needs. MES collects the data in an automated way using standard protocols such as Open Platform Communication (OPC) and Message Queuing Transport (MQTT).
This is useful in predicting and preventing machine downtime and identifying areas for improvement to boost machine efficiency.
Also, the MES solution can be merged with other systems, like enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, to make important information available across the organization.
There are various benefits that manufacturing execution systems can provide to your organization. Here are some manufacturing execution system benefits:
Manufacturing execution systems can help enhance the production efficiency of your business by providing you with the accurate data you need to make timely decisions across production lines.
MES also helps you manage your inventory by recording the quantity that has been exhausted in production, notifying you when you are running out of stock, and preventing surplus inventory and its related costs.
When you integrate your machines and equipment with a manufacturing execution system, you get timely notifications when your machines require maintenance. In addition, MES predictive maintenance features help you reduce downtime occurrences and their associated costs.
Another perk of investing in an MES is that it can be integrated with quality management systems that monitor the production process and automatically alert operators when errors are being made.
Industries such as the pharmaceutical and food manufacturing industries often have stringent quality control standards. MES helps in compliance with this regulation and prevents legal costs or business closure.
Also, with MES, you can easily track the batch, movement, and genealogy of your product. This makes it easy for you to recall defective products.
The MES artificial intelligence is designed to be fully automated. As a result, there is a lower chance of errors associated with human effort throughout the process of manufacturing finished goods from raw materials.
Furthermore, MES ensures the accuracy of data and reduces the need for manual entry. It also ensures production procedures are followed step by step and minimizes the risk of deviation.
MES helps you reduce operational costs in various ways. Its integrated alert systems can help save resources by notifying users of quality deviations and machine defects, which can prevent the waste of materials.
Also, modern manufacturing execution systems help you conserve energy resources by automatically shutting down idle machines and providing data on energy consumption to guide you in making decisions on how to minimize energy-related costs.
Manufacturing execution systems (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions are often integrated and leveraged together.
However, while MES functions at the factory level and is mainly concerned with the manufacturing process, ERP focuses on managing day-to-day business operations like accounting, customer service, human resources, and budget planning.
When you integrate MES and ERP, they transmit data that’s crucial to the running of the organization to each other. Their operations are dependent on each other, just as the factory sector of a company is dependent on its enterprise sector and vice versa.
But how can you seamlessly combine these two solutions?
At their core, ERP and MES work hand in hand to improve customer satisfaction. When customers complain about a product, the data the MES makes available to the ERP makes it possible to track the genealogy of the particular product and the whole batch, if necessary, to make swift adjustments.
But remember, ERP manages inventory at the organizational level, while MES does so at the factory level.
The MES system sends data to the ERP on the availability or otherwise of inventories, helping the ERP system to schedule changes, such as ordering inventories to meet the needs of the production sector. This helps businesses avoid overstocking or stockouts.
The ERP system receives demands and communicates changes in demand to the MES system. The MES system takes these plans and automatically breaks them into production schedules to meet ERP needs. Also, MES shares requirements on maintenance costs for factory equipment with the ERP, which in turn integrates them into the company's financial budget.
Overall, both systems work together to enhance organizational efficiency, accountability, transparency, and timely decision-making.
Yes, integrating MES into your business operations is the right choice to make. After all, it may just be the missing piece you need to boost your business production efficiency to the next level.
Besides, MES systems offer a wide range of goodies your business can benefit from — from easy data collection to inventory management to production efficiency and providing you with accurate data to make timely decisions.
MES also helps you to comply with industry standards on quality control, reduces factory downtime occurrences, and is scalable as well.
The future of MES promises a dynamic transformation within the manufacturing domain, catalyzing an era of unprecedented operational efficacy and automation.
With the convergence of MES and emerging technologies, the manufacturing landscape is set to propel industries toward greater efficiency, sustainability, and global competitiveness. Of course, you can’t afford to be on the sidelines!
Manufacturing execution systems help companies oversee complex manufacturing operations by collating data from different sectors of a factory and providing analytics that foster the speed of decision-making at both the factory and enterprise levels.
Reach out to us at Epicor for expert guidance on MES, including how to set them up or optimize your existing systems.
