What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?
MES software monitors, tracks, documents, and controls the production process of goods from raw materials to finished products.
Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Overview
A Manufacturing Execution System, or MES, is a comprehensive and dynamic software system that oversees, tracks, documents, and controls the process of transforming raw materials into finished products. Providing a functional layer between Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and process control systems, MES offers decision-makers the data they need to make the factory floor more efficient.
Regardless of the size of the operation, MES makes the production process information-driven, contributing to overall productivity and profitability. The following regulated industries, in particular, benefit greatly from the use of MES:
- Pharmaceutical
- Food and Beverage
- Medical Devices
- Aerospace and Defense
- Defense
- Biotechnology
Companies in these sectors must comply with strict regulations to ensure traceability compliance. They must ensure that procedures are in place to create appropriate products, that these procedures are documented, and that the resulting products can be easily recalled if necessary. According to the Fortune Business Insights report, the global MES market is expected to reach USD 41.78 billion by 2032. This growth is triggered by the increase in the use of industrial automation in process and discrete industries, the need for regulatory compliance, and the low deployment costs of manufacturing execution systems.
The Top Five Benefits of MES
Manufacturing execution systems generate real-time insights that increase production efficiency and provide cost savings by tracking massive amounts of data. Other benefits include:
- Improved Quality Control: Since quality control information is transmitted in real-time, production can be stopped as soon as a problem is detected. This reduces waste, scrap, excess, and rework rates.
- Increased Uptime: Creates realistic production schedules by balancing personnel, material, and equipment resources. It integrates scheduling and maintenance to maximize production flow and asset utilization. This increases Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
- Reduced Inventory: MES updates inventory records with new production, scrap, and non-conforming materials; thus, purchasing, shipping, and scheduling departments know how much material is on hand at any time. This reduces "just in case" stock and work-in-process (WIP) inventory, providing cost savings.
- Paperless Shop Floor: The elimination of paperwork reduces the risk of human error. Data recorded from the field becomes immediately accessible to decision-makers across all integrated systems.
- Advanced Product Tracking and Genealogy: MES tracks the production cycle from start to finish; it groups final parts or batches with relevant production data. This data is critical for manufacturers who must comply with legal regulations.
Core MES Functions (MESA-11 Model)
The original 11 functions defined by MESA in 1997 also form the basis of today's modern systems:
- Resource Allocation and Status: Monitors machine, material, and labor status in real-time, analyzes, and makes allocation adjustments.
- Operational/Detailed Scheduling: Optimizes performance by scheduling based on priorities and resource capacity.
- Dispatching Production Units: Manages production data flow in real-time to make fast and calculated adjustments.
- Document Control: Manages work instructions, drawings, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and batch records; makes them accessible.
- Data Collection and Acquisition: Increases efficiency by collecting real-time data about processes and operations.
- Labor Management: Tracks employee schedules, qualifications, and authorizations more efficiently.
- Quality Management: Tracks deviations and exceptions for quality control management and documentation.
- Process Management: Manages the entire process from order to finished product; provides full traceability while identifying bottlenecks and points affecting quality.
- Maintenance Management: Uses data to identify equipment problems before they occur and adjusts maintenance schedules to reduce downtime.
- Product Tracking and Genealogy: Supports decision-making processes by tracking the progress and full history of the product.
- Performance Analysis: Compares results with goals to identify strengths and weaknesses in the overall process.
Evolution of MES Standards and ISA-95
The ISA-95 standard provides a model for defining and integrating activities between enterprise systems and control systems. In this hierarchy, MES is at Level 3:
- Level 4: ERP (Business planning and logistics)
- Level 3: MES (Manufacturing operations management)
- Level 2: Process control systems (Batch control)
- Level 1: Process control systems (Continuous control)
- Level 0: Process control systems (Discrete control)
MES and ERP Integration
In today's manufacturing environment, it's not a question of "MES or ERP?". Together, they offer an operational clarity that no system can provide on its own. While the ERP system provides data that determines which products will be produced; MES determines how these products will be produced with less waste and more profit by integrating ERP data with factory floor information.
Cloud MES: Digitalizing Workshop Operations
Powered by advanced technologies, MES systems are becoming service-oriented, modular, and connected.
- Cloud Connectivity: The backbone of smart factories. IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) devices and sensors continuously generate data to automate workflows.
- Personalized Production: MES helps meet the demand for "mass personalization" instead of mass production.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Can increase production efficiency, manage predictive maintenance, and reduce waste. With machine learning, production lines are becoming increasingly smarter.
- Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR): Manufacturers can simulate processes with VR, reduce production downtime, and optimize field operations with AR solutions.
These technologies make it easier for companies to compete by responding quickly with lower-cost and higher-quality custom products in the digital world.