Best Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Software

Manufacturing Execution System: In Detail Guide

A manufacturing execution system (MES) manages the entire product lifecycle for manufacturers. As innovation accelerates, manufacturing changes more rapidly, increasing variability and placing additional pressure on operations to maintain high-quality levels.

Manufacturers must make informed, rapid decisions in a fast-changing operating environment.

The manufacturing execution software model supports a wide range of manufacturing processes and industries – the MES program can handle complex workflows, automated data collection in large quantities, make-to-order, discrete assembly, batch processes, and rolled products. Read on to learn more about the MES platform.

Top MES systems provide decision-makers data to make the plant floor more efficient and optimize production by bridging the gap between process control and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

In today's competitive and rapidly transforming manufacturing environment, an MES is essential to drive optimal performance. According to Transparency Market Research, by 2025, the global MES program market is expected to generate 18 billion dollars in revenue.

In addition, a growing number of process and discrete industries are using industrial automation, regulations are becoming more stringent, and manufacturing execution systems are becoming more affordable to deploy.

What Types of Top Manufacturing Execution Systems Exist?

MES program types vary according to how the solution is delivered and its industry focus.

Industry-specific or Agnostic

A manufacturing execution system's functionality depends on the manufacturing it is used for. The main manufacturing categories are discrete products (medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and engineering).

Mixed-mode ERP combines two or all of these manufacturing categories. The aerospace industry, for example, requires discrete ERP for parts and ETO ERP for aircraft assembly.

Standalone or Part of a Suite

A manufacturing execution system (MES) can be sold and used as a standalone software solution or as part of a more comprehensive manufacturing suite consisting of ERP and quality management systems.

What are the Common Features of the Best MES System?

MESA, the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International, defined 11 core MES functions in 1997. Although the MESA-11 model has evolved, these original 11 core functions are the basis for almost any plant and are integral to today's manufacturing execution systems.

Resource Allocation & Status

Monitor and analyze the actual state of resources, including machines, materials, and labor, so that you can adjust allocations in real-time.

Operations/Detailed Scheduling

Optimize performance by scheduling, timing, and sequencing activities based on resource capacity and priorities.

Dispatch Production Units

Make quick, calculated adjustments in the production process by managing production data flow in real-time.

Document Control

Ensure all documents are easily accessible and editable, including work instructions, drawings, standard operating procedures, batch records, etc.

Data Collection & Acquisition

Utilize real-time data to improve efficiency and make better processes, materials, and operations decisions.

Labor Management

Manage worker schedules, qualifications, and authorizations efficiently with minimal management involvement.

Quality Management

To improve quality control management and documentation, track deviations and exceptions.

Process Management

Ensure full production traceability from order release to finished goods and gain insight into bottlenecks and points affecting quality.

Maintenance Management

Reduce downtime and increase efficiency by using data from your MES platform to identify equipment issues before they occur.

Product Tracking & Genealogy

You can use the whole history of your products for informed decision-making. Manufacturers who comply with government or industry regulations should have access to the complete account of their products.

Performance Analysis

Improve systems by comparing results and goals to identify strengths and weaknesses.

What are the Benefits of Best Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Software?

MES tool captures and analyzes a wide variety of data, providing real-time insights that can promote production efficiency and reduce costs. Other advantages of an MES platform include:

Improved Quality Control

The real-time transmission of quality control information allows companies with an MES to stop production immediately when problems are identified. This reduces waste, scrap, overages, and rework.

Increased Uptime

MES maximizes product flow and asset utilization by balancing personnel, material, and equipment resources. They also improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) by integrating scheduling and maintenance.

Reduced Inventory

The MES tool updates inventory records with the new production, scrap, and nonconforming materials to ensure your purchasing, shipping, and scheduling departments always know what materials are available.

As a result, you save money on manufacturing, transportation, storage, and inventory monitoring by reducing just-in-case and work-in-progress (WIP) inventory.

Reduced Manual Errors

MES system eliminates paperwork and reduces the risk of human error. It makes data collected from the shop floor available to decision-makers across all integrated systems in real-time to make informed decisions.

Improved Product Tracking

In an MES, the entire manufacturing operations are tracked from the start to improve production output and the process data, enabling manufacturers to comply with government and industry regulations more effectively.

What are the Challenges with MES Solution?

There are several challenges associated with the best MES software solutions:

Integration

As MES can only work in conjunction with ERP systems for manufacturing, manufacturers need to integrate the two systems.

The most popular ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft dynamic, are combined with MES solutions, but hundreds of other ERP applications require custom integration. MES must also be integrated with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software to capture data from industrial equipment on the shop floor.

Complexity

In addition, MES software can be as complex as a company's operations since it was created for manufacturers. For example, aerospace manufacturers usually have much more complex processes than fashion and apparel companies, making implementing and maintaining MES for aerospace more challenging.

Cost

Because of the software complexity and custom integration costs, MES can be expensive, especially for small and mid-sized manufacturers. Due to this, they prefer ERP software that includes MES features, which may not provide all the features they need.

Regulatory Compliance

Manufacturing MES software must comply with regulations and industry standards, such as the ISA 95 standard, which safeguards the information exchange between MES and other systems, such as ERP.

Furthermore, various local, national, and international regulations govern quality control, varying from industry to industry. For example, the pharmaceutical and food industries are more heavily regulated than discrete manufacturing.

Which Factors Should Consider When Purchasing Best Manufacturing Execution System Software?

Below are the factors to be taken into account while choosing an MES system software:

Finding a Solution with Quick ROI

As part of the ROI calculation, you should consider the years the new system is expected to last.

One should evaluate tangible benefits based on the expected improvements from the MES system software, such as shorter production times, fewer idle hours for resources (people, equipment, and materials), and fewer work-in-processes.

Analytics and BI For Reporting and Analytics

Analytical and business intelligence vendors once looked at analytics and business intelligence as an afterthought, integrating into commonly used 3rd party reporting apps.

Instead, look for an MES vendor with analytics and business intelligence applications that can scale to massive amounts of data. To gain greater insight from massive datasets, forward-looking MES software vendors provide support and advanced machine learning algorithms.

Ability to Easily Integrate

To scale production across supply chains, ERP, and CRM systems, MES software vendors must provide proven integration and strategies to enable suppliers, distribution channels, partners, and service providers to take advantage of new digital business models.

MES manufacturing execution systems must include cloud integration technologies in MES software vendors' integration technology.

Track and Trace Functionality

A good MES can provide track-and-trace functionality, specifically those designed for food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. It includes product component traceability, genealogy, and integration with process history, where required for regulatory compliance.