Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) – A Comprehensive Guide

MES enables Lean manufacturing through insights and intelligence powered by data integration, the Industrial Internet of Things, machine learning, and predictive analytics. By bringing the digital world together with the physical world of manufacturing, companies can transform their business and monitor their KPIs to meet their goals.

MES software is used to manage, monitor, and synchronize the execution of real-time physical processes and people involved in transforming raw materials into intermediate and/or finished goods. It supplies actionable information that helps manufacturing decision makers understand how the operating conditions on the plant floor can be optimized to further improve their production output.

MES works in real-time to enable the control of various parts of the manufacturing process in the space between automation systems and enterprise resource planning (ERP) – to unlock efficiencies and optimize operations to reduce costs, speed production, track genealogy and improve quality. Here is an overview of the typical process flow within an MES:

1. Data Collection: Throughout the production process, MES collects data from multiple sources: machines, sensors, operators, Product Lifecycle (PLM) systems, ERP systems, and beyond. This data includes metrics like production speed, equipment status, quality measures, and resource usage. It is organized into three categories:

2. Data integration: MES integrates process control data from industrial automation systems on the plant floor with the other manufacturing operations management (MOM) systems such as quality, production, maintenance, and logistics systems to create a comprehensive view of the manufacturing environment. This integration helps ensure that the MES has accurate and up-to-date information to work with.

3. Order Processing: The MES receives production orders from an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. These orders specify what needs to be produced, along with deadlines and any special requirements. The MES also sends raw material consumption and order status back up to the ERP.

4. Scheduling: Based on the received orders, the MES creates a detailed production schedule. This involves allocating resources such as machines, materials, and labor to optimize the manufacturing workflow.

5. Execution and Control: MES monitors and controls production activities in real-time to ensure that manufacturing processes are executed according to the plan, and adjusts operations as needed to respond to changes or disruptions.

6. Resource Management: The system manages the utilization of materials, equipment, and personnel. It tracks inventory levels, equipment availability, and allocates tasks to ensure optimal use of resources.

7. Quality Assurance: MES incorporates quality control measures throughout the production cycle. It identifies deviations from standards and triggers corrective actions, thereby maintaining product quality and compliance with industry regulations.

8. Performance Monitoring: MES analyzes production data to assess performance metrics such as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). It provides insights into efficiency, productivity, and areas needing improvement, supporting decision-making through reports and dashboards.

9. Documentation and Traceability: The system maintains detailed records of production history, ensuring traceability and compliance with regulatory requirements. This documentation is essential for audits and continuous improvement initiatives.

10. Feedback and Improvement: Based on data analysis, MES facilitates feedback loops to refine production processes, enhance efficiency, and reduce waste.

MES is especially good at collecting and analyzing data in highly automated fast-moving processes. The manufacturing software automates and integrates the information related to activities for managing production execution and optimize performance holistically, helping to balance the trade-offs between competing priorities of production operations.

MES also provides increased visibility across the operation, which helps monitor production and catch deviations so companies can adjust processes and avoid waste. Visibility like this also enables a better understanding of operations and allows traceability across the entire scope of the production process.

Key benefits of manufacturing execution systems are:

Real-time data collection and analysis:
MES systems provide real-time visibility into production performance, enabling informed decision-making.

Production planning and scheduling:
MES helps optimize production schedules, resource allocation, and work order dispatch.

Work instruction management:
MES can deliver specific instructions to operators, reducing errors and improving consistency.

Quality control and process monitoring:
MES systems monitor production parameters, identify potential issues, and ensure product quality.

Inventory management:
MES tracks materials in real-time, minimizing waste and reducing inventory costs.

Traceability and genealogy:
MES systems enable detailed tracking of materials and components throughout the production process.

Compliance and regulatory reporting:
MES helps manufacturers meet regulatory requirements and industry standards.

With the kind of results manufacturers are realizing with the use of MES, it’s no surprise that analyst research indicates that MES technology use is increasing at a rate faster than automation in general. This is largely due to its ability to help optimize production for operational excellence.

To help manufacturers leverage all this data available to them, GE Vernova developed Proficy Smart Factory Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software that drives higher efficiency, improves quality, and reduces costs associated with manufacturing by understanding conditions on the plant floor.

Toray Plastics (America), Inc., an American based subsidiary of Toray Industries, yielded some big results, such as significant savings in film recovery, increase in film productivity, and improved uptime by leveraging GE Vernova's MES technology. Toray Plastics also drove significant quality improvements by decreasing the amount of time for product traceability as well as lowering film defective rate.

GE Aerospace leverages Proficy Smart Factory MES to give unprecedented visibility all the way down to the routing level of their processes, helping the plant becomemore productive. Their on-time delivery improved by 10 points versus the previous year's baseline. This means more on-time delivery to customers.

As a well-known North American tissue manufacturing and conversion company, Cascades Tissue Group, leverages GE Vernova's MES to provide deeper insights into its operations. With a single view of production data, operators at Cascades Tissue Group can make informed decisions that help drive quality improvements and increase manufacturing efficiency across the various sites— critical for sustainable growth and a competitive edge.

With manufacturing organizations turning to MES to make data-driven decisions about their operations, the future of industrial processes promises greater efficiency and better opportunity for growth.

Integrating MES and ERP systems is crucial to obtain the maximum benefit of an MES. Successful integration allows for seamless data exchange between the shop floor happening in the MES and broader business processes occurring in the ERP, enhancing overall efficiency and decision-making. Integration is typically handled through a middleware application. The elements from the respective systems are mapped and coordinated – which fields from MES map to which fields from ERP and vice versa across the various messages that need to be interchanged. Some examples include order download to MES, order status and completion to ERP, material download to MES and material consumption to ERP.

Try our MES Calculator – enter simple data and see your business gains.