Industry 4.0 has ushered in a new industrial era. Its manifestation is a new approach to factory and warehouse management. Effective management of production and distribution requires coordination and cooperation of both areas. This is the only way to dynamically meet the demand for currently heavily personalized products.
MES system
The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) has been widely used in industry for years. However, it has only recently become essential for improving the operations of manufacturing companies. As a result of increasing competition among manufacturers, there has been a need to optimize production processes to reduce costs. Due to the functions of production management systems, different types of systems have emerged, among which can be mentioned such as ERP, WMS, MES.
What is an MES system?
An MES system can be otherwise called a production management system. Software for production of this type has the effect of improving handling, organization and control of production. The system is designed to reduce production costs while ensuring the highest possible efficiency. The MES system, together with ERP and WMS systems, allows for comprehensive analysis of production processes.
Features and tasks of MES software
Optimization of production processes
Determining the sequence of production processes enables efficient and effective management of the production process. The MES system is also used to control and supervise production processes so that any irregularities can be detected and production can be improved.
Control of current tasks
It is part of the production process (known as WIP from Work-in-Progress), ensuring that production plans are met and removing or upgrading activities that inhibit processes.
Systematic data collection
It is related to the collection of information on processes, raw materials, as well as operation and machinery activities.
Controlling the efficiency of production processes
Includes continuous performance measurements. Allows confrontation of results with data from previous periods. It provides information on the resources that are devoted to tasks and analysis of production cycles, execution of plans and cost calculations.
Quality control of the production process
Allows verification with assumptions. If a failure or downtime occurs, the MES system signals such a fact and can offer preventive solutions.
Monitoring of production machinery
The MES system is a rich source of information on the operation of machinery and production equipment. Communication of machine failures is important for ensuring production continuity and optimizing its costs. Data relating to the causes of failures helps to eliminate them quickly and improve the production process.
Organization of work in production
Proper distribution of tasks to employees promotes optimization of the entire production process and also contributes to increasing the overall efficiency of the company.
What is the difference between an MES system and ERP and WMS?
MES versus ERP – the differences
ERP is a system that serves a more central function to other systems. Analyzes and reports on the broadest area of company management processes. The data provided by the ERP system focuses on the business area. The MES system is aimed more strongly at production management, also covering issues related to the production control system. The ERP system, unlike the MES system, does not collect detailed information about the production processes, their quality, how the machines work, etc.
MES versus WMS – the differences
Warehouse Management Software (WMS) is used to manage the material base (BOM – Bill of Materials). For manufacturing, the combined resources of WMS and MES thus provide valuable information on available inventory and enable efficient procurement to ensure continuity on production lines.
Function of MES systems in modern industry
The smooth planning and operation of production largely depends on the MES systems implemented. They allow to ensure synchronization of processes, so that the supply chain is controlled and modeled in an efficient way.
What instead of an MES-type system?
Unfortunately, MES systems have their drawbacks. First, they are expensive to implement and maintain.
It is often a challenge to tailor it to the customer’s individual needs. In addition to the cost, it often takes a lot of time. This is because every manufacturing company has different needs and considerations.
An alternative to the MES system
Signalo has its own proprietary Andon system (link to the product), which , thanks to its extensive functionality, can perfectly replace the classic MES. Thus , you gain a perfect solution for monitoring production, while saving considerable financial resources.
Our software for production, despite the lower price, has the features and functionality of the classic system .Our system perfectly fulfills its tasks, supporting the production process, allows you to optimize management, more effectively than classic MES solutions.
Why is this system better than standard MES?
Speed of action
The delivery and processing of information works on mobile devices, and the data is obtained directly from the person doing the job at hand. In this way, information is transmitted in real time, allowing for lightning-fast response time and appropriate action during an emergency.
Saving production costs
The communication of machine failures and its speed means saving time for troubleshooting, thus reducing the costs associated with production downtime. Effective elimination of production downtime in many cases directly affects the company’s bottom line.
Generate production reports at any frequency
In addition, the system offered by our company allows you to generate reports, with a frequency of daily, weekly, monthly or other established, which is important in the context of analysis and optimization of the operation of production and the company.
Dynamic customization
Our team has extensive experience in implementing production support systems in enterprises with a wide variety of characteristics. We are interested in listening to your specific needs and proposing a solution in a timely manner that is cheaper and more efficient than the MES systems currently on the market.
