Learn about MES in the manufacturing industry, how it works and how to reap its benefits

In today’s competitive and unpredictable manufacturing industry, one has to do more than simply employing the latest manufacturing methods. In order to drive your business towards digital transformation and industry 4.0, it is vital to always optimize your efficiency to improve quality and maximize profits. Nonetheless, for the sake of being more efficient and optimizing your production, one must have utter knowledge and visibility in all critical processes. Thankfully, an integrated manufacturing system that can be easily attainable and manufacturing operations management can maximize efficiency by providing better insights into production. How can one manage that? Simply, with the help of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and its features. (See more here: epoptia.com/mes-features).

What is a MES System

A Manufacturing Execution System, or MES, is a comprehensive, dynamic software system that monitors, keeps track of and controls the process of manufacturing goods from raw materials to finished products. Throughout this whole process, it makes sure that everything is working at its maximum efficiency. A MES may operate across various function areas. It can work across management of product definitions across the product life-cycle, production scheduling, or the execution and dispatch of an order. Moreover, it has the capacity to analyze your production and manage possible downtimes for overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). It can also track and trace materials and ensure product quality. A Manufacturing Execution System captures the data, processes and outcomes of the manufacturing process. This can be especially valuable in regulated industries, like food and beverage or pharmaceutical, where documentation of all processes, events and actions may be required.

More specifically, with its real-time tracking, a MES can help you control various aspects of your production, such as: employees, machines, inventory or support services. What is extremely advantageous is that all the above can be controlled though one dashboard! Apart from these, though, a Manufacturing Execution System can also support you in terms of production planning and production scheduling. That is, with all the insights you get into the shop floor, you can now properly manage your priorities and alter work instructions, schedule your production using the available resources according to your needs or, for instance, schedule emergency orders with immediate distribution to your operators.

Apart from these, a MES gives management the data they need to make the shop floor more efficient and, by extension, optimize production. No matter the size of a manufacturing business, a MES can contribute to overall efficiency and profitability by making the manufacturing process information driven.

Benefits of using a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

Apparently, the benefits of employing a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) in your manufacturing business, has a lot to offer. With it, you can create flawless manufacturing processes and provide real-time feedback of any possible alterations that need to be applied. A successful MES implementation may also provide you with:

• Paperless Manufacturing. A Manufacturing Execution System allows you to keep record of all costs without needing to use paper notes or spreadsheets.
• Reduced Waste & Improved Efficiency. A MES can identify any inconsistencies in your production processes, immediately put a top to them and reduce wasted material, helping you cut down on needless expenses.
• Decreased downtimes by tracking raw materials and parts inventory. This eliminates time wasted from changing schedules while parts are in transit. The same applies to employees too, since you can effectively schedule the operators you have available each time.
• Reduced Costs. Using real-time data collected from a Manufacturing Execution System you can streamline operations and improve efficiency now that you have access to all kinds of product information as well as the time and labor required to complete a job. This eventually enables you to save costs on orders and frees-up employees from operation production lines.
• The capacity to fully integrate it with other systems (such as an ERP) and avoid mindless data re-entry, while having, at the same time, more accurate projections of delivery dates and data collection.

To sum it up, a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) helps you adopt a lean thinking in your manufacturing business and optimize your production processes. It keeps the workstations in virtual flow and ensures continuous flow. It has helped a multifold of manufacturers to accurately plan their production and you too can improve your processes, meet your goals and see your manufacturing business can instantly take off!

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