Manufacturing Execution System

The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a technology system that allows the management of a company’s production processes. It therefore allows control of the entire production sector (and all its phases) through the use of a single software, from dispatching orders to storing products in the warehouse. We also point out that the MES is able to create direct connections with machines, provide information in real time to the user or transmit it directly to the management system being used. Below we explain how the Manufacturing Execution System works, what it is used for and what the differences are between the different types of MES software.

Process Efficiency

• Manage every step of the “Production” department, from raw materials to the finished product.
• Making the production system of a company as efficient as possible by monitoring the various stages related to the production of a product.

Quality Control

• Allows the company to reduce product manufacturing times, ensures higher quality and, above all, optimizes the entire production process thanks to data provided by the software.
• Having full control of production processes, monitoring their progress and improving process performance through the correct interpretation of the data received (e.g. data on timing, quantity, quality and so on).

Human/Machine Interaction

• Making machines and operators interact in real time, providing the latter with useful data and information.
• Allowing the user to monitor company machines and equipment in real time, so as to be able to intervene immediately in the event of problems.

MES software integrates perfectly with ISA-95 systems, an international standard (technical standard) for the development of automated interfaces capable of making company systems and control systems communicate with each other.

Below we will list the various ISA-95 systems that interact with MES software:

Level 3 systems allow the complete management of production operations, also called MOMS. MES software can therefore interface with the following level 3 systems:

• Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)
• Warehouse Management System (WMS)
• Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)

Level 0, 1, and 2 systems exclusively concern control and automation processes.

MES software can therefore interface with the following level 0, 1, 2 systems:

• Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA)
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC)
• Distributed Control Systems (DSC)
• Batch Automation Systems (BAS)