The impact of a manufacturing execution system on supply chain performance

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are still rather unknown compared to their relatives, Enterprise Information Systems. To date, most research about MES focused on technical aspects and implementation approaches. In this paper, five statistical models are developed and a web-based survey among global Operations and Supply Chain managers from the manufacturing industry is conducted. Managers were invited to complete a questionnaire, where the central questions queried the mentioned performance metrics, but also other conditions like the presence of ERP or Lean practices. When comparing the means between companies with and without an MES, it shows that on each performance metric, MES-companies perform better than non-MES companies do. The results of the statistical analysis support the authors’ claim that companies with an MES in place outperform their competitors without an MES on the inventory- and logistics performance, as well as on Order Lead Time.

Companies’ perception toward manufacturing execution systems

The use of information systems in manufacturing sector is very crucial to reach a high level of operational excellence and improve companies’ competitiveness. The use of such systems will definitely increase in the upcoming years, considering the digitalization strategies. Manufacturing execution systems gained a lot of attention in recent years due to showcased benefits in production management operations. Companies that adopted such systems witnessed an increase in process efficiency and enhancements with regards to cost savings and products quality. This paper seeks to analyze what makes the usage of manufacturing execution systems successful among manufacturing companies. We analyzed how the integration capabilities of such systems with other business applications and the company profile impact their usage and consequently the perceived benefits. A case study was conducted with 51 manufacturing companies and data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling technique. The results confirmed the positive and significant impact of the company profile and solution integration capabilities on system usage. In addition, a ranking of solution modules importance for companies was also provided.

Reifegradbasierte Bewertung der Anforderungen einer erfolgreichen MES-Einführung

Der Einsatz eines Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) kann viele Vorteile für Unternehmen bieten, doch stellt die Einführung häufig eine große Herausforderung dar. Determinierend für eine erfolgreiche Einführung sind die Bestimmung notwendiger Anforderungen, deren Erfüllung durch das Unternehmen sowie deren Berücksichtigung im Einführungsprozess. In diesem Beitrag wird die Entwicklung einer reifegradbasierten Methode für die Bewertung und Verbesserung der unternehmensindividuellen Erfüllung der Anforderungen einer MES-Einführung vorgestellt.*)

Manufacturing operations management systems in small and medium business (discrete manufacturing)

This article deals with Manufacturing Operations Management / Manufacturing Execution Systems for Small and Medium Business as specific type of companies. Many times, those companies do not have resources to follow full complexity of Manufacturing Operations managements system and need to select only products which they are forced to have due to internal or external regulations. Rest of the product are many times either substitute with simple solution like spreadsheets or not present at all. Successful implementation of each of those products means significant improvement in quality, reduced costs or higher efficiency.

Manufacturing Execution Systems for the Food and Beverage Industry: A Model-Driven Approach

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are process-oriented information-technology (IT) solutions for collecting and managing information from manufacturing processes. Due to the individual programming effort and the complex integration with other manufacturing systems, though the food and beverage manufacturers can benefit from the MES, its implementation is not widespread in this industry. To simplify the implementation and engineering process, the concept of model-driven engineering (MDE) is considered as a solution. However, a feasible model-driven approach for MES engineering has not been established, not to mention for the food and beverage industry. This paper presents an approach for the automatic MES generation according to the MDE concept providing MES functions that are relevant to the food and beverage manufacturing processes primarily. It consists of necessary phases to cover the whole engineering process of the MES. Based on the application of the presented approach to the brewing process in a brewhouse, the feasibility and practicality of this approach were proven.

Measuring the Turnaround in Business Performance due to WMS and MES Implementation in a Process Manufacturing Client

The Warehouse Management System (WMS) and the Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) have proven to be of massive help in increasing the organization’s productivity and its ability to execute key logistic functions with great efficiency and effectiveness. The process manufacturing industry has a unique setup and requires good collaboration between the different elements of the supply chain to operate at the highest efficiency. At the same time, the shop floor operators must have a good understanding of the new WMS/MES systems to derive maximum benefit from them. This paper dwells into the business improvements witnessed by an alcoholic beverage client after successfully implementing the WMS and MES solutions. The paper includes a literature review of the benefits and risks in WMS/MES implementation. Also, the literature is supported by a case study wherein the client’s business and operational challenges are discussed, and the improvements resulting from the project implementation. The WMS and MES were found to have a positive impact on business performance and it was observed that a project of such scale needs diligent planning and effective implementation for maximum benefits.

Integration of an MES and AIV Using a LabVIEW Middleware Scheduler Suitable for Use in Industry 4.0 Applications

Industry 4.0 uses the analysis of real-time data, artificial intelligence, automation, and the interconnection of components of the production lines to improve manufacturing efficiency and quality. Manufacturing Execution Systems (MESs) and Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles (AIVs) are key elements of Industry 4.0 implementations. An MES connects, monitors, and controls data flows on the factory floor, while automation is achieved by using AIVs. The Robot Operating System (ROS) built AIVs are targeted here. To facilitate MES and AIV interactions, there is a need to integrate the MES and the AIVs to help in building an automated and interconnected manufacturing environment. This integration needs middleware, which understands both MES and AIVs. To address this issue, a LabVIEW-based scheduler is proposed here as the middleware. LabVIEW communicates with the MES through webservices and has support for ROS. The main task of the scheduler is to control the AIV based on MES requests. The scheduler developed was tested in a real factory environment using the SAP MES and a Robotnik ‘RB-1′ robot. The scheduler interface provides real-time information about the current status of the MES, AIV, and the current stage of scheduler processing. The proposed scheduler provides an efficient automated product delivery system that transports the product from process cell to process cell using the AIV, based on the production sequences defined by the MES. In addition, using the proposed scheduler, integration of an MES is possible with any low-cost ROS-built AIV.