Ten signs that your factory floor needs MES

In order to produce as many products as possible, every part of the factory floor needs to be as efficient as possible. This means that you have a cantilever crane installed on the ground at each workstation, after comprehensive worker training, robot technology used in the applicable place, and even MES. Because, generally speaking, there are two major types of factory floor systems on the market, they both help to minimize the control and analysis of factory activities.

You can divide these systems into two categories. The first is SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), which controls machines and equipment. The second is the MES manufacturing execution system, which can control the activities between each operation within the factory and between each operation.

The main focus of SCADA is to use a computer (also known as a programmable logic controller or PLC) to control the movement of the device and obtain information such as speed, feed, temperature, pressure, etc. If any, manual tracking is secondary.

The focus of MES is to ensure the control of the entire production process and all its activities to maximize efficiency, reduce waste and improve the accuracy and timeliness of production information. MES can control all activities starting from major issues, all the way to operational activities until the finished product. This ensures that all required resources (labor, machines, tools) and necessary documents (job packages, WIP labels, instructions, drawings, quality tables, schedules, etc.) can be used in one system.

Both systems minimize or eliminate manual activities and maximize the accuracy and reliability of part manufacturing. SCADA integration is used with equipment and can be bound to an OPC (Open Process Control) server on the factory network. MES integration mainly comes from ERP system. The integration of MES can also be integrated into the document library or payroll system (for time and attendance), and can be integrated with the machine through the OPC server (without SCADA) to help operators perform production accounting and determine downtime and other OEE (overall equipment efficiency) analysis. The MES must also have an easy-to-use operator user interface (UI). The user experience (UX) must be simple and intuitive. Information should be captured through buttons on the touch screen and a unique dedicated smart keyboard to facilitate the "one-click" method of production and manual tracking. Scheduling is usually dynamically adjusted to adapt to changes in floors and customers through an advanced planning and scheduling system (APS), which can schedule and reschedule with limited (horizontal loading) accuracy within a few seconds.

By coordinating all activities and resources, MES provides a paperless system (electronic, real-time and interactive) to improve the accuracy and timeliness of voice activities. Therefore, operators and supervisors can get immediate feedback on performance, while managers can provide detailed and detailed analysis to improve lean manufacturing processes.

If your factory floor has the following 10 situations, then you need to implement MES:

1. Unable to perform data analysis

2. There is little or no traceability of materials

3. Carrier-level accountability is rare

4. Little or no visibility to the WIP production process

5. The production plan/rate is not "compliant"

6. Many workshop transactions and transcription errors

7. Vision system method that requires lean production

8. Multiple copies of the same document or excessive paper handling

9. There are too many different systems in the workshop, and the workshop system is not unified

10. OEE indicators become necessary floor indicators for management

Efficiency Technology is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development of MES manufacturing execution system related projects, engaged in the research and development and integration of automation equipment and information system software. Committed to helping manufacturing enterprises build smart factories and realize smart production models by managing information-based IoT models.