The integration buzz recently has been over Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), but at the end of the day, isn’t the goal is to have all of our systems in sync?
Maybe I should back up just a bit. Because the end goal is not to get our machines talking – but to boost our bottom-line – which will require us to improve our processes, achieve greater visibility into our supply chains and effectively communicate in real-time with our teams across the globe. And achievement of this objective will come to us much more quickly if we start to think about integration in a much larger way.
Earlier this year, Stephanie Neil of Manufacturing Automation wrote that Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) must fit into our integration equation.
Neil writes:
“MES has historically been considered an isolated application responsible only for managing the flow on the factory floor. But today MES also takes orders from ERP, keeps tabs on inventory in the warehouse, and monitors packaging before it is pushed out the door to distribution. The software is, indeed, integrated into the enterprise.”
What Neil teases at in the paragraph above is a viable powerhouse of a solution – an integrated system combining engineering and manufacturing that leads to unprecedented efficiency and operational improvement.
And what this means for manufacturers is:
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More effective communication – As Neil writes, MES can deliver work instructions to move a product prototype into production on the factory floor, helping to solidify communication between different departments.
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Greater Inventory Visibility –MES helps team members across departments and across the globe keep tabs on all available materials.
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Improved Processes – Achieved with better alignment between manufacturing and departments ranging from engineering to finance.
With MES integration, manufacturers can experience greater speed and management during everything from product shipment to product recalls – and even help significantly reduce manufacturing mistakes. And it’s this that will lead to our ultimate objective – improving our bottom-line.
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Contact STAEDEAN to learn more about integration of Manufacturing Execution Systems.
Luciano Cunha
