Digital journey of a person observing complex data patterns on futuristic screens
Factory shopfloor for discrete products with operator in the background

The advantages of MES software

MES software is at the heart of your manufacturing business, where all the data surrounding the production process comes together. With this data, you can improve the production process in a targeted way and strive for operational excellence. To achieve operational excellence, it is essential to get a grip on customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, commercial impact and raw material use efficiency. Below are a few benefits of MES software that can support you in this optimisation drive.

Improved quality assurance

Because quality information is transmitted and analysed in real time from the shopfloor, production companies can react reactively, preventively or even predictively to potential quality problems in the production process. In addition, quality measures are enforced during execution, ensuring even higher quality assurance.

Manufacturing Execution Systems help minimise waste and reduce risk of downtime by providing insight into real-time KPIs such as rejection rates, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and First Pass Yield (FPY) ratios.

Increased shopfloor revenues

With MES software, you can create a realistic production schedule that takes into account the availability of personnel, materials and equipment. By integrating planning and maintenance into these schedules, you can benefit from an optimal production flow and efficient use of resources. This contributes to higher uptime and improves the overall effectiveness of your equipment (OEE, Overall Equipment Effectiveness).

Improved product tracking

An MES system tracks the entire production cycle so that the final parts or batches are enriched with the right production data. This data makes it easier for you as a manufacturer to comply with industry requirements or national regulations.

Paperless manufacturing

Storing data digitally offers opportunities for easy learning from this data. MES systems help operators execute the production process efficiently with digital tools such as work instructions, checklists and the ability to log issues digitally.

MES systems can even provide proactive or predictive notifications based on data from Internet Of Things sensors on existing production machines. This allows even older machines to be seamlessly integrated into your Manufacturing Execution System.

Improved quality assurance

Because quality information is transmitted and analysed in real time from the shopfloor, production companies can react reactively, preventively or even predictively to potential quality problems in the production process. In addition, quality measures are enforced during execution, ensuring even higher quality assurance.

Manufacturing Execution Systems help minimise waste and reduce risk of downtime by providing insight into real-time KPIs such as rejection rates, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and First Pass Yield (FPY) ratios.

Increased shopfloor revenues

With MES software, you can create a realistic production schedule that takes into account the availability of personnel, materials and equipment. By integrating planning and maintenance into these schedules, you can benefit from an optimal production flow and efficient use of resources. This contributes to higher uptime and improves the overall effectiveness of your equipment (OEE, Overall Equipment Effectiveness).

Improved product tracking

An MES system tracks the entire production cycle so that the final parts or batches are enriched with the right production data. This data makes it easier for you as a manufacturer to comply with industry requirements or national regulations.

Paperless manufacturing

Storing data digitally offers opportunities for easy learning from this data. MES systems help operators execute the production process efficiently with digital tools such as work instructions, checklists and the ability to log issues digitally.

MES systems can even provide proactive or predictive notifications based on data from Internet Of Things sensors on existing production machines. This allows even older machines to be seamlessly integrated into your Manufacturing Execution System.

Traditional MES software

From a traditional point of view, a Manufacturing Execution System consists of 11 core functions. These core functions were defined by the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA International) in 1997.

The 11 core functions of an MES system are resource allocation and status, operations/detailed planning, dispatching of production units, document control, data collection and provision, labour management, quality management, process management, maintenance management, product tracking and product provenance and performance analysis.

Although traditional MES systems are perceived as complex and heavy, flexible MES solutions are also available today. This flexible variant makes it easier for manufacturing companies to optimise their production processes.

Discrete manufacturing shopfloor
Production environment in factory

MES Light

Contemporary manufacturing companies benefit from flexible MES solutions that are fully customisable to the specific needs of their production process. A lightweight MES system not only provides the core functionalities essential for managing and optimising production, but also helps you actually get closer to operational excellence faster.

Below you can read about the main advantages of an MES Light system.

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The advantages of MES Light

Faster implementation

Our MES Light solution is effortless to implement in existing production environments. As a result, you benefit faster from insight into your production process.

This allows you to quickly gain insights from your production process and start implementing optimisations. Once you combine these insights with our Management Consulting and Data & Analytics services, you significantly accelerate the digital transformation of your production process.

Flexibility and scalability

The MES Light system consists of 40+ customisable modules. As a result, there is always a composition of functionality to suit the needs of your shopfloor. Because the MES Light system consists of modules, you can start with the standard MES Light set-up and scale up at a later stage.

Customisation needs

Every manufacturing process is unique, but your manufacturing process is better and truly distinctive from the competition. A Manufacturing Execution System should not only be flexible but also adaptable to your production process.

Because the MES Light system was developed on the Mendix platform and integrates seamlessly with various ERP packages, company-specific requirements can be developed effortlessly.

The advantages of MES Light

Faster implementation

Our MES Light solution is effortless to implement in existing production environments. As a result, you benefit faster from insight into your production process.

This allows you to quickly gain insights from your production process and start implementing optimisations. Once you combine these insights with our Management Consulting and Data & Analytics services, you significantly accelerate the digital transformation of your production process.

Flexibility and scalability

The MES Light system consists of 40+ customisable modules. As a result, there is always a composition of functionality to suit the needs of your shopfloor. Because the MES Light system consists of modules, you can start with the standard MES Light set-up and scale up at a later stage.

Customisation needs

Every manufacturing process is unique, but your manufacturing process is better and truly distinctive from the competition. A Manufacturing Execution System should not only be flexible but also adaptable to your production process.

Because the MES Light system was developed on the Mendix platform and integrates seamlessly with various ERP packages, company-specific requirements can be developed effortlessly.

PLM, ERP and MES integrations

In the modern production world, MES, ERP and PLM are not each other's opposites. Indeed, the collaboration between MES, ERP and PLM provides a new layer of insights that neither system can offer separately.

Together ERP, PLM and MES create an integrated ecosystem that provides a comprehensive overview of finance, procurement, supply chain management, production logistics and more. You can also extend the overview further by developing integrations between other OT and IT sources such as a Bill of Materials portals. Based on this, you can make forecasts for various aspects such as sales, resource utilisation or production management.

An ERP system provides insight to decide which products to produce, while an MES system combines ERP information with data from the factory floor to determine how to produce the products with less waste and more profit.



OT machines + IT software integrations
Data dashboard, Factory, One operator, machines controlled by software and integrations

MES and Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing is an innovative manufacturing concept in which Cloud connectivity plays a central role, enabling advanced production systems, equipment and products to communicate with each other autonomously.

Devices and sensors with IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) functionality continuously collect data throughout the supply chain. This real-time data exchange enables smart factories to continuously improve their processes and operate more efficiently. Cloud integrations on national and intercontinental MES systems allow you to optimise production environments location-independently.

MES systems play a crucial role in this by connecting the digital (IT) and physical (OT) worlds. 

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Frequently asked questions about MES

What is an MES system?

A Manufacturing Execution System, or MES, is a comprehensive and dynamic system that monitors, tracks, documents and controls all steps of a production process, from raw materials to finished goods.

MES software acts as a link between ERP systems (IT) and production machinery (OT). This software layer provides essential information that helps decision-makers improve the efficiency of their production processes, resulting in higher productivity and profitability.

Once you combine these insights with Management Consulting and Data & Analytics services, you significantly accelerate the digital transformation of your manufacturing process.

What is an MES Light system?

In essence, MES Light provides an efficient and flexible solution for manufacturing companies looking to optimise their processes without the complexity of traditional systems.

MES Light enables manufacturing companies to make adjustments even faster and manage their production environment more effectively.

How do you improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)?

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) can be improved by optimising machine availability, performance and quality.

This starts with identifying and minimising downtime through regular maintenance and quick breakdown analysis. It is also important to analyse production processes and eliminate bottlenecks so that machines can run at their optimal speed.

If you have a complex production process, this can be challenging. Our Management Consulting and Data & Analytics colleagues are happy to help you optimise towards operational excellence.