iBase-t Experts

With so many manufacturers focusing on operational excellence and global competition a given, it is not surprising that quality has become a critical control point. Manufacturers have variously deployed quality control (QC), quality management (QM) and/or quality assurance (QA), or product assurance (PA) in complex discrete manufacturing to drive quality throughout their operations.

The theme of our latest educational webinar, Pick the Right Metrics for MES Success, can be seen as an extension of the need to reevaluate the selection process for a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

Roughly ten years ago Quality Management System (QMS) software was still primarily paper-based, focused strictly on plant floor manufacturing operations. The market began to transform, and along came the term “eQMS” to designate it was “electronic” or did not require the use of paper.

As I pointed out in a previous article, “Manufacturing Intelligence is More Than Just Charts and Gauges,” I provided a brief history of enterprise manufacturing intelligence. I explained how it has evolved, what new market entrants now exist, and what the following generation product has become.

With new technologies from robotics to IoT devices, the manufacturing industry has experienced a drastic transformation. Most of these advanced technologies rely on data to help manufacturers make smarter decisions and optimize their operations.

Over the past year, much has been presented on the “what, why, and when” of technical debt.

While many benefits can easily document a successful MES install, the challenge is achieving the forecasted benefits quickly (or even at all) based on how the project is planned, the pilot site is identified, or what decisions are made early in the design process.

Those managing manufacturing operations may think its better to delay upgrading their MES, but by understanding the opportunity cost or risk of deferring an MES upgrade, however, might lead to a different conclusion.

The theme of our fourth educational webinar, The Importance of End User Acceptance, was a reminder of how important it is to engage with those who will be using an MES or any other IT system as part of the implementation. Here's a summary of what was discussed.