Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) 101

This functionality enables finite-capacity scheduling: considering all constraints (e.g., machines, labor, materials, tooling) to generate realistic, achievable production plans. This allows manufacturers to calculate more accurate lead times, optimize sequencing, plan changeovers, and schedule predictive maintenance.

Tracking and management of resources in real time helps ensure the right equipment, materials, and people are available and ready when needed to meet production and scheduling goals. This helps prevent bottlenecks and under- or over-allocation of resources.

This function directs the flow of jobs, batches, or orders from planning systems into production on the shop floor in alignment with production schedules. It allows for real-time changes like rework, recovery, or salvage and management of work-in-progress (WIP) buffers. It also maintains records of work performed, customer communications, and notes, and can track customer profitability.

Dispatching automatically assigns the right resources to the right job by matching skill sets, territories, customer requirements and resource costs, enabling manufacturers to cut costs by up to 25%.

Document integration functionality manages and distributes relevant documents such as work instructions, process specs, design drawings, certifications, and safety/ISO compliance documents. Part images, videos, csv, pdf, etc., can be uploaded into the MES system to give operators easy ongoing access to correct, up-to-date procedures.

Tracking includes the full history of every unit, batch, or lot—from raw materials through production and packaging. This feature maintains records of which machine, operator, and materials were used, at what times, and under what conditions, enabling traceability, recall capability, and compliance. Especially for manufacturers in regulated industries, comprehensive tracking is key for risk mitigation and consumer protection.

Performance analysis compares live and historical performance data—such as machine utilization, cycle times, throughput, scrap, downtime, and schedule conformance—to targets or benchmarks. This provides decision-makers with insight into key performance indicators (KPIs) like OEE, resource utilization, production cost, lead time, and many more.

Labor management functionality tracks and manages operator assignments, skills, and authorizations. It monitors labor time by activity, such as direct production time, tool-room activity, material prep, and indirect tasks. This insight enables better labor allocation, shift planning, and activity-based costing.

Maintenance management includes planning, scheduling, and logging maintenance and tool/machine usage. The MES tracks machine cycles, tool life, and timing of maintenance activities, enabling predictive or preventive maintenance programs that increase efficiency, prolong machine life, and minimize downtime.

Process management monitors process data like machine states, operating parameters, changeovers, transitions, and inter-machine flows. It can then make automatic corrections or provide necessary details to guide corrective actions from operators to improve in-process activities.

The MES captures and analyzes critical process and product quality data (e.g., temperatures, pressures, cycle parameters), and compares them to engineering specifications. This functionality provides a basis for statistical process/quality control (SPC/SQC), rejecting defective parts and triggering alerts or shutdowns if parameters are violated to maintain consistent product quality and compliance. It also supports offline inspection operations and maintenance of laboratory information management systems (LIMS).

An MES allows for the creation of QC data entry events associated with production job data. As samples are inspected, the resulting data is recorded, time-stamped, and associated with production jobs or part numbers. This allows quality control data entry events to be recalled and reviewed for historical jobs and custom QC data entry forms to be created that display QC event data according to customer requirements.

The MES collects data from machines, sensors, lab systems, or operators in real time. This data is then used in analytics and displayed in reports and dashboards. The data is also used for purposes like ensuring traceability, verifying maintenance logs, and maintaining quality control records.