Industry 4.0: Manufacturing Executing Systems
September 2019
IT in Manufacturing
Industry 4.0 is set to lead the way for digitisation of manufacturing processes. Manufacturing Executing Systems (MES) are a critical component of Industry 4.0 as they act as an enabler for end-to-end digitisation.
What is MES?
Manufacturing Executing Systems are information systems that control complex manufacturing processes on the factory floor. MES achieves this by tracking and gathering accurate, real-time data about the production lifecycle. The data which is collected is about product genealogy, performance, traceability, material management, WIP and other plant activities. The importance of the MES lies within its functionality as it serves as a layer between the enterprise resource planning (ERP) and the process control systems on the factory floor, giving manufacturers real-time workflow visibility and insight into how best to improve manufacturing operations across the enterprise.
How Industry 4.0 influences MES
Industry 4.0 dictates the end of traditional centralised applications for production control. Industry 4.0’s vision of ecosystems of smart factories with intelligent and autonomous shop-floor entities is inherently decentralised. A new environment is created due to customer demands for tailor-made products. These plants are fuelled by technology enablers such as 3D printing, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, mobile devices and Big Data. Future manufacturing systems, including MES, will have to be built to support this paradigm shift.
Lighthouse MES
S4 Integration offers the South African market a tried and tested MES/MOM platform. Lighthouse MES is modular, consisting of the four main areas of manufacturing operations, namely: production operations, quality operations, inventory operations and maintenance operations.
Lighthouse MES software allows organisations achieve:
• Smart manufacturing through the digitisation of manufacturing processes and operations.
• An uninterrupted thread of time critical data throughout the manufacturing operation.
• An improvement in efficiency, output, compliance and customer satisfaction and.
• The removal of traditional organisational silos to optimise business practices.
S4 Integration offers Lighthouse MES to the end customer covering installation, integrations, development and support. With a number of local installations within the automotive and packaging sector, Lighthouse MES has become synonymous with a Manufacturing Executing System with measurable benefits to the end user.
For more information contact Sigourney Bruintjies, S4 Integration, +27 41 451 1250, sigourney.bruintjies@s4.co.za, www.s4.co.za
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