The missing link in digital transformation
FEATURE
Helping hand- Moksud Ahmed is head of manufacturing execution systems at Industrial Technology Systems( ITS).
MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS
The missing link in digital transformation
PICTURES: STUART BOULTON
Moksud Ahmed explains how ITS can support
About the author: Moksud Ahmed is head of manufacturing execution systems( MES) at Industrial Technology Systems( ITS). With more than 10 years’ experience delivering digital manufacturing solutions across regulated industries, he helps organisations improve productivity, compliance and operational performance through practical digital transformation.
For many manufacturing organisations,“ digital transformation” has become one of the most talked about business topics of the last decade.
Artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, automation, smart factories and cloud technologies dominate manufacturing discussions, yet many organisations still struggle to answer some surprisingly simple questions, such as:
What is happening on the factory floor right now? Why did production stop this morning? Are we producing efficiently today? Can we trace every product from raw material to finished goods?
The reality of the situation is that while many organisations have invested in enterprise resource planning( ERP) systems to manage finance, purchasing and sales, there is often a gap between those business systems and what is actually happening on the production line.
This is exactly where manufacturing execution systems( MES) come in.
What is MES? Simply put, MES acts as the digital nervous system of a manufacturing operation: it connects people, machines and production processes, collecting real-time information from the shop floor and turning it into meaningful business intelligence, aimed at driving continuous improvement activities and stronger decision making.
Instead of relying on paper records, spreadsheets or manual updates at the end of a shift, managers gain immediate visibility into production performance as it happens. This allows them to react with meaningful actions, instead of discussing the root cause and potential actions once the situation cannot be changed anymore.
Imagine driving a car with only yesterday’ s dashboard information. You wouldn’ t know your speed, fuel level or engine temperature until the following day.
That would be unthinkable, yet this is the comparable situation in many organisations. This is where MES can provide organisations with a live dashboard for their entire operation.
Beyond automation There is a misconception that MES is simply another automation system which adds to the existing layers.
The biggest difference between MES and an automation system is that while an automation system makes machines run, MES makes factories run smarter.
Nowadays most production facilities already incorporate sophisticated equipment which are capable of producing huge amounts of data. Unfortunately, most of that information remains trapped inside individual machines.
MES brings those disconnected pieces together, providing a complete picture of production. This allows operators, supervisors and management teams to see the same trusted information, helping everyone make faster and betterinformed decisions which aids continuous improvement.
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