Where Information and Operational Technologies Converge: The Importance of a MES (Manufacturing Execution System)

How do you create synergies created between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) in industry and manufacturing? And where does a MES (Manufacturing Execution System) come into play here? Discover how merging data and technologies increases efficiency and gives you a more integrated view of the production process. We will also be looking at the development and benefits of an MES.

What does IT/OT convergence mean?

IT/OT convergence refers to a company integrating information technology and operating technology, particularly in industrial and manufacturing facilities. Information technology tends to include systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), but also covers cloud connections and production IT. Traditionally, this has been used to process work preparation information and orders as well as quality and plant management issues at the lowest level. OT involves software that monitors and controls the physical devices in an industrial plant, i.e. physical workflows, processes and events.

These two areas, traditionally separate, are increasingly being brought together to create synergies and increase efficiency. IT/OT convergence means dissolving the separation between these two areas and seamlessly integrating their technologies and data.

The bridge between IT and OT data is traditionally where Manufacturing Operation Management (MOM) comes in, together with its central system, the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Today, these are used in very specialized forms for individual industries and production processes and can be found managing entire plants or individual systems.

As an IT solution at store floor level, MES has developed into the backbone production system for discrete manufacturing. It supports the planning, monitoring, documentation and control of manufacturing processes in real time. MES acts as a link between the higher corporate level of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and the industrial automation level with its process control and machine control systems.

What are the core functions of an MES?

In 1997, the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International, or MESA for short, defined eleven essential functions of a production control system. Although the MESA 11 model has evolved over the years, these eleven key functions are still the bedrock for operations in almost every type of plant and are an indispensable part of today’s production control systems. The functions are as follows 1:

Dispatching production units: Covers the planning, monitoring and execution of production orders, including optimizing production sequences and allocating resources.
Data collection: Captures real-time data from various production areas, including machines, sensors and manual entries.
Quality management: Monitors and ensures product quality by collecting and analyzing quality data throughout the manufacturing process.
Resource allocation and status: Tracks material consumption, monitors stock levels and supports material replenishment management.
Product tracking and genealogy: Enables complete product traceability throughout the entire manufacturing process and makes it easier to identify anything affected by a recall.
Operations / detailed scheduling: Provides functions to monitor and control machines and systems in real time.
Maintenance management: Allows you to maximize the availability of machines and systems through effective maintenance scheduling.
Labor management: Lets you track and manage employee work schedules on the factory floor. Track employee schedules, qualifications and authorizations to optimize labor management with less managerial time and resources.
Process management: Monitors and analyzes the performance of the entire production process, helping to identify bottlenecks and increase efficiency.
Performance analysis: Monitors and optimizes energy consumption in the production process.
Document control: Encompasses the management and distribution of documents (incl. work instructions, drawings, SOPs, batch records) so that they are accessible and editable to all stakeholders.

The advantages of using an MES

MESs have become well established over the years and significantly increased quality and productivity levels as well as the ability to keep to production deadlines. In general, an MES has a series of significant advantages:

Lower reject rate
Real-time quality controls let you identify production issues as they happen and immediately halt manufacturing. This reduces waste.

Greater efficiency throughout the plant
Extensive insight into production data enables you to plan manufacturing schedules that increase productive time and optimize resource utilization.

Up-to-date inventories
This reduces money tied up in stock.

Paperless production
This minimizes the potential for human error and improves decision-making processes.

Simpler product traceability
This helps you comply with regulations and also optimizes your production process.

The development of manufacturing execution systems

The old ways are still valid, but they are no longer enough

The MESA-11 model focuses on the core functions of an MES. The International Society of Automation (ISA) recognized the importance of both standardized terminology and an information model for defining and integrating activities between companies and control systems. It therefore developed the ISA-95 standard at the end of the 1990s.

By standardizing the terminology, ISA-95 facilitates effective communication between all parties, including suppliers and producers. A coherent model also reduces the risk of errors when integrating production equipment into enterprise systems.

ISA-95 defines the link between control and business functions to establish technology and business process levels. In a simplified model of this hierarchy, the production control systems are located on the third level, between corporate planning and logistics and the process control systems.

The MES system is so important because it acts as a functional layer between the ERP system and the process control systems on the factory floor, providing manufacturers with real-time workflow visibility, flexibility and insight into how best to improve company-wide manufacturing operations.

These necessary work levels are increasingly being supplemented by further networking features to enable an unhindered flow of data. In IT/OT convergence, this is ensured through the use of edge cloud systems, which make new capabilities available for OT. The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) has listed key orientation points in its guidelines VDMA 66412-40 2019-10, where in chapter 6.32 it outlines the expected changes in how these systems will be used in the future. We have summarized the main points in the next two paragraphs:

Future manufacturing execution systems (MES) will differ from today’s in many respects. Important tasks in the manufacturing environment will remain, but will require a new approach. Companies will no longer use a monolithic MES, but an orchestrated network of individual services that perform clearly defined tasks. These services may come from different providers and provide data either centrally or decentrally.

In addition, applications that are currently considered separate entities will merge together. For example, building automation will become closely linked to production control, which will enable new functions in energy management, climate control and intralogistics. Scenarios such as predictive maintenance will benefit from collated data from within the company and from machine manufacturers or service providers. This can pave the way for new business models such as pay-per-use or the hourly rental of machines, leading to greater scalability and efficiency in production.

We have observed that our customers who are progressing in this area also remember their MES when modernizing their OT and expand this node to become the backbone system in the factory for functionality and integration capabilities.

The SEEBURGER BIS platform is an integration platform that ensures that different services and data sources can be connected with each other, regardless of whether they are centralized or decentralized. To this end, it enables seamless collaboration and interaction between the various components of the MES.

The challenge of business integration today and tomorrow

Today’s focus: Harmonizing MES and ERP integration

A key driver of integration on the store floor is better consistency between the factory level (MES) and the enterprise level (ERP). This gives you transparency on capacities, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and quality across all plants, as well as optimized control of value streams and adaptability of production that help to increase the responsiveness and resilience of manufacturing companies.

This begins with a seamless and harmonized link between MES and ERP. This allows companies to react quickly to changes in customer demand, legal requirements or quality fluctuations in individual batches and adjust their production plans accordingly. This enables them to be more flexible and reduce throughput times.

Integrating the manufacturing execution and enterprise resource planning systems also improves a company’s operational processes. Automated data exchange between the two systems reduces the need for manual intervention and the potential for human error. This leads to more reliable, accurate data, which in turn leads to better decision making and more efficient use of resources.

Digital twins give the convergence of IT and OT a counterpart on the other side of IT, enabling higher-resolution analytics in the company’s own cloud. The findings can be sent downstream to the factory floor via the MES and immediately influence operations there. The starting point for secure external communication is often harmonizing internal systems, while the ability to exchange production data with company partners is also becoming increasingly relevant.

Future focus: MES-centric integration

IIoT technologies open up a direct service space for analysis and optimization directly at the MES level. On the one hand, integrated sensors makes it possible to collect real-time data on the status of a wide range of machines, production systems and their environment, but also to incorporate new capabilities for the aggregated use of this data. By orchestrating these services, it is not only possible to automatically detect at an early stage when a machine is at risk of breaking down, but also to directly initiate appropriate measures such as inspection, maintenance or spare parts supply in order to minimize downtimes and maximize productivity. As a backbone system, the MES is not only becoming a provider of data in B2B, but also a consumer of digital services. Innovative companies are already upgrading their integration capabilities for this.

Takeaway: Unlocking potential for greater productivity with SEEBURGER

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers enormous potential for increased productivity, process reliability and rapid innovation. The SEEBURGER BIS platform provides the foundation for agile integration to unlock the business value of Industry 4.0 technology. The B2B/EDI, MFT, API and IIoT capabilities on the SEEBURGER BIS platform, combined with ready-to-use cloud integration services and the expertise of our consultants, help you connect, integrate and automate your ecosystem of manufacturing processes, equipment and facilities from shop floor to top floor.

Source: https://blog.seeburger.com/where-information-and-operational-technologies-converge-the-importance-of-a-manufacturing-execution-system-mes/