10 key factors to consider when selecting industrial MES software

The implementation of industrial MES software offers greater precision, control, scale, and speed to shop floors and is one of the strongest growth catalysts any manufacturer can have. For this reason, selecting the best system of this type is one of the biggest challenges that directors and IT managers have to face.

Select the MES system Correctly, it improves product quality, on-time deliveries, and maximises opportunities for new product launches. therein lies the importance of committing to a decision in the choice of an industrial MES software to quickly lead to high-performance manufacturing, good quality, and more satisfied customers.

In today's hyper-transparent world, with lightning-fast answers on social media, at no point in the manufacturing process can anyone afford to be mediocre. On the contrary, they should strive to include all those strategies that lead to the development of highly potential businesses, through the delivery of intelligent and connected products.

In this regard, we address the 10 key factors to consider when selecting industrial MES software:

1. Visit those manufacturers in your area that run some industrial MES software and it's working perfectly for you. You can ask him to show you around the production floor to check how the system is working.

It is always recommended to go beyond PowerPoint slides filled with logos and to get to know the companies that trust industrial MES software and how to identify quality issues and rework in industrial processes to boost our business today.

2. To evaluate the different industrial MES software providers to check which applications their systems offer, since they vary according to the business model and how much customisation they are capable of delivering. This assessment can be flexible to support the production of smart and connected products.
3. Search for MES providers that have analytics and BI applications., to scale the enormous amount of manufacturing, machinery and product data enabled by IoT. Forward-thinking MES providers are capable of providing support for Hadoop, MapReduce and advanced machine learning over algorithms to gain greater insights from massive datasets.

This suite of analytical and BI applications can rapidly create new product and service taxonomies, while being flexible enough to provide new metrics and KPIs.

4. Look for an MES provider that offers platform-level data management support, including integration APIs to enable support for legacy and third-party databases. These product areas should be on the roadmap of MES providers, as your company is the most interested party in working with them.
   A wide range of application options for data management can provide real-time analytics and BI, enabling advanced and predictive reporting. Industrial MES software in the past forced manufacturers to implement rigid, pre-defined data taxonomies, and therefore made new products complex.

5. Having a solid technology stack that supports MES systems is a very useful tool. to help manufacturers deliver smart, connected, and generation products on IoT-enabled devices.
   A proven integration technology stack and strategy allows each manufacturer to scale production across their legacy, on-premise ERP and cloud CRM systems. Different digital business models require new vendors, distribution channels, partners, and service providers; this is why integration technologies must be a core part of any MES provider's integration technology.

6. Check with the supplier that the industrial MES software offers must-haves., as this is the way to expand the application set to include new required capabilities that support entirely new product lines and business models.
   As our business grows, we need our industrial MES software to be increasingly flexible, and to ensure this happens, we must ask for references from customers who have successfully used integration strategies to scale up the scope and reach of their MES applications.

Therefore, it is recommended to ask to speak with clients who have used APIs, SDKs, or have worked with third-party solution providers offering integration of new modules or applications into their MES application.

7. Ensure that the system provides a traceability, genealogy and integration history in the product components with the process where required for regulatory compliance.
   At this point, it is advisable to request demonstrations of tracking and tracing, product genealogy, and process history to verify how well the design of an MES application adapts to your company's specific needs. industrial MES system With these functionalities, it has a greater impact on industries such as food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences.

8. Check that the industrial MES software to be selected integrates easily with Supply Chain Management (SCM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). from the same database platform to enable faster revenue growth.
   This will give you a 360-degree view of your business based on the product configuration lifecycle; manufacturers who have implemented it assure that they dominate make-to-order and configure-to-order, as well as engineer-to-order from product design to the first delivery to the customer, getting ahead of the competition.

9. Confirm that the supplier has proven experience in automating data collection., including real-time monitoring of the machine, ground floor and installation level. The idea is that the supplier can quickly help to resolve issues and move you away from time-consuming manual data entry tasks, using barcode and radio frequency identification (RFID).
   The MES solution providers More advanced systems will be able to store data collected by machine, production line and plant level for the analysis of production performance variations, environmental factors and machinery condition. Solutions that provide event-based alerts are recommended.

10. Ensure that industrial MES software is an integrated quality management system designed to support a wide base of cases, compliance requirements and reporting in production facilities, i.e. have integrated quality scheduling and manufacturing execution.

It is also recommended to ask if the MES and quality management systems share strategies for smart manufacturing, the same line of code, as these will be an indicator of the efficiency in the operations of the entire system.

Find out more about 5 industrial MES system applications you must have in your factory, to clear up any doubts about how this would improve your management. Furthermore, we invite you to review how to successfully select an industrial ERP system in just eight steps and subscribe to Technology for Industry Newsletter, with the most comprehensive content on new industrial technologies, manufacturing innovations, equipment, and automation trends.