Discover the Vimachem Pharma MES Platform
What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?
What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a software-based solution designed to enhance manufacturing processes on the shop floor.
MES platforms provide an array of capabilities that monitor, track, document, and control the entire production lifecycle.
Today, cloud-based, AI-powered Manufacturing Execution Systems automate quality control and increase uptime, streamlining procedures and strategically optimizing all resources and costs.
MES: An overview
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) offers diverse tools and insightful data to increase operational efficiency.
What does a Manufacturing Execution System do?
MES systems monitor and control the entire production process, contributing to information-driven decisions from the plant floor to the executive leadership team.
They help coordinate processes and provide visibility into all critical functions, such as production control and monitoring, equipment and asset health, automated procedures, and quality control.
How does a Manufacturing Execution System work?
By delivering real-time analytics, MES systems enable better decision-making and foster continuous improvements.
Modern cloud-based MESs contribute to higher uptime and visibility, while IIoT capabilities further enhance operations with massive data-gathering and data-sharing opportunities – for all companies big and small.
In strictly regulated industries like pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, intelligent MES platforms ensure regulatory compliance and adequately document procedures.
In this way, the risk of recall is considerably minimized, while traceability is maintained if a need arises.
But, there are many more benefits to using a Manufacturing Execution System for any company involved in production.
8 Top benefits of MES in Enterprise Operations
Here’s how MES can help you leverage your business, no matter its size.
1. Improved efficiency & reduced waste
An MES provides real-time data, promptly identifying any deviations and inefficiencies on the shop floor. If a problem arises, processes can be quickly halted, and any issues can be swiftly repaired.
This translates to enhanced quality control and a significant reduction in waste, excess production, and the need to rework.
2. Increased uptime
Manufacturing Execution Systems create realistic production schedules by balancing personnel, materials, and equipment resources.
For example, MES systems track inventory and streamline processes, avoiding interruptions due to raw material deficiencies or parts in transit.
Moreover, integrating data from machines with an MES maximizes product flow and asset utilization, leading to increased uptime and improved OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness).
3. Paperless shop floor
MES platforms perform recordkeeping in real-time directly from the shop floor. By eliminating the need for paper reports and logbooks, organizations can collect accurate data to evaluate business models and forecast prices.
Paperless shop floor models provide instant access to data across all integrated systems, supporting real-time and informed decision-making. The Electronic Batch Record helps streamline production and reduce quality defects, Weigh & Dispense Systems help guide operators and reduce human error while streamlining dispensing activities and Electronic Logbooks maximizes data integrity, and enables real-time monitoring of all production, cleaning, maintenance, breakdowns, or calibration events – ensuring organizations are compliant and efficient.
4. Optimized inventory
An Intelligent MES continuously updates inventory records, including data on new production, on scrap, and on non-conforming materials.
Such instantaneous information allows purchasing, shipping, and scheduling departments to know the exact material available. Just-in-Case (JIC) and Work-in-Process (WIP) inventory is reduced, adding to further savings on transportation, storage, and inventory management costs.
5. Improved product tracking and genealogy
An MES tracks the entire production cycle, from start to finish, associating finished goods or batches with their respective manufacturing data.
These comprehensive tracking capabilities enhance regulatory compliance, particularly for manufacturers subject to stringent government or industry regulations.
6. Improved quality control
A Manufacturing Execution System documents all quality standards and specifications established for every product, offering clear assessment standards.
It also performs scheduled quality inspections at specific stages, preventing defective products from advancing through the production line. And when a quality issue is detected, AI Manufacturing Execution Systems assist humans to identify and correct the root cause.
In fact, the system’s detailed reporting capabilities facilitate quality management at all organizational levels.
7. Reduced overall costs
Streamlining production using an MES helps lower manufacturing costs related to:
- Staff and shifts
- Inventory
- Release times
- Batch failures
- Tracing errors
- Operator errors
- Efficiency analyses
- Waste
- Compliance
- Miscommunications
Plus, all kinds of industry-specific expenses along the way.
8. Seamless integrations
Advanced MES platforms integrate with other software involved in manufacturing, thereby enhancing data integrity and end-to-end knowledge transfer. For example:
MES integration with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
An MES ERP integration facilitates data sharing containing vital information on quantities, part numbers, or shipping. Hence, it helps improve demand forecasting, inventory management, and order fulfillment.
MES integration with APS (Advanced Planning & Scheduling)
MES APS integrations combine real-time process tracking and management with production planning and scheduling. This unified approach strengthens performance, operational efficiency, and enterprise management.
MES integration with LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)
MES LIMS integrations are widely used in biotech, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and manufacturing (material testing) industries.
MES integration with CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)
MES CMMS integration provides a unified platform for real-time process monitoring, equipment maintenance, and asset management. By combining production data with maintenance records, businesses can optimize equipment performance, minimize downtime, and improve overall operational efficiency.
This sophisticated combination facilitates digital product (and data) processing so that manufacturing and laboratory operations can work together seamlessly and in real-time.
For example, a MES LIMS approach assists labs in meeting data management requirements while enabling statistical analyses on huge amounts of data.
Digitize your pharma manufacturing with Vimachem's MES!
Core features of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) - functions
The core MES features are set by MESA International™ (Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association). This is a non-profit organization that brings together manufacturers and solution providers in order to develop common approaches and terminology for Manufacturing Execution Systems.
According to the framework established by mesa.org the core capabilities and functions of MES systems include:
Operations Management
An operations management functionality sets precise delivery predictions by considering plant constraints such as materials, machinery, labor, etc. This allows the entire staff to be on the same page for production orders and routing.
Resource Management
Guides and tracks the utilization of all assets (people, machines, tools, materials), providing real-time status and detailed history. Managing these resources ensures that everything is set up right to meet operational scheduling goals.
Dispatching Production Unit
Manages material routing and directs production workflows according to production plans. It orchestrates WIP by adjusting schedules and plans in real-time and controls the bidirectional flow of production data between the ERP and the production floor.
Performance Analysis
Compares actual manufacturing results to goals and metrics, consolidates data, and calculates KPIs. It presents an in-depth report of current production processes, pinpointing areas for improvement.
Maintenance Management
Plans and executes maintenance activities to ensure optimal equipment performance, keeping a detailed record of all issues. Based on this historical data, it diagnoses problems and logs alarms for immediate failures, thus reducing downtime and production interruptions.
Process Management
Directs workflow and operational sequencing based on production plans and actual activities, automating corrections or supporting decision-makers for in-process improvements. It also tracks processes between operations and provides full production traceability.
Data Collection/Acquisition
Gathers, monitors, and organizes comprehensive data (including data from machine processes, staff operations, materials, and quality control). This data is automatically entered into the appropriate forms and records of the production unit – easily retrieved when needed.
Product Tacking & Genealogy
Monitors the progress of units and batches, providing traceability of a product’s history, components, and production process. This is a core function for manufacturers that must adhere to government or industry regulations.
Labor Management
Tracks and manages the activity of operations personnel on a shift-level, based on qualifications, work patterns, and business needs, as well as other components such as resource allocation, authorizations, tool room work, etc.
The aim is to analyze labor-related processes and eventually optimize cost, efficiency, and well-being, so that the right people are always at the right place – every step of the way.
Document Control
Provides an easy way for operators to access vital documents and quickly find specific information on each document.
Thanks to document control, certifications, compliance, regulations, ISO information, instructions, drawings, and notes are always a few clicks away.
Quality Management
Records, tracks, and analyzes product and process characteristics to ensure quality control – including quality deviations and exceptions. By providing real-time measurement analyses, it can identify issues, make recommendations on fixing them, and determine the cause.
Some of the best Manufacturing Executions Systems available today have integrated Quality Management functions. Alternatively, a third-party software can be used.
Undoubtedly, depending on the niche, different manufacturers have different requirements. They may need to manage product variations, ensure traceability of parts used, or follow strict regulatory compliance guidelines.
For instance, in the life science industry, cloud-based Manufacturing Executions Systems are indispensable tools for biotech companies and Pharma 4.0 manufacturing.
MES in Biotech Production
According to recent statistics, the pharmaceutical industry is the second-largest end-user industry in the MES market globally.
Overall, the MES in life sciences market size was estimated at USD 2.77 billion last year, expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.2% until 2030.
Why do we need a MES in Biotech?
Manufacturing Execution Systems assist life science industries to run flawless operations, minimize risks, and enhance product quality.
In fact, having a cloud-based AI MES is a major prerequisite for Pharma 4.0.
But it also helps Pharma & Biopharma manufacturers in many other ways:
- Speeds time to market.
- Enables full digitization.
- Allows remote operations and remote end-to-end visibility.
- Safeguards compliance and patient quality expectations.
The Vimachem Pharma MES platform utilizes AI and IIoT capabilities to provide pharmaceutical and biotech companies with intelligent, modular solutions for Manufacturing Operations Management.
Designed specifically for life sciences, the Vimachem Pharma MES empowers organizations to scale rapidly and adapt with greater flexibility. If you’re looking for an MES that’s quick to implement, user-friendly for your team, easy to maintain, and seamlessly integrates with your existing systems, simply request a demo today.
// Want to learn more?
Contact us
Ready To Augment Your Shop Floor Operations?
Ready To Augment Your Shop Floor Operations?
Vimachem Manufacturing Analytics - OEE
The Manufacturing Analytics – OEE module is an intelligent Pharma OEE Cloud solution that allows you to collect, store and visualize data across your site / enterprise and apply AI algorithms to optimize production efficiency and product quality.