Every task tied to a person
Operators log their time against every job. You see how far along each job is, who’s working on it and when it will be finished.
For Australian fabricators and job shops
Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
No more black box: everyone, from the factory to the front office, knows what’s happening and what needs to happen next.
Definition
What is manufacturing execution system software?
A manufacturing execution system is software that collects production data from your machines and operators to track and manage jobs as they happen. MES extends our advanced planning and scheduling software, so every scheduled job is tracked through to completion. It can also connect to your ERP, sending labour hours, material use and completion updates back to your accounting.
- Collects production data from sensors and operator tablets, so you see order status, machine workload and shop floor activity as it happens.
- Tracks material, labour and uptime against each job, so you know where the time and money went.
- Replaces paper forms with digital ones, which cuts errors and keeps quality checks consistent.
- Extends the AI Estimator and AI Scheduler so you protect margin and delivery dates from quote to finished job.
- Alerts your supervisor when a job stalls or a machine stops, so problems get fixed before they hold up the next job.
Sound familiar?
What happens when you run a shop without MES?
- Instructions pass by word of mouth or on job cards that go missing or out of date
- Operators walk the floor looking for a supervisor to get an answer
- Every operator and shift does the job a different way
- Nobody can say where a job is on the floor
- Every customer enquiry means someone chasing a completion update
- Reports and dashboards are built by hand, so they cost staff time and go stale
SHOP FLOOR CONTROL
What are the benefits of a manufacturing execution system?
Know where every job is, back your operators, control your costs and keep machines running.
Know where every job is
96%+
on-time delivery
See live production status from the office
Know what’s running, paused or finished without walking the floor. Detailed reporting shows which jobs are at risk and which need urgent attention.
Transparent status tracking for customers
Customers check their own orders, which gives them confidence in your dates and frees your team from chasing updates.
Improve operator performance
45 min
saved per operator, per shift
Everything operators need, at the workstation
Operators save up to 45 minutes per shift with everything they need at their fingertips. Up-to-date drawings, pick lists, standard operating procedures and change notes are all on the tablet, so they get the work done right the first time and don’t lose time hunting for answers.
Improve quality by catching defects early
Hold points are mandatory stops in the workflow. When operators finish a step, they inspect their work before the job moves on, so defects don’t travel down the line. Each digital inspection report is measured against your tolerances and filed to the job.
Coach where it counts
Work time shows when operators take longer than their peers, so you can see who may need additional training or support. Operators often report feeling unsupported and left to flounder. Step in when it’s most needed and grow your operators’ skills.
Control input costs
10–20%
wage savings
90%
less rework
Hours tracked against every job
Operators clock on and off jobs on the tablet, and the exact time, down to the minute, is billed against the correct job. Daily timesheets are ready for payroll, so nobody retypes hours at the end of the week.
Materials tracked as they’re used
The allocated bill of materials is generated as a pick list for every job. Operators record what they actually used and add any extras. Actual usage goes back to your ERP, so stock and costs stay right on a rolling basis, reducing the need for all-out, factory-wide inventory counts.
Reduced overtime
When everyone is on task, accountable and working from an optimised schedule, overtime is reduced to emergencies only, controlling wage costs.
Less work in progress, less stock
Jobs are released to the floor when they’re needed, not before, so half-finished work stops piling up. Stock is ordered against real demand, so less cash sits tied up in stock and work in progress.
Improve uptime
75%
less time spent chasing and waiting
Flag problems the moment they happen
Operators call for help from the tablet or the Andon alert system. The right people are alerted straight away, so any delay gets attention before it holds up the rest of the shop.
Find the bottleneck costing you most
Sensors and downtime tracking show when each machine is running, idle or down, and the reason why. Track your OEE to make sure you’re using your capacity as effectively as you can, and see where bottlenecks are costing you time, so you fix the biggest losses first.
Fix machines before they fail
Wireless sensors watch vibration and temperature and alert you by email, SMS or the mobile app when a machine starts running rough or overheating. You plan the repair before it stops a job.
In practice
How does a manufacturing execution system work?
Here’s what happens when a machine fails mid-job.
Step 1: The machine jams, supervisor flagged
The sensor logs the errant readings and inactivity, and the supervisor is alerted via SMS or email.
Step 2: Operator asks for help
Operator raises the Andon red light for assistance, and picks a downtime reason from a list: machine jam.
Step 3: The schedule rebuilds
With the machine out of rotation, the day’s jobs are reshuffled. The operator jumps onto a new workstation within minutes.
Step 4: A new due date is issued
The front office can see that the job is at risk of running late. The revised completion date is the next day, and they pre-emptively call the customer to notify them.
Step 5: The lost time and material are recorded
Downtime and wasted material are logged against the job margin.
Success Story
How a 70-year-old factory went digital
A.D. Coote replaced duplicated spreadsheets and manual time capture with live job data.
“We find ourselves in a space where we are controlling those jobs from A to Z and knowing exactly the path each job has travelled. Are there any bottlenecks? What sort of delays are we finding? We’ve now got all this data that we can collate and turn into real knowledge, something usable.”
Charles DeVos, A.D. Coote
Explore
Manufacturing execution system components
Finite Capacity Scheduling
Plan every job around the people, machines and materials you actually have.
Work Order Tracking
See live job status without walking the floor.
Operator App
Job packs, pick lists, digital forms and chat on a tablet.
Quality Management
Quality checks and safety inspections, signed off and saved to the job.
Inventory Management
Know what material you have and what each job used.
Downtime and OEE
See why machines stop, identify bottlenecks and monitor capacity.
Customer Portal
Customers check their own order status.