The Cardinal Cornerstone for MES Success

Instead of a conventional top down IT view of how to design computerized manufacturing systems, this book reveals a strategic bottom-up perspective. If manufacturers adopt the ideas contained in this book, they will see immediate improvements in system reliability, process visibility, and information accuracy. System reliability improves when bottom-up designs synchronize moving parts with upper-level applications. Process visibility improves when system applications provide real-time interactive models of manufacturing processes. Information accuracy improves when all low-level system applications are able to send and receive process information to and from upper-level system applications in a synchronous fashion. Many IT supplier companies are touting Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) as the next generation of computer-based support systems. These systems enable manufacturers to efficiently assemble and produce discrete parts and components by collecting and delivering information to automated machines and business applications. The new MES title often leads system strategists to believe their advantages will surpass the benefits of traditional manufacturing systems. Sales pitches usually emphasize a customer's desire to incorporate design features that include the leading-edge technologies. This means faster databases, new communication interfaces, and the latest computer operating systems. The automation and system fundamentals described in this book are for MES designs that support manufacturing processes that have discrete parts moving from station to station. Many of these manufacturing processes are common to automotive assembly and other parts manufacturing industries. Specifically, these manufacturing processes work to assemble many smaller parts into a larger finished product. To enhance these automated processes, manufacturers are replacing their current suite of support systems with a new MES design. Many new system development projects start out when someone defines a strategy to be the deployment of special hardware and/or software. Following the latest design process or wanting to implement someone’s idea can also constitute a strategy. Sometimes a strategy simply means to follow the technological direction that pleases management. This means strategists will already know what they need to do, what hardware and software to use before they embark on a path to develop a solution. In contrast, the term “strategy” as it is used in this book presents strategists with a series of design choices. Choices start at a fundamental low-level and enable strategists to make the necessary upward functional decisions that lead to the development a highly robust system. Manufacturers must carefully examine the qualifications of personnel assigned to be system strategists. The decisions a strategist makes have a significant impact on manufacturing processes. Many manufacturers leave decision making to IT professionals. When this happens, solutions are usually technically correct but lack a manufacturing focus. Some manufacturers erroneously assign the strategist role to system designers who often emphasize the use of new technologies. Although technology affects many strategic decisions, it should not affect how designs need to interact with manufacturing processes. To avoid falling victim to the sales literature for a new MES design, the author has exposed many computer and automation fundamentals that are critical to manufacturing processes. For most systems, these fundamentals remain ignored, or hidden behind the smoke and mirrors of technology titles. This book examines MES design fundamentals by thoroughly describing and comparing their impact on manufacturing processes. Instead of purchasing an “off-the-shelf" MES package, some IT organizations spend tens of millions of dollars redesigning their current computer systems. Before setting off to develop these next-generation systems, most companies spend money on analysis to understand the operating characteristics of their existing systems. This is a prudent first step for any new design. However, next-generation development costs become excessive when IT organizations put forth procedures that ask operations and support personnel to define detailed system requirements. This is analogous to an auto manufacturer surveying potential customers on what they would like to see in a new car design. Instead of asking them about added features, they ask questions related to the fundamentals of car designs. Unlike most IT organizations, auto manufacturers do not spend tens of millions of dollars trying to understand and implement design fundamentals obtained from customers.