Manufacturing IT (MES)
For over 20 years ACC has been implementing Manufacturing IT solutions both from leading vendors and as custom solutions. These solutions, referred to as Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions (MES), utilize technology to integrate plant floor and enterprise systems with the goal of improving business agility and quality. ACC brings a wealth of experience attained as a leading systems integrator and focuses that expertise on the problems facing manufacturing customers in today’s competitive environment.
ACC believes that today is the most exciting time for MES. While competitive marketplace forces continue their unrelenting demand on manufacturers to improve efficiency, quality and agility; technology and instantaneous information enablers abound and standardization, in the form of the ANSI ISA-S95 specification, provides a widely accepted roadmap to implementation. Today’s MES systems are more complete, more productized, and built upon industry standards. What this means to you is measurable ROI, successful implementation and business process improvement.
Manufacturing IT Services
Manufacturing IT encompasses a range of applications usually focused around turning data into knowledge (Manufacturing Intelligence), integrating plant floor and business systems (Shop-Floor to Top-Floor) and integrating elements of workflow (Front Door to Back Door). Typical applications in this arena include:
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Typical services supplied by ACC could include:
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How we approach MES…Assessment – Approach - Justification
- Assessment – Workflow Analysis
- ACC provides services for assessing MES needs and MES “readiness”
- ACC believes that the key design element of successful MES systems is a complete understanding of the desired manufacturing workflow.
- ACC provides training and education on MES solutions including performance analysis, quality management and materials management.
- ACC has succeeded in working with different business groups, building consensus on many successful MES projects.
- S95 centric approach
- ACC provides services to assess your current MES architecture and planning needs against the S95 standard.
- ACC provides user and functional requirements and design documents based on S95 models and terminology.
- ACC provides implementation of S95 integration and S95 based MES solutions from leading MES vendors.
- ACC provides training on S95 in the areas of Enterprise to Control Systems Integration, Manufacturing Operations Activities and B2MML (Business to Manufacturing Markup Language)
- ROI justification
- ACC provides services for assessing MES needs and MES “readiness”
- ACC provides upfront design analysis which can lead to effective communication of tangible ROI objectives.
ACC believes strongly in spending time in early project design, collecting and assembling requirements and providing up front design and analysis. The most critical element of design in an MES system is the workflow analysis. Workflow analysis can be though of as the “electrical drawings” of an MES system. Workflow analysis will identify what business groups and functions interact with the MES system, what information is exchanged, in what form and at what time. From this analysis a current picture of business operations emerges. Opportunities can be identified, design approaches can be discussed and detailed solutions can be proposed in user and functional requirements.
MES system design and implementation is like no other work in manufacturing, since the system being proposed or implemented often involves resources from information systems, operations, logistics, quality, and even outside contract manufacturers or supply chain vendors. The early design methodology of collecting requirements and detailing workflows allows for building consensus among these different business groups involved.
Standards can drive customers and vendors toward consensus and productivity in the integration business. The widely used and successful standard ANSI ISA-S88 for Batch Control is an example of this. Useful standards have now emerged that will enable manufacturers and vendors to discuss MES solutions with the same scope and terminology. The Enterprise to Control System Integration standard, known as ANSI ISA-S95 from the ISA (62264 as an ISO standard) is becoming manufacturing’s de facto standard for designing and implementing MES systems. This standard is titled “Enterprise to Control System Integration”, and there is no mistake in that title; as MES solutions often require high degrees of integration, both vertically between control and ERP systems and horizontally between components of MES. As an integrator, ACC recognized from the beginning the need for such a standard and the importance of this standard in manufacturing. This is why ACC was a founding member of the SP95 standards body. ACC continues to actively participate as a voting member on the committee.
As an independent systems integrator, ACC partners with our customers supplying key business and technical know-how; leading to successful design and implementation of MES solutions. Very often justifying an MES system can be as challenging as its implementation. Increasingly, MES systems must be defined in terms of tangible return on investment (ROI). ACC has implemented many MES solutions that serve our customers, providing proof of ROI everyday. Overcoming the ROI hurdle requires disciple and honesty, achieved by using a strong methodology of system design. ACC’s MES experience and successful track record of MES projects makes us a strong partner to help make the case for MES.