Here comes the acronym parade. And I am using acronym in its proper form where MES is pronounced "mess" or "mezz" and MOMs is the same as referring to your mothers favourite mug.

In my time working in manufacturing IT I have seen many different names for the software space where I live. First it was simply Product Tracking and Quality Management, then it was MES, and now it is known as MOMs. I will probably get some corrections around the boundaries of each of these concepts, but in my mind, Product Tracking and Quality are subsets of MES, and MES is a subset of MOMs. Although it is useful to have a common understanding of terminology so that people can have accurate conversations, it is not productive to get too picky about concepts. In any case, here is my little discussion about these topics as it relates to what I can do in this space.

There are a wide variety of requirements for IT systems in the manufacturing world. This means that there is not one solution for the scope of systems. In some cases the complexity does not warrant a programmable controls system. In some cases the size of manufacturing does not warrant a large, off the shelf, ERP system. In some cases there is neither the size nor complexity to warrant a separate MES, and any required functionality could be accomplished within the ERP or Controls layer. I fully understand this fact and will not hesitate to lose business when it is true.

MES encompasses many different and sometimes disparate systems. For example, quality management, manufacturing efficiency, product tracking, production management, order fulfillment, and inventory management. As already mentioned, the ERP or Control system could handle some of these functions. For example, manufacturing efficiency could be calculated in the controls system and reported from a historian. Or inventory management which is normally done in an ERP system because it is tied to other modules like accounting. But it could exist in the MES because it impacts order fulfillment.

Which brings up the point about information exchange...

2015-08-26 Next Chapter

After a long and successful contract with one of the best companies I have ever worked with, I am now moving on to the next chapter of my career. It is always a bittersweet ...