Answer
An MES implementation starts with an assessment: which processes, routings, and data the plant has, and what the first phase should deliver. The system then goes live on one work area or line, the results are checked, and only after that is it rolled out to other areas and shops.
Why not the whole plant at once
An MES is never installed "out of the box": it is always configured for the routings, inspection rules, and reports of a specific plant. If every shop goes live at once, errors in master data and configuration surface everywhere at the same time. Starting with one area lets you test the system with your own data and your own people before a large-scale project.
What to prepare for the assessment
- Process descriptions, if you have them
- Master data: items, routings, equipment, workstations, staff
- A list of systems the MES will exchange data with: ERP, equipment, warehouse, laboratory
The assessment identifies what data is missing and how to prepare it. Project time and cost depend, among other things, on how ready the master data is.
Implementation stages
- Assessment. The team studies processes, routings, work areas, master data, and existing systems, and defines goals, quality and traceability requirements, and the scope of the first phase.
- Design. Target processes, roles, the data model, and integrations are described, and acceptance criteria are agreed.
- Configuration and integrations. The integration partner configures the solution and builds the agreed integrations with ERP and equipment.
- Training and readiness check. Administrators, process engineers, supervisors, and operators are trained, and scenarios are tested together with the customer.
- First area go-live. Users work in the system, and the project team collects feedback and checks the results against the acceptance criteria.
- Rollout to other areas and shops.
How SimpleMES does it
SimpleMES is implemented by an integration partner, who configures the solution and builds the integrations. The SimpleMES team provides product expertise. The system is configured on the SimpleOne low-code platform, so changes after the first area goes live can be made without reprogramming the core.
How the SimpleMES team designed the product is covered in the SimpleMES case study.
