Though the quote has been attributed to almost every famous person who’s ever lived, it was actually 15th Century English monk (and poet) John Lydgate who wrote, “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.”
Lydgate should be the patron saint of modern production managers, because if you replace “please” with “meet” and “people” with “objectives,” it becomes a citation they know all too well. The modern production manager faces many challenges – from optimizing the use of resources to delivering the shortest production time – but the most difficult part of their job is balancing all the objectives that compete against each other.
Even when fundamental decisions have been made in the rough planning phase to prioritize one objective over another, it’s still up to the production manager to adapt when conditions change. And whether it’s rush orders, delayed material delivery or machine failures, conditions always change. When that happens, the production manager must make the right decisions to get the most out of production without losing efficiency.
It wouldn’t be ridiculous at this point to compare a production manager to a performer riding a unicycle on a tight rope while juggling multiple flaming chainsaws. But unlike such a performer, there’s more than a mere safety net to protect them while they do their job. Here’s how MES (Manufacturing Execution System) solutions can help production managers streamline their workflow and better manage their many responsibilities – even when they’re competing.
Choose wisely
To make the right decisions, a production manager needs accurate and up-to-date information on resources (materials, machines and employees), production orders and scheduling. When this information changes, the plan being implemented must adapt to those changes. That’s why it’s so important to have relevant information updated as soon as possible, and not dependent on individuals who might need to take a break at an inopportune time, read something incorrectly or relay the needed data at a less than optimal speed.
With an MES solution in place, production planning is optimally implemented and monitored throughout production. The simple click of a button prompts an MES solution to provide all the production-relevant information in real time – and, ideally, in an easily read format. This allows the production manager to quickly identify potential issues and react in the best possible way.
Not only does 2020 Insight’s MES solution monitor and optimize a factory’s performance by delivering the correct manufacturing information to the right people at the right time, but it also improves visibility and communication with its 360-degree view of production activity in real-time.
Reduce errors
An MES solution will also eliminate a lot of human error from the production process. Online communication between MES software and workstations reduces the susceptibility to errors in the production process. Since all information is automatically sent to workstations, there are fewer manual activities, and thus, fewer sources of error.
An MES solution can also provide both production managers and workers with helpful information on the machines, so they don't waste time searching for information they need. The automatic and semi-automatic feedback ensures that everyone is always informed about the current status of machinery, allowing either workers or managers to intervene if necessary.
One of the ways in which 2020 Insight’s MES solution goes beyond the functionalities of a classic MES is that companies can map their specific production process without the need for special programming. Not only does this allow better tracking and management of machines, it means that the tracking and management can be implemented with minimal disturbance.
Improve processes
Not only will implementing an MES minimize errors, it will also reveal weak points in the production process. With the right information being relayed, production managers will be able to see which workstation in the system has the most issues and which are the most frequent sources of delays and stoppages. With this knowledge, the cause can be quickly investigated, and corrective measures can be taken.
With increased consumer demands on product flexibility and delivery speed, this type of insight is vital to meeting the modern customer’s expectations. 2020 Insight’s MES solution delivers the organizational transformation to digital production processes that makes this possible, all while giving users the option to implement it as part of 2020 Insight’s end-to-end ERP solution or as a standalone MES solution with integration to existing software.
2020 software solution for a perfectly automated production processes
Overall, 2020 Insight offers powerful MES functionality that provides and enables all the features listed above. Its real-time overview also allows production planning and production control to be perfected while simultaneously transferring all relevant information to an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
But perhaps best of all, this vital information can all be transferred within any company, whether it’s taking advantage of the full 2020 Insight experience, using a standardized ERP systems or operating through a self-developed, industry-specific solution. All production processes can be mapped out in detail without having to implement yet another isolated IT solution.
By providing information such as machine utilization, material availability, setup times and throughput rates to production managers, 2020 Insight’s MES solution enables production managers to optimize their production and schedule resource. It comes as close as possible to granting production managers the power to meet all their objectives all the time.
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