Why do management processes play an important role at MES?
“Certainly with MES, where you link the automation systems to each other and to ERP systems, overview is of great importance. A need arises that initiates a change or project. This must be elaborated, made, tested and put into use. From this point on, the new solution is used by the organization, where failures may occur again or new needs may arise. If this happens often, the overview can quickly get lost.”
“When the strategy for the system is clear, the supplier for the new system can be selected. However, it is also possible to think about who should ultimately manage the new system. The strategic and tactical processes should therefore not only focus on the system, but also on the organization.”
And when the MES system is completed?
“After the release of the MES, you must ensure that your ‘asset management’ is properly set up and is updated with each new release: knowing what systems, hardware, software and interfaces are available in your factory is, for example, necessary to conduct a good risk analysis. can do.”
“Ultimately, it’s about thinking carefully about a future-proof solution at an early stage. It is more than just developing and implementing a system, it is about ensuring that the conditions for systems, people and processes are met to enable and encourage further improvement. The new systems and working methods create new opportunities.”
“So you have to think in advance about a system that lands well in the organization and can be managed well. As a result, you reduce risks and stimulate improvement.”
How does Greywise guide that?
“From Greywise, we mainly do the consultancy on the strategic side: how can your system landscape look the best in the future and how should you manage it? We also supervise selection processes for MES packages and suppliers and also do project management on behalf of the end user. You often see that production companies are so busy putting out fires that they themselves have little time to work on ‘future proof’ solutions. Greywise helps with this through involvement in all those phases: strategy, selection, implementation and management.”
“When providing strategic advice, we take the system, the management organization and the management process into account. During a selection process, we look at a maintainable system and a system supplier and system integrator, who not only provide support once, but also continue to support and improve after commissioning. During the implementation phase, by setting up and applying all the first basic management processes. And after commissioning, by advising how the system and management process could be improved.”
“When introducing an MES, people often think in one line. I must regularly emphasize that it is a continuous process: from strategic via tactical to executive, but also back again. When I talk to people in the factory, they often talk about the individual techniques, a good basic system is important to oversee and build on everything. Changes are then made, which in turn yield new insights and in turn lead to new improvements.”
“This means that smaller changes are made at a high frequency. The solution comes alive, but that also means it needs a streamlined management process to support it, in order to see the wood for the trees. There is still a lot to gain there, but I am happy to see that things are going in the right direction.”
