Interview with Jos Hensen

MES in the ’food’: What is Manufacturing Execution System and what do you need to know about it?

“My passion has always been at the interface between IT and production processes, so it makes sense that I now give advice about MES. As an employee in the food industry I already saw the opportunities of integral automation in the 1980s, the machines in the factory were usually not linked. Then the term MES or ‘Manufacturing Execution System’ was also invented, before that it was still called Computer Integrated Manufacturing.”

From his company Greywise, Jos Hensen helps industrial companies with MES or ‘ Manufacturing Execution System ‘, his many years of experience in the ‘food’ sector gives his specialty focus: “I like to work where I can provide added value because I know the processes.”

Jos Hensen

What is a MES?

“A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) enables the exchange of information between the shop floor (machinery, but also people) and the office environment (ERP). Production orders, consumption, revenue, quality data and stock levels are monitored in real-time in this way and production processes are optimally controlled.”

“The term MES originated at a time when there was a lot of development in the automation of machines. Automation was especially important if you did production in the West, because of the labor costs. In the past it was people who had to connect hoses and start pumps, now that is controlled from the control system.”

How did the need for a MES in ‘food’ arise?

“A lot of time was invested in automation and robotization of the food factory, but in the office environment there was a need for an overview of the ERP system. However, there was still a gap: papers went up and down that were retyped, but that is of course a shame. Later on, all kinds of quality checks were added, which resulted in even more paperwork.”

“This is how the wish arose to introduce a line there, which has been fulfilled by MES. In the past, with an automatic dosing process, the operator had to check which recipe belonged to each product, but now we all do that in the MES. This way you can arrange your food production paperless.”

What developments are there in the field of MES?

“It is now moving more and more towards MOMS: Manufacturing Operation Management Systems. That is broader than MES, it includes things like warehouse, maintenance and quality. All business processes related to production. But MOMS is not yet well established in the Netherlands.”

“There is an international standard, the ISA-95, that links automation in the workplace. Unfortunately, this is very general, because it should apply to all industries. As soon as you apply ISA 95 to your factory, it becomes complicated, it does not provide enough tools for making the right decisions. We have therefore supplemented it with ‘best practices’ for the food industry.”

Ask your MES/MOMS question here!

Leave your question here and we will answer it during our webinar that we will organize in January 2022 (more information about this webinar will follow later).

Jos Hensen VMT SIemens

What does Greywise do?

“At Greywise we are seven people, both partners and employeesThe ‘Food’ is our specialization, including the supply industry. We do not develop MES software ourselves, we provide the services to implement it successfully: from strategy to selection to implementation.” “The ‘system integrator’ supplies the MES system, we represent the customer. But we can also help with specific activities, such as testing software before putting it into production or training operators in how to use the system. Or write the requirements, the requirements that the system must meet.” “We are also independent, but of course, we know which parties are doing well in food. We often have a good relationship with those parties and we know what we can do with each other. We also regularly organize sessions to exchange information and keep each other up-to-date. Because a lot is happening in ‘food’.

This article was written by Edwin Vlems

Do you have any questions or are you curious about what Greywise can do for you?

Please contact Jos!

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