Making it Real: Implementing Your MES Roadmap

This is a continuation of the discussions related to “MESA to Change Direction?”   Before you implement your Roadmap for Change, it makes sense to find out what you have in your backyard that might support it today, and what you need to add or modify to support your plan.  It also makes some sense to make sure you have a team that can get you there.

Automation Data Capabilities and Requirements

One of the advantages of the MES Organic approach is that it is totally agnostic in relation to technologies.  MES capabilities may be fulfilled by one or many applications or systems.  In fact, some MES capabilities could be fulfilled by applications or systems that already exist.  Using the process flows and interface definitions from the workshops define what data is needed and what manufacturing activities need it.  By performing a Systems and Automation Data survey you can determine:

 

• Does the required data exist for use
• Does the system collecting the data provide access to the data
• Can the system be modified to provide the needed data
• Can the system be modified to provide the needed capability

 

MES capabilities rely on the particular data that is available from the automation and controls level.  For instance, getting the production count may be easy, but you’ll need a counter of some kind to perform the task, and the data from that counter has to be available to calculate yield or determine that the item count for an order has actually been reached.   By performing the above survey you will know if the current system can support your future state, if modifications are required, and if legacy systems can fulfill some of the future state requirements.

Implementing the Roadmap

Selecting and implementing a MES (or MES technologies) can be a daunting task.  Hopefully, by narrowing the number of capabilities you’ve selected, you’ve also reduced the complexity and effort required for implementation.  Having clear process flows and requirements for your future state also simplifies technology selection.  Framing these requirements in terms of ISA-95 defined capabilities and activities also provides a bridge to technology providers who have developed solutions compliant with the ISA-95 standard (and market their product that way as well).  While this doesn’t guarantee that their product will provide a complete solution, it does help you determine how well their product fits your requirements in terms that you are familiar with.

Integrate the Old with the New

• Extend Legacy Systems where appropriate
• Develop Automation capability where necessary
• Implement limited MES functionality with compartmentalized capabilities

 

Implementation isn’t all about technology selection though.  The project team will have significantly more impact on the success of your implementation than almost any other factor.

Getting MES Processes Right is a TEAM Effort

• MES isn’t an IT initiative, it’s a Team initiative
• Selected capabilities may dictate different SME’s, Operators, IT skills
• MES SUPPORTS Lean and Six Sigma Initiatives

 

Often MES initiatives begin as an IT initiative.  The glass wall between IT and Engineering is well known.   The solution is to empower all of the stakeholders.  Collaboration workshops accomplish some of this.  Another way to ensure buy-in is to find and assign a Project Champion from engineering, operations, or production.  Remember that it’s the process that’s important, not whose system is in charge.  Also remember that it may take subject matter experts from different areas and backgrounds to implement a holistic solution.

There may also be some resistance from Operations or Production if they own a Lean or Six Sigma initiative.  It’s often a mistaken assumption that a MES initiative is counter to Lean goals.  This is simply not true.  In fact, it is the opposite.  The information from MES initiatives can provide a firm foundation for the data needed for the Kaizen process.  MES technologies can also provide the framework for needed solutions.

Next Time:  How Do You Measure How Effective This Has Been?

How Do You See MESA?

I’ve received a few comments on the MESA series that seem to indicate that for manufactures who are just considering making use of MES capabilities, it is difficult to determine the value of MES, to understand it in terms of business activities, and to understand the material offered.  Some manufacturers feel like MESA is too focused on vendors and system integrators and not accessible enough.

I agree that MESA needs to be a lot more accessible. The intent of my posts is a kind of shot over the bow (more like a spit wad over an aircraft carrier) to anyone at MESA who might be interested, and readers who just don’t get what MESA might have to offer. I also agree that it tends to be a vendor centric view. For example, go to their website sometime. Finding anything of value is a real challenge. First just locating the information is a challenge, then making sense of the content is a challenge. If you already know MES and understand the different models it’s not too bad. If you’re a manufacturer unfamiliar with MES and trying to find out if where the value is, heaven help you. As far as conversation or dialogue is concerned, forget it. The impression is one of a one way street of education, they are the experts telling you how it is. I understand that they are trying to set up a value for membership model to pay for their content, but even so, I’m a basic member and it’s difficult to get to the content I need, and impossible to have any kind of idea exchange.

The original presentation by Matthew Littlefield was extremely revealing, showing that manufacturers in the general population actually fared well against MESA member manufacturers and better in certain critical areas, one of them being the involvement of C-level management in MES projects, the other being the inclusion of business process methods for implementing MES. I think this has been a blind spot for MESA from the beginning.

What are your thoughts?  Is this BS?  Do you think MESA is easy to work with?  Do you understand their MES value proposition?  Have you been able to incorporate other processes, like change management, into your overall MES implementation strategy using the MESA model?

Let’s stir the pot and see what comes up!