Preliminary Note for the User

As a rule it is a difficult task to identify criteria for selecting an MES system and thus an MES system supplier and anyone trying to do so can rapidly be overtaxed. The more you understand about the matter, the harder it becomes to keep an overview of it. Where should you start and where should you stop? Once you've looked at different system presentations it is difficult to see where they differ; suddenly all user interfaces look the same.

MES systems are complex IT installations which, depending on the form they take, can affect a large number of functional areas in a manufacturing company. Possibilities for using the systems range from straightforward PDA feedback regarding quality assurance and personnel management to complex detailed scheduling control systems.

When objectives have been defined, a very much better assessment can be made of the scope of services offered by different systems and suppliers. For example, if you want to start with machine data collection but already know that in one or two years the company will be tackling the subject of incentive wages, you can immediately lay down KO criteria. Any potential supplier not able to integrate a staff work time logging function and a performance-based remuneration function can then be ruled out at once.

With our proposal we intend First to point out once again the possible objectives which can be secured by introducing an MES system. This will usually mean that even quantifiable...