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Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Methodology

February 16, 2023
This methodology supports the product lifecycle management, supply chain management, and business process management. AVS supports clients in the process of defining business processes and determining the need for information technology solutions appropriate for the business and regulatory compliance.

AVS provides clients with the tools and expertise to identify, develop, and deploy integrated enterprise manufacturing information systems, including:

  • Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
  • Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
  • Materials Requirements Planning (MRP)/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

In addition to identifying business worthy information, AVS would assist in identifying “as-is” user requirements, “to-be” specification development, SOPs, roles and responsibilities, system implementation, project management, acceptance testing, and executive and end user training. See a sample MES modular layout below:

Business Strategy

Business strategies must translate into information system application functions. A good overview audit will measure the opportunity and set the direction for how and where the business will be affected. AVS provides guidance toward setting strategic objectives in collaborative manufacturing, manufacturing execution systems, supply chain management, business process management, and real-time enterprise initiatives.

When assessing the potential opportunity for Business Process Management, a Manufacturing Execution System, Supply Chain Management, or collaborative concepts such as CPFR or PLM, AVS can provide a fast review of your current practices and business processes that might support or be affected by the initiative. The assessment will provide a high level overview of the "as is" condition to determine the applicability of the planned technology initiative and what business improvement can be expected.

Specification Development

Specification development reduce the technology application risk by building a thorough specification document that has been developed through an internal team that knows the requirements of the functional business processes and the resources in the client company. AVS can assist with the requirements development process as a member of the overall team.

Vendor Management

In a regulated environment, it is essential to implement a supplier management program to identify and include the best-qualified vendor participation to meet the operational conditions for such initiatives.

Project Management

Technology initiatives can have a number of participants including suppliers, supply chain participants and various internal departments, AVS can act as a member of the team or as an independent project manager participating in any part of the process from initial requirements identification to end-user training.

Technology Applications

Manufacturing Execution Systems

The manufacturing execution system (MES) is an online integrated computerized system that is the accumulation of the methods and tools used to accomplish production. The MES is the center of information generation and management related to the actual value-adding processes of 'the enterprise beginning with incoming supplier/material management through warehouse management logistics and customer receipt. The MES role includes direct management of current and planned events and online support of higher-level business processes.

Collaborative Manufacturing

Collaborative manufacturing describes a relationship between partners in a value chain that is based on mutually supportive non-adversarial information sharing while focusing on the end customer demand and user requirements. The fundamental ingredient is real-time information shared simultaneously across the extended enterprise. Collaborative manufacturing is not a technology solution. The concept is about linking people and business processes to provide a single, complete, and current view among the full community of interested parties.

Business Process Management

Business process management (BPM) is a technology dealing with the development, implementation, and management, of business processes. Business processes are the heart, of what and how a company performs to deliver goods to their customers. BPM is used to bridge the gaps between existing applications with easy to use non-programming tools designed for functional resources and department managers. AVS can assist clients in accessing the need and evaluating the best package to fit the business. We can also assist in examining and redefining the processes using our manufacturing and value chain oriented experience base.

Supply Chain Management

Supply chain management (SCM) includes warehouse, logistics, supplier, and supplier event management applications. Our approach is to view this in a holistic value chain sense, in that each participant and their actions are vital to the success of meeting customer requirements.