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Guides, explainers and opinion on the smart factory, shopfloor AI and MES/MOM. Newest first.
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AI for the frontline: copilots, shift summaries and coaching
AI for operators isn't about replacing people. It's about giving every new starter your best operator's knowledge. What works today, and why it needs MES/MOM context.
AI, ML and GenAI on the shopfloor: what each one actually does
AI, machine learning and generative AI get used interchangeably. They shouldn't be. What each one is, where it earns its keep in a factory, and what it needs.
ERP, APS and MES scheduling: the plan versus the shift
ERP plans, APS sequences and MES/MOM executes. Where scheduling belongs in each system, the options for connecting them, and how to keep the plan honest.
Cloud, on-premises or hybrid: where should your MES run?
Where your MES/MOM runs matters for a system the shopfloor depends on 24x7. The trade-offs between cloud, on-premises and hybrid, and why licensing model matters too.
Configure, don't customise
Out-of-the-box, configuration, low-code, extensions and customisation are not the same thing. Why the difference decides your total cost of ownership, and how to keep customisation down.
Connected worker: why your operators need one app, not five
Connected worker solves real frontline problems. Bought as a standalone tool, it creates new ones. Why it belongs inside your MES/MOM, not alongside it.
Raw machine data is worthless. Context is what makes it useful
A machine signal that says 'stopped' tells you nothing. How MES/MOM turns raw data into contextualised information, and why point solutions lose that context.
From CPQ to the shopfloor: building what the customer actually configured
Configured and engineer-to-order products start in CPQ. How the configuration reaches the operator through ERP, and when PLM gets involved too.
Shift handover is a process. Treat it like one.
Most shift handovers are a quick chat at the door. Detail gets lost and the next crew starts blind. How to make handover a structured, data-driven process.
Digital work instructions that know what's running
Paper work instructions go out of date the day they're printed. How digital instructions with production context help new starters get it right in days, not months.
Discrete, process, batch or mixed-mode: why it changes your MES choice
Not all manufacturing is the same. How discrete, process, batch, assembly and mixed-mode manufacturing differ, and why the type drives your data, KPIs and MES/MOM choice.
EAM, CMMS and MES: who owns the maintenance work order?
Maintenance data sits in EAM, CMMS, ERP and MES/MOM. Where each one's job starts and stops, and the integration options that keep downtime data consistent.
EBOM, MBOM, as-built: who owns the BOM at each stage
A bill of materials changes shape four times between engineering and shipment. Which system owns it at each stage, and where MES/MOM fits.
Your ERP master data isn't ready for MES
MES/MOM needs more detailed master data than ERP was ever set up with. Why routings built for costing aren't enough, and how to fix master data once for every system.
You can't hit ESG targets without shopfloor data
Manufacturers publish ambitious ESG goals while their shopfloors run exactly as they did five years ago. Why sustainability needs operational data, and where it comes from.
The biggest barriers to MES success in food manufacturing
Food manufacturers rarely fail at MES because of the technology. The people, the scope, the master data and the platform choice are where projects stumble.
How long does an MES implementation take?
How long it really takes to get MES/MOM live in the first factory, why I've seen it done in four months, and what drives the range.
How to choose an MES: 12 questions to ask every vendor
The 12 questions every manufacturer should ask when evaluating MES/MOM, plus the RFP mistakes that make selection harder than it needs to be.
IIoT doesn't replace MES. Here's why.
IIoT platforms sound cooler than MES. But connecting sensors is a small part of running a factory. Where IIoT fits, where MES/MOM fits, and why you need both.
Connecting MES/MOM to everything else: integration patterns that last
Point-to-point, middleware, event-driven or UNS. How to connect MES/MOM with ERP, PLM, WMS, QMS and the rest, and how to choose a pattern that survives upgrades.
LIMS and MES: getting lab results to the line before the batch moves on
In process industries, LIMS runs the lab and MES/MOM runs the batch. How sampling, results and release flow between them, with ERP holding batch status.
Resistance to change is guaranteed. Plan for it.
Every smart factory project meets resistance. Technology is the easy part. Why people resist, what leadership has to do, and how to invest in adoption, not just implementation.
Historians, data lakes and data fabric: where shopfloor data lives
Historians, data warehouses, data lakes, data fabric. Which one holds what, how they relate to MES/MOM, and which layer AI actually reads from.
Manufacturing KPIs beyond OEE
OEE is the most widely used manufacturing KPI, but it isn't the only one that matters. First-pass yield, scrap, cycle and changeover time, OTIF, MTBF and MTTR explained.
Process before technology: map your as-is before you buy anything
Digitise a broken process and you get a faster broken process. How to map what really happens on your shopfloor with swimlanes, then design something better.
Your traceability probably isn't as good as you think
Batch-level tracking and backflushing in ERP is better than nothing, but nowhere near what's possible. What full traceability looks like, and why it matters in a recall.
How to build an MES business case leadership will sign
You know your factory runs on paper and Excel. Your leadership hasn't approved the fix. How to build a business case around business impact, risk and the cost of doing nothing.
MES functionality: energy
Energy is a cost and a sustainability problem, and most factories can't see it below the site meter. How MES/MOM attributes energy to machines, orders and products.
MES functionality: maintenance
Why maintenance belongs in the same platform as production: shared downtime data, autonomous maintenance by operators, and when a separate CMMS or EAM makes sense.
MES functionality: tooling
Moulds, dies, jigs and fixtures are often the single biggest factor in quality. How MES/MOM manages tool life, tool readiness and setups, so the order doesn't wait for the tool.
Go-live is the starting line
Go-live feels like the finish line. It isn't. Hypercare, super users and continuous improvement: what happens after MES/MOM goes live decides whether it delivers.
MES/MOM in regulated industries: pharma, medical devices, aerospace and automotive
What changes when regulators and customers audit your shopfloor. Electronic batch records, device records, first article inspection, PPAP and traceability.
Your MES is already a digital twin
Digital twins are sold as something new. A well-implemented MES/MOM has been a live digital representation of the factory for years. What changes next is simulation.
Rolling out across sites: the centre of excellence and template approach
How multi-site manufacturers scale MES/MOM without reinventing the wheel at every factory: an enterprise template, local exceptions only, and a centre of excellence to own it.
MES vs MOM: why the difference matters when you buy
MES and MOM are sometimes used interchangeably, but they describe different scopes. MES runs production; MOM runs the whole operation on the same data.
OPC UA, MQTT and UNS in plain English
The shopfloor connectivity layer without the rabbit hole. What OPC UA, MQTT and a unified namespace are, how they relate to MES/MOM, and what to ask vendors.
OT cybersecurity for MES/MOM: what operations leaders need to know
MES/MOM sits between IT and OT, which makes it a security boundary. The practical basics: zones, conduits, access, patching, cloud and recovery.
Going paperless: start small, but start with the end in mind
If you can't do everything at once, at least do something. Why removing paper from the shopfloor is a great first step, and the one mistake to avoid when you take it.
PLM, ERP and MES: where the digital thread actually runs
How product data gets from PLM to the shopfloor. Why ERP usually sits in the middle, when a direct PLM to MES link makes sense, and how to choose.
Practical GenAI for the shopfloor: four uses that save time today
Forget the hype. Four practical ways generative AI already saves time in factories, and the one condition that decides whether any of them work.
Predictive maintenance needs data you probably aren't collecting yet
From reactive to preventive to condition-based. What predictive maintenance really needs, why downtime data comes first, and where operators fit in.
QMS and MES: closing the quality loop
Enterprise QMS runs CAPA, audits and complaints. MES/MOM runs in-process quality. How they divide the work, where ERP fits, and how to connect them.
Replacing a homegrown MES: the people problem nobody plans for
Replacing a homegrown MES/MOM brings challenges most manufacturers don't anticipate: the developers who built it, the 95% problem, and the urge to rebuild the old system.
Do you need both SCADA and MES?
SCADA and MES often read the same PLCs. When you need both, when MES/MOM can do the job on its own, and how to decide.
Closing the loop: service data back to the shopfloor and engineering
When a product fails in the field, the answer is often in the as-built record. How service, ERP, MES/MOM and PLM connect to turn failures into fixes.
Skills you can enforce, not just record
Most skills matrices live in a spreadsheet nobody checks at the point of work. Why skills management should block the wrong person from the wrong job, not just report it.
The smart factory glossary
Every acronym from APS to UNS in one place. Plain-English definitions of the MES, MOM, smart factory and shopfloor AI terms you'll hear in projects and on LinkedIn.
What the research says about smart factory ROI
The headline numbers from Deloitte, MarketsandMarkets, IoT Analytics, LNS Research and the Manufacturing Institute, what they show about smart factory returns, and what they don't.
The smart factory tech stack, system by system
ERP, PLM, APS, MES/MOM, WMS, CMMS, LIMS, historians and data platforms. What each system does, where the boundaries sit, and how they fit together.
Six technology mistakes that sink smart factory projects
ERP wired to machines, homegrown platforms, point solutions, over-customisation, connected worker overlap and IIoT sold as MES. Six avoidable mistakes I see again and again.
The smart manufacturing maturity model: you can't skip a level
Five levels from paper-driven to AI-enabled. Where most factories really are, where AI starts to pay back, and why there are no shortcuts.
Eight smart manufacturing myths that refuse to die
AI will solve everything. Excel is good enough. IIoT replaces MES. Eight myths I hear in boardrooms and on LinkedIn every week, and why they're wrong.
SPC on the shopfloor: catch the drift before it becomes scrap
Statistical process control explained for operations leaders. Control charts, capability, the rules that matter, and why SPC belongs in MES/MOM at the line.
What is a smart factory? No version number required
A smart factory isn't science fiction or Industry 6.0. It's people, processes and technology working together on good data. Five things define it.
WMS, MES and ERP: who owns inventory once it reaches the line?
ERP, WMS and MES/MOM all track stock. Where the boundaries sit for warehouse, line-side and WIP inventory, and the integration options that work.
The biggest challenges in food and beverage manufacturing
Food safety, traceability, short shelf lives, recipe variability and labour: the pressures on F&B manufacturers and where shopfloor systems help.
Can MES/MOM improve your bottom line? Where the ROI really comes from
Start with the 1% OEE question. Downtime, scrap, labour, inventory, recalls and energy: where MES/MOM moves the P&L, and how to turn it into a business case.
Kaizen and MES: using data to drive continuous improvement
Kaizen needs facts, not opinions. How MES data feeds lean and continuous improvement teams, and the practical routines that make it stick.
MES vs ERP: how an MES takes complexity out of your ERP
ERP was never built to run a shopfloor. Where the line between MES and ERP should sit, and how moving execution into MES simplifies both.
Building the right team for an MES implementation
Most MES projects fail on people, not software. The roles, decision makers and ways of working you need in place before the first workshop.
AI won't fix your factory. Data will.
Every leadership team wants AI. The ones getting value started with clean, contextualised shopfloor data. Where AI really fits in smart manufacturing, and what to do first.
MES functionality: the complete guide
What MES/MOM actually does, one function at a time: production, quality, inventory, maintenance, tooling, energy and connected worker, with links to every guide.
MES functionality: warehouse management and logistics
Receiving, putaway, picking, supermarkets and line-side replenishment: how MES manages material flow from goods-in to the line and back out again.
MES functionality: inventory management
Raw, semi-finished and finished stock in MES: lots, containers, consumption, genealogy and traceability, and why it beats tracking WIP in ERP.
MES functionality: quality operations
In-process quality in MES: inspection plans, SPC and control charts, non-conformance and holds, and how quality data ties back to every order.
What is OEE? How to calculate Overall Equipment Effectiveness
The OEE formula with worked examples: availability, performance and quality, why the bottleneck is all that counts, and what a realistic target looks like.
MES functionality: production monitoring
How an MES runs and monitors production orders in real time: order context, machine integration, downtime, counts and the data behind every KPI.
Who benefits from an MES? Every role, from operator to CFO
Operators, supervisors, quality, maintenance, planners and leadership: what each role gets from an MES, and why that matters for your business case.
MESA, its MES models, and what ISA taking over means
MESA closed in June 2026 and ISA took over its content. What MESA's MES models said, how they grew, and what the change means for MES/MOM.
The ISA-95 model explained, and where MES fits
The ISA-95 levels in plain English: what lives at each layer, how ERP, MES and automation talk to each other, and why the standard still matters.
The history of MES and digitalisation in manufacturing
From clipboards to cloud: how factory systems evolved into MES and MOM, and what each step tells us about where the shopfloor goes next.
MES functionality: production scheduling
What ERP schedules, what MES fine-tunes, and how sequencing, capacity and changeovers turn a plan into something the shopfloor can actually run.
The MES/MOM market: growth, three categories and what it means for buyers
The MES market is growing fast and most manufacturers haven't started. Why demand is rising, how the vendor landscape is splitting in three, and the trends to watch.
What is MES/MOM? A complete guide to MES and Manufacturing Operations Management
MES runs production. MOM runs the whole operation: production, quality, inventory and maintenance on the same data. What each covers and why it matters.
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- Written from real implementations, not brochures
- Shopfloor AI, smart manufacturing and MES/MOM
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