Implementation
Practical guidance for getting shopfloor projects over the line: building an honest business case, getting the team right, and avoiding the mistakes that sink implementations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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- Vendor-neutral, practical guidance
- Written from real implementations, not brochures
- Shopfloor AI, smart manufacturing and MES/MOM
- No hype, no buzzword bingo