Foundations
The systems and standards underneath every smart factory: what MES and MOM actually do, how ISA-95 fits together, how OEE is measured, and a function-by-function tour of MES.
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01What 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.
02The 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.
03MESA, 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.
04What 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.
The MES functionality series
01MES 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.
02MES 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.
03MES 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.
04MES 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.
05MES 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.
06MES 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.
07MES 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.
08MES 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.
09MES 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.
More fundamentals
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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