The reasons why each company implements MES may vary, but the ultimate goal is always to reduce costs and increase profits. This time, we invited a senior project manager from NTT DATA to share the blind spots that may be encountered when implementing MES. We suggest that companies also review the following four points when implementing MES to avoid blind spots becoming obstacles to implementation and reducing overall effectiveness.
1. Purpose of implementation 
When implementing MES, companies should confirm repeatedly whether the purpose of implementation is to comply with the final customer’s audit, to improve internal manufacturing efficiency, or to mass-produce new products. Different purposes should have different aspects to focus on. If the consulting company only provides the same implementation process and method, the client’s implementation purpose may be easily blurred, and the ultimate benefits may not be fully realized.
2. Internal department support 
Companies often think that by purchasing a system and leaving the implementation to the software vendor, the system will take root and function well in the factory. However, this is a dangerous idea as the software vendor is an external expert and may not fully understand the needs and problems within the factory as well as the internal employees. Without the full support of manufacturing, production management, equipment, research and development, and quality assurance departments, the implemented system may not truly meet the production needs of the factory. Over time, the system and practices may become disconnected, and personnel may only operate to meet company requirements, losing the real value of the MES system in the factory.
3. Cooperation of on-site personnel 
Even with a well-designed MES system, it still relies on the operation and data input of on-site personnel. In the process of implementing MES, a few on-site personnel may be unwilling to learn how to operate the new system and may not correctly input data according to the system’s instructions, merely going through the motions. This may result in “Garbage in, garbage out,” where the system outputs incorrect results due to incorrectly inputted data. This leads to the design of the MES system often outputting production data with a zero production time, such as forgetting to scan the Runcard and only doing it later or performing incorrect operations, such as scanning A instead of B and then requiring information personnel to modify or delete the data later. Although these are the actions of only a few employees, they greatly affect the effectiveness of the MES system implementation from a management perspective, and all of this is considered a waste of cost and losing the initial intention of the system design.
4. Project Quality 
How can we achieve a balance between cost, time, and scope without sacrificing project quality? During the implementation process, users often base their requests on their current inherent practices and processes, hoping that the system can also accommodate their specific requirements. However, in project execution planning, time and cost are fixed. If the scope keeps expanding, but the project time does not extend accordingly, the project’s quality may suffer. Alternatively, meeting additional requirements may require increasing costs, but too many requirements can cause project implementation time to be extended beyond the expected timeline, which may not meet the customer’s expectations for the go-live date.
Based on the consultant’s extensive implementation experience, a principle of prioritization should be adopted in evaluating customer requirements. By carefully confirming the needs with the customer and understanding the background of their requirements, and under the consultant’s professional judgment, if the likelihood of the customer’s request occurring is low, such as a situation that rarely happens, it is suggested to handle the request outside the system through manual processing by personnel, which may be more flexible than spending additional customization fees to incorporate it into the system.
Do you have problems with the overall production effectiveness not improving even after implementing MES in your factory? You may consider improving the above points, and we welcome you to consult with our professional consultants. We can assist you in optimizing your MES system to maximize its effectiveness and maintain a competitive advantage in the industry.