esIn today’s competitive landscape, process manufacturers must keep a close eye on productivity and profitability. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is essential for doing just that: providing real-time visibility into your production floor so you can operate efficiently, meet demand, and maximize margins.
This guide introduces the fundamentals of MES and how Datacor MES can help streamline operations, reduce costs, and drive continuous improvement.
In this post, we’ll cover:
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) tracks materials, labor, equipment, and production progress throughout the manufacturing process. It replaces error-prone, manual tracking with real-time data capture and provides insights to improve scheduling, inventory management, and overall performance.
Without an MES, manufacturers often rely on handwritten notes, spreadsheets, or siloed systems to track what's been consumed or produced. This can lead to a host of challenges:
In contrast, an MES updates your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in real time or near real time, giving purchasing and scheduling teams the visibility they need to avoid costly mistakes and confidently meet demand.
An MES is particularly valuable for batch processing environments where tracking raw materials, formulations, and production steps is critical to ensuring quality and compliance.
With Datacor, our closely integrated ERP and MES ensures accuracy and timeliness, allowing you to make better-informed business decisions across the operation.
Datacor MES provides robust tools to manage production from start to finish, including:
An MES enhances efficiency across the board—from production to planning. Key benefits include:
As Steve Pombert, Product Manager for MES/WMS at Datacor explains, “The two most critical areas of any MES are inventory tracking and performance visibility. With real data, not assumptions, you can identify bottlenecks, analyze downtime, and quantify the cost of inefficiencies.”
MES is especially powerful when measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), which considers availability, performance, and quality. For example, if a batch typically takes four hours but now takes five, MES can uncover whether delays were caused by downtime, operator issues, or raw material problems—and how that affects your bottom line.
By capturing this information in real time, MES feeds valuable insights back into your ERP system, enabling cost analysis, process improvement, and more accurate planning.
Understanding what a single minute of downtime costs your business is essential. Whether it’s a material delay, a maintenance issue, or operator-related, Datacor MES tracks when a stoppage begins and ends, then ties it to specific downtime reasons. This level of visibility makes it easier to identify root causes, reduce recurring issues, and support continuous improvement initiatives.
"While we’d previously been running at around 89% inventory accuracy, since implementation of Datacor’s software we're now running above 98% on our spot checks. This brings real value to us as a manufacturing company; it gives us the confidence in our inventory to allow us to significantly decrease the amount of raw materials or finished goods we keep in stock – which frees up cash flow and improves our efficiency and performance."
— Zack Raiford, SVP of Operations, The Lewis Chemical Company
Rolling out an MES doesn't need to be overwhelming. With the right approach and support, implementation can be smooth and highly rewarding.
Tips for a successful launch:
Datacor MES is built specifically for the needs of process manufacturers, backed by over 40 years of industry experience. Our solution leverages mobile technology and real-time data to ensure you can manage complex production with confidence and agility.
With a tightly integrated ERP and MES, you gain a comprehensive view of your operations, from the shop floor to the front office.
Want to see it in action?
Reach out to our team to request a free demo and learn how Datacor MES can help your business run smarter.