在意大利，我们说：“没有三个！”因此，这是我对制造执行系统（MES）与数字化之间关系的想法的第三部分也是最后一部分。它最初是单博客文章，但是在对第一篇文章获得了如此多的反馈之后，我说服了更多的时间在主题上，以更好地解释我的观点。在里面第二部分, I touched mostly on the importance of starting from the review of processes in any digitalization initiative and on the need for the existing standards to adapt to the new landscape.
许多人仍然提供了一个非常敏感的观点：MES，数字化和行业4.0之间的关系。同样，这是一个非常热门的地方，因为它与当今非常受欢迎的主题有关，并且是目前许多制造业的核心计划。
We started to hear intensively about Industry 4.0 a couple of years ago. At that time, it was basically a concept and a topic for conferences and events. There was still some debate about whether the European Industry 4.0 initiative or American Smart Manufacturing would win in the market. Today, the situation is totally different. It’s not a concept anymore, and there’s no doubt that—at least in terms of slogan popularity—Industry 4.0 won.
我不能说我们收到的所有支持这类计划的要求都清楚地了解了朝行业4.0的发展意味着什么。仍然有很多混乱和教育的需求，尤其是因为政府对这些举措施加了一些刺激，并产生了紧迫感。这已经说服了人们需要做某事的需求，但这并不一定要清楚如何解决。尽管如此，数字化和MES需要成为行业4.0计划的一部分，这是很公认的。
行业4.0构成了方法从优化每个物理资产的行为转变为优化沿完整产品生命周期共享和利用数据和信息的方式。这种优化建立在端到端数字信息流的基础上，该数字信息流能够在其生命周期的每个阶段对产品或过程的数字表示。在每个步骤中，信息的数字表示不是目标，而是一个能够轻松有效地交换数据，通过不同的界面和工具（从最具创新性的智能眼镜到平板电脑和智能手机）以及为了实施资产本身的自动行动和反应，以便利用其智能可以成为组织的积极组成部分并与用户互动。
Based on this understanding, digitalization is an enabler—I would say a fundamental one—of any Industry 4.0 initiative. But the goal is a stronger integration between the different functions that participate in the supply chain; a better cooperation between different actors, not only the ones that have been traditionally part of the supply chain, but including suppliers and end customers as well.
To this, MES is critical. MES has from the beginning been the platform to integrate data, provide holistic views of the plants, inform users at every business level (from the line operators to strategic levels) with information shaped and delivered in the right way, with the right timing, to take the most correct decisions—decisions that need to not be siloed, but take into account and try to optimize the full supply chain. It’s clear that the focus is moving from optimizing one single production site to optimizing production networks, taking into account multiple sites belonging to the company as well as to the company’s suppliers and end users.
In this sense, we could say that digitalization and MES are different tools or initiatives and in part they are. This is truer when we take into account the integrated supply chain approach, since digitalization does not overlap with MES in connecting the different rings of the chain. It is less true when we look at a single plant. In this case, digitalization is, in my opinion, not so different from MES if we look at it as an initiative. If we look at it as a tool, I see it as a pillar upon which to build MES.
我希望我的两美分很感兴趣，可以为我们每天与同事和客户讨论的主题做出贡献。如果没有，我希望他们至少将某人进一步反思这些主题。可以肯定的是，它们是发展现有的制造公司，并在非常具有挑战性且快速转变的市场中保持竞争力（有时意味着还活着）的最相关。
Luigi De Bernardini is CEO atAutoware，经认证控制系统集成商协会（CSIA）位于意大利维森扎的成员；和自动保健数字总裁。有关自动保健的更多信息，请访问其个人资料Industrial Automation Exchange。
