像大多数软件套件一样，每个新版本都会扩展制造执行系统（MES）的广度和深度。商业MES软件的早期版本作为自主系统的表现仅专门用于监视工厂地板上的工作。尽管提高了整体生产率和减少周期时间，但仍然是 - 目的是，今天的MES系统是企业计划，材料跟踪，电子批次记录（EBR），整体设备有效性（OEE）和整体设备有效性（OEE）的多任务管理者制造智能。
现代MES的可伸缩性和多功能性对于拥有大型全球运营和小型生产窗口的制造商来说是一个巨大的好处。但是，对于系统运算符，将计算机屏幕上杂乱的功能和功能越多，MES就会变成一团糟。
认识到需要简化用户与系统交互方式的方式，供应商专注于前端界面，添加可轻松软件可操作性的功能。在一月，解决方案and Critical Manufacturing rolled out upgrades to their MES systems for the pharmaceutical and high-tech industries respectively.
Werum’s PAS-X v3.1.7 for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries includes new user guidance dialogs for electronic batch recording, the company says.
Based on feedback from end users, Werum optimized certain automatic processes to improve overall user experience. For example, operating elements are placed in on-screen positions and in different font sizes to provide easy recognition of order status or the current execution step. In addition, a new KPI operator dashboard provides real-time data on OEE, quality, production rates, and more, through color-coded graphical representations.
MES移动到一个直观的图形化的努力ser interface mirrors what is currently happening with distributed control systems (DCS), which are designed to put as much digital data in front of the operator as possible. The purpose is to provide a view of everything happening on the factory floor; the problem is that it can be overwhelming for the user and do more harm than good. Industry observers say most industrial accidents are a result of human error, especially when it is difficult to assess the deluge of data displayed on the human machine interface (HMI). As a result, DCS vendors are adopting下一代HMIthat present information in a manner that humans can absorb quickly—which is similar to what Werum is doing with its PAS-X MES.
分别地，Critical Manufacturingrolled out cmNavigo 4.0, a Microsoft-based operations management system for semiconductor, electronics, and medical device industries. The new version now has finite scheduling embedded into the MES. This functionality models plant floor resources and define the role of each in fulfilling a mix of orders in an optimal near-term time frame. Schedules can be weighted around multiple production criteria and KPIs, such as minimizing delivery delays, maximizing machine loads, and reducing cycle times.
While most MES systems can support finite capacity scheduling, it is often through a third-party system, which runs the risk of problems such as duplication of master data and the need to use and maintain separate interfaces, the company says.
Now, as a native capability to cmNavigo, the scheduling application integrates with 30 other applications, including five new functions delivered as part of the upgrade.
Other cmNavigo capabilities include: Lot-based sampling (enables automated calendar or time-based sampling of production); Document management (provides visualization, control, and approval of shop floor operations-related documents); Warehouse management (synchronizes the exchange of information and material between the warehouse and the plant floor); Durables-tracking (simplifies tracking of boards, fixtures, tooling, and masks, supporting recipe management, maintenance, exception handling, and data collection); And, shift logbook (regulating the exchange of critical information between shifts).
While approaching the interface issue in a different way than Werum, Critical Manufacturing is also trying to solve the problem of making it easier for an operator to interact with the MES.
“As margins in global high-technology manufacturing shrink, many manufacturers are finding that their legacy MES systems don’t have the flexibility and functionality to meet the demands of today’s volatile markets, “ say Francisco Almada-Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing. “The new scheduling, quality control, warehouse management, and shift handoff capabilities reflect our commitment to provide the most modern and unified MES solution available.”
