Up to now, we’ve been asking:
“Should I start selecting an MES right now in the middle of the crisis? Or would it be better to wait until the situation has calmed down and it’s clearer where things are heading?”
This question doesn’t really arise at all! Why?
More on that in the following blog article.
This blog post is a summary of the previous articles on the topic of “Selecting an MES in the middle of a crisis.”
While the discussion so far has been framed as a question, this article focuses on why that question doesn’t really arise in the first place. On the contrary, the real issue is that NOW is exactly the right time to start digitizing production.
Reason #1: Digitization & Industry 4.0
Industry 4.0 begins with the promise of unlocking new insights, products, and even business models from your data. Through cyber-physical systems (CPS), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and modern big data and cloud technologies, everything can be connected to everything else, and data can be collected seamlessly.
With the help of this collected data, you can optimize and automate your production — even down to flexible batch sizes and “batch size 1.” The idea is that you will master your production processes so well that switching to different products, quantities, or other changes will be no problem at all — it will work at the push of a button.
In the future, your production won’t just capture what has already happened in a static way. Instead, it will run dynamically — keyword: “real-time control.” It’s no longer just about “what was,” but: What is happening right now in production? Where is intervention required? What disruption is occurring? What needs to be done immediately to fix it? Which measurements indicate deviations in manufacturing?
All of this is based on data — both static and dynamic. These must be securely collected, processed, and stored. Only if you can trust your data — all your data — can you truly optimize and automate your production.
Part of the vision also includes using digital twins to create virtual representations of your production. This allows you to test potential process changes, new materials with different properties, or even new products in advance, without disrupting actual production. That means you can continue regular production while virtually preparing and testing a new product generation for your factory. Digital twins also make it possible to run experiments or test different machine settings without interrupting real machines on the shop floor.
The idea is that, over time, you will use your data to optimize production to the point where it can automatically respond to disruptions and even fully manufacture products autonomously. The next step is networking with other factories (e.g., other sites) and eventually establishing intensive data exchange with customers and suppliers.
Ultimately, this not only enables improved collaboration with customers and suppliers but also opens the door to entirely new business models. These models are based on the fact that you have full knowledge of your production and can make reliable predictions and react accordingly.
Industry 4.0 looks different for every company. It’s a vision, and each business must decide for itself which topics and priorities truly make sense. However, this cannot simply be defined once and for all — it’s an ongoing process of learning and gaining insights over time. In other words: you create your own Industry 4.0 vision.
It’s equally clear that all of this only works with real, truly committed digitization. This is not about transferring values from a sheet of paper into a “flying Excel list.” (Though admittedly, that’s still better than leaving the paper in a drawer.) But if the Excel file is just sitting on a colleague’s computer and isn’t available when needed, the result is the same.
That’s why taking digitization seriously means:
Analyzing business processes, identifying potential, defining target processes, and then digitizing them. Why does this take so long?
Because it’s not just about typing a few numbers from a piece of paper into a spreadsheet. The real questions are: Who needs this data, and when do they need it? Why is this data needed? What should happen if the values rise above or fall below certain thresholds? Who needs to be informed, when, and how?
Especially when it comes to information flow, the difference becomes clear: handing a colleague a piece of paper with values and adding verbal — and if necessary, detailed — explanations is a completely different scenario than ensuring the same flow of information works in software, without additional spoken communication.
As you can see, the approach is fundamentally different. But you can’t simply mandate a digital mindset — it has to develop naturally. That’s why it makes sense to start right away.
Reason #2: A Strategic Investment in the Future of Your Company
It makes sense to approach the digitization of your production with a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) as the foundation. An MES is software designed for the effective, holistic control and monitoring of your production. This means that, from the start, you’ll need to think about a number of interfaces and recognize that many people in your company will interact with the MES. You’re integrating an MES into your organization — both from an IT and an organizational perspective.
Selecting an MES is the first step toward digitizing your production. It’s an extremely important one, because with it you already begin to implement standardized workflows and, most importantly, holistic data collection in your production. This is the basic prerequisite for Industry 4.0.
However, it’s crucial that the MES fits your company! Only then can you be sure that the system will actually be used and that employees will work productively with it. And only in that case is it guaranteed that you will collect, generate, process, and evaluate data. That’s what it’s all about: working with the data!
Along the way, you will see that certain processes and workflows in your company cannot simply be digitized. It’s equally clear that not everything can be automated. Automation only works when processes and workflows are clearly and precisely described — and free from (or limited to clearly defined) deviations. What matters here is not “perceived deviations” or “perceived problems” but hard facts — numbers, data, facts. Based on these numbers, data, and facts, production is controlled and deviations are addressed. Describing processes and workflows in such a clean and precise way that they can be automated is a significant journey in itself.
It’s a path of learning, experimentation, and persistence. Not every project, extension, or process change will be successful right away. Some effects will only become apparent over the long term. The key is not to lose sight of your strategic goal — your Industry 4.0 vision.
Every journey begins with the first step: it’s up to you — make the investment in the future of your company!
Reason #3: Data — Your Raw Material for the Future
When we talk about Industry 4.0, one thing must be crystal clear: behind all the promises of Industry 4.0 lie data — and, above all, the knowledge you gain from that data!
The phrase “data is the new oil” implies that you must also do some work to access the oil — that is, the knowledge and insights hidden in your data.
Let’s stick with the production example:
Data provides you with:
Knowledge of the current state of your production and ongoing production orders (WIP).
A clear overview of production and current machine states, bottlenecks, etc., in processed form (e.g., dashboards).
The ability to automate work steps or trigger automatic responses to deviations based on incoming data.
Knowledge of critical processes and especially critical process parameters (which you must monitor closely).
Insights to optimize process flows, such as your internal production logistics.
Data exchange with suppliers — to optimize delivery schedules, receive feedback on bottlenecks, better plan for auxiliary materials, obtain quality characteristics in advance, and ideally only verify them in incoming quality control.
But to do this, you must understand your data!
The first step: start with clean master data — for example, your items, orders, and bills of materials. Why? Because this is the part you can control yourself! Typically, these master data sets were created “at some point.” But how current are they? And even if the item is still valid, are the units, packaging sizes, etc., still accurate, or have they changed over time?
Use this opportunity now for data cleanup, correction, and consolidation. Define which system is the “master” for certain types of data. And don’t forget the organizational side: who is responsible for which master data?
You control your production with software systems. But these systems can only work effectively if the raw material — data — is accurate. An MES helps you holistically control and monitor your production, all based on numbers, data, facts. That makes it all the more important that you can truly rely on the incoming data. Only then can evaluations, as well as the control and orchestration of various workflows in production, run smoothly. This includes not only clean master data but also clarity about which data sources are connected to your MES.
Keep in mind: there will be more and more data that you’ll want — and need — to rely on!
That’s why you need a data mindset — see data as a valuable raw material that helps you run your production optimally and operate your supply chains with pinpoint precision. And last but not least, data is also the raw material for new business models or customer-focused innovations! So start acting with a data mindset today rather than tomorrow, and build your data foundation.
Conclusion – So How Do You Get Started?
What do all three topics above have in common? The factor: TIME. It’s clear that all of these initiatives take (a lot of) time before they gain traction and give you an advantage over your competitors.
That means you can do one thing above all: You can start NOW.
Perhaps your operations are currently scaled back due to the present situation. In that case, it’s the perfect opportunity to start thinking about how things should continue after the crisis and how you want your company to be positioned. What lessons have you learned from the crisis?
Where can you start concretely?
By developing your Industry 4.0 vision, to clarify your direction.
By cleaning up and consolidating your master data, ensuring an optimal starting point.
By digitizing your production — specifically, by selecting an MES as the foundation for Industry 4.0.
These are all areas that are within your control.
And there’s something else in your hands: you can make decisions — decisions about the future of your company.
Take a moment to shift your perspective: what does it mean if you don’t digitize? What will you do when the next crisis hits?
One thing is certain: this time, “waiting it out” won’t work. Take the example of remote work — a topic that has been technically possible for years but only taken seriously across the board during the current crisis. Up until now, discussions around it were largely theoretical simply because the pressure wasn’t there. But the next pressure situation will definitely come — and you should be prepared.
In addition to changing your perspective, you can also focus on current technological developments: digitization is advancing (whether you want it to or not), and so is connectivity. New mobile communication standards like 5G enable even higher data transmission rates and open up new industrial applications. A simple example: additive manufacturing — better known as 3D printing — has not yet achieved broad breakthrough adoption. But in times like these, when supply chains are fragile or even collapsing, such a technology holds enormous untapped potential. Why ship products halfway across the world if you can simply print them on-site?
Artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain are further disruptive technologies poised to transform entire industries. Another perspective shift: what must we do to avoid being disrupted — or better yet, what can we disrupt?
The choice is yours.
Ready to Get Started?
Are you looking for a sparring partner to discuss production digitization and Industry 4.0?
Are you already prepared to take the first step with an MES?
Especially when it comes to MES selection, one thing is clear: you’re making this investment despite the crisis. But the investment must be secure. The shot has to hit the mark — and the ROI should be achieved as quickly as possible. The simple formula applies: the more intensively you use the MES, the faster and greater the ROI.
This means your selection process must ensure that you choose the optimal MES for your company. The selection itself should be swift and efficient, because value isn’t created during the selection — it’s created once the MES is up and running productively in your organization.
In short: you want to get started now and have plenty of questions? Take advantage of the opportunity and schedule a free strategy session!
Simply click on the blue button below this blog post. I look forward to speaking with you!
