To MES or not to MES, that is the central question for many companies investing in Manufacturing Automation.
The heart of this consideration: are we going to deploy a Manufacturing Execution System to control our production machines and coordinate production processes? The answer depends strongly on the complexity, scale and flexibility of your production environment.
Manufacturing Automation is about cost reduction and production optimisation by applying technology at the intersection of production processes and transactions.
The central questions that keep coming back are:
Are we going to control machines via ERP? And if so, how far do we want to go with that? What is technically possible, and where are the limits?
With Manufacturing Automation, technology is deployed to the maximum to minimise manual actions. The result is a production process in which machines, people and data work together seamlessly to:
- Increase productivity
- Ensure quality and safety
- Reduce (failure) costs
This creates a predictable process, and you become a reliable supplier for your customers.
Manufacturing Automation at Salesforce
With mass production, for example more than 10,000 items produced per 8 hours, controlling machines and printing labels and packing slips forms a serious challenge for any cloud solution. Yet this scenario applies to only a limited number of companies in the Dutch manufacturing industry; most operate on a smaller scale, where these limitations are less relevant
What can we do for you in the area of Manufacturing Automation with ERP on the Salesforce Platform?
Whether you choose order picking by a robot or by an employee with a scanner, Salesforce can communicate directly with various devices such as scanners, (label) printers, machines and robots.
Our real-world cases show that we can effortlessly process up to 7,500 orders per hour, entirely without waiting times.
Depending on the type of manufacturing, discrete production, mass production or process industry, the number of orders and the type of devices and sensors will vary.
Manufacturing Automation processes
To give a concrete picture of the kind of automation, below is a list of five steps within the manufacturing process.
Of course, every manufacturer will fill in these steps in their own way, tailored to the product, the market and the desired customer experience. That is exactly where the strength lies: setting up the process so that the company stands out and positions itself uniquely.
There are roughly 5 steps to distinguish in Manufacturing Automation:
Goods in (Goods receipt)
The process starts with the receipt of goods, which can be scanned, given labels and, if necessary, repacked straight away. Ideally, they are placed on the right pallet immediately, and not moved afterwards because they were put down in the wrong spot.
By digitalising this step, the ERP system can determine in the next phase exactly where the required components or parts are located and from where they need to be picked.
Manufacturing Automation uses intelligent, flexible business rules and advanced technology to make inventory digitally available for automated processing.
Picking for production
The components are ready in stock for production.
The ERP system ensures that only work orders are released for which all the required parts are actually available.
The components are then requested in combined pick assignments. Thanks to route optimisation and smart pick logic:
- do not walk into one another,
- worden zware onderdelen onderop de kar geplaatst,
- en vindt aanlevering plaats in de juiste productievolgorde.
Manufacturing Automation supports seamless production preparation through smartly planned work preparation and intelligent digitalisation.
Production
Once a work order is put into production, the associated operations are prepared.
These can be either manual or machine operations, but also inspections or outsourced (external) operations.
When the work is completed, a serial number is assigned where applicable, and the product moves on to the next step in the process.
Manufacturing Automation optimises the deployment of expensive production machines through smartly planned and automated manufacturing processes.
Picking for shipment / warehouse
The digital logistics assignment is prepared automatically, after which semi-finished or finished products are moved to the designated warehouse locations.
In make-to-order production, this can be a ‘goods-out’ location straight away; in make-to-stock production, it goes to an internal warehouse location.
Where applicable, a final inspection takes place before the product is finally released.
Manufacturing Automation ensures automatic alerts and generates follow-up assignments, creating a smooth and efficient process.
Goods out
Shipments are usually processed in four steps: pick, pack, ship and invoice.
After picking, the goods are packed and placed on a load carrier. This is weighed digitally, after which packing slips and labels are printed automatically, including the recorded weight.
The digital transport order is then sent to the carrier.
After shipment, the e-invoice is automatically generated and posted in the financial administration.
Manufacturing Automation controls devices and sends digital messages to supply chain partners and customers.
This not only ensures speed and efficiency, but also significantly reduces the chance of errors.
Production planning
For Manufacturing Automation, the planning is essential. S&OP, MRP, DRP, resource and production planning, to name a few, have to ensure limited inventory, maximum utilisation of expensive production facilities and short delivery times for satisfied customers.
Planning is essential for Manufacturing Automation, for reducing waiting and changeover times and for preventing and resolving bottlenecks. It contributes to cost reduction, flexibility and scalability, optimises the deployment of resources and improves collaboration between departments, to name just a few benefits.
Advantages of a platform
Some concrete advantages of Manufacturing Automation on one integrated platform:
- Advantages of a platform
Some concrete advantages of Manufacturing Automation on one integrated platform: - Realtime data analysis and adjustment make it possible to respond to deviations straight away. Measuring is knowing, and the faster you can adjust, the better.
- AI on one platform means that data is broadly available, without blind spots. This increases the quality of suggestions and minimises the risk of incorrect interpretations or ‘hallucinations’.
Production strategy
There are roughly five production strategies that qualify for Manufacturing Automation:
Engineer to Order (ETO), Configure to Order (CTO), Assemble to Order (ATO), Make to Order (MTO), and Make to Stock (MTS).
In theory, the production volumes increase as you shift from ETO to MTS. For many companies in the Dutch manufacturing industry, however, producing to stock (MTS) has not been a feasible option for years.
Make to Stock has become synonymous with mass production in low-wage countries,
in other words: “Make in China.”
Due to rising staff costs and the shortage of technical personnel (such as engineers), more and more companies are aiming to make the step from ETO to CTO, ATO or MTO.
Many manufacturing companies these days do not earn on the production itself, but on the service that follows.
Balanced Force helps companies with this transition from ETO to a higher level on the production ladder by making smart use of the power of the Salesforce Platform.
Our approach to Manufacturing Automation ‘on the edge of MES’ means that a heavy, high-risk investment in a traditional MES system is not necessary.
We digitalise the entire production process directly from ERP, without extra layers or complexity.
Ready for the AI revolution with Manufacturing Automation in the Cloud with Salesforce
The benefits of Manufacturing Automation on one platform are numerous, especially when an expensive and high-risk MES implementation is not necessary.
But perhaps even more importantly: with the Salesforce Platform, you are already laying the foundation today for the AI revolution that is well under way.
Would you like to know what that means for your organisation in concrete terms? Feel free to ask, we would be glad to tell you more.
