Evolving into Industry 4.0's Smart Factory with CIMAG MES

The trend of using digital information to improve efficiency is on the rise across manufacturing companies around the world. However, many businesses aren’t quite ready to take the leap into what is being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, better known as Industry 4.0. So what is holding them back? It appears some manufacturers are hesitant in becoming a Smart Factory because they simply don’t know where to start.

The term Smart Factory is a cool buzzword, but what does it really stand for? Many articles feature this term, but few really break it down. Generally speaking, all of these areas work together to create a Smart Factory:

• Digital Data Management Systems
• Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
• Robotics

Now when making the decision to join Industry 4.0 as a Smart Factory, you need to pinpoint the problems within your current operations. Are your machines producing efficiently? Do you need to reduce costs tied up in inventory or comply better with government requirements? You must develop realistic objectives for your company in order to achieve finding the solutions.

The first step should be implementing a digital data management system. This can be done using an MES (Manufacturing Execution System). For this post, I’m going to focus on using CIMAG MES in addition to an existing ERP. The purpose of an MES is to seamlessly exchange data across the whole organization. IMCO’s state of the art MES software gives companies the ability to completely customize and control their data within one product. Data acquisition is an important part of an MES because it’s used in determining issues with your current operations and drawing the baseline upon which to build improvements. After that baseline is developed, the MES software can be customized to achieve those operational improvements.

CIMAG MES offers modular features to help with all aspects of production. Essentially, there are 14 function features within a state of the art MES like CIMAG MES:

This type of MES enhances your existing ERP system by providing much more sophisticated Shop Floor Control. Based on customer feedback, CIMAG MES can help your company achieve Schedule Attainment performance higher than 90%, reduce scrap and rework by more than 33%, and increase machine utilization by more than 15%. CIMAG MES also provides companies a quick return on investment within the first 2 years. Which of these Key Performance Indicators are critical and in need of improvement in your operations? These statistics are why it’s important to implement a Manufacturing Execution System.

Let’s review: MES software complements the ERP by providing more control over key functionalities like Scheduling, Shop Floor Control, Traceability, Inventory Management, and more. These features act as tools to correct the issues within your current operations.

To sum it up, think of CIMAG MES software as the foundation of your operations’ plan for joining Industry 4.0. It helps manage your company data. The software pulls data in real-time and as close as possible to the source and then transforms it to information that can be used by all involved. This digitized connection provides a continuous flow of information and communication between each level of the company. Connectivity on this level helps your company utilize the CIMAG MES tools in order to perform better in all stages of manufacturing. This is why the first step in evolving your corporation into a Smart Factory should be implementing a Manufacturing Execution System like CIMAG MES.

Click here to request a free no-obligation demo of CIMAG MES