Introduction

“Are you already working on a second book?” Dennis Brandl,editor of the ISA-95 Enterprise-Control System Integration seriesof standards, asked me during the ISA EXPO 2007 in Houston.

“Well, I’m thinking of writing a book about MES and ISA-95, forthe boards of directors and management at manufacturing companies,”I answered. “I’ve noticed that many of my clients have troubledemonstrating to management what a manufacturing execution systemis and what it can do for you. The books and white papers currentlyavailable on that subject are all targeted to a technical audience.There’s nothing for the management level.”

“That’s a good idea,” Brandl said; then he noted, “It should bea small book, one they could finish on the plane.”

I thought that was a good starting point. A book short enoughthat CEOs, CFOs, general managers, controllers, plant managers,production managers, and IT managers at manufacturing enterprisescould read it cover to cover during a single flight, so to speak.Something that would give them a quick first impression ofmanufacturing execution systems; a book that answered questionssuch as “What is MES?,” “How can MES help us improve our businessresults?,” and “What can we expect when we start using MES?”

The following year, I further elaborated this plan. During mydaily work as a management consultant, I collected examples, spokewith colleagues, and interviewed IT managers and productionmanagers who’ve garnered a great deal of MES experience withintheir companies. This resulted in a wealth of information, the mostimportant parts of which are summarized in this book.

“Why would we need a manufacturing execution system? We follow aSAP-unless policy,” you may be thinking. Chapter 1 addresses thequestion whether an ERP system can provide sufficient support forplant processes, and if so, under what circumstances. Your companymay not need an MES. In that case, you can put the book down afterchapter 1.

But you might come to the conclusion after reading that chapterthat your production processes are sufficiently complex that yourERP system doesn’t adequately meet your plant’s information needs.In that case, read chapter 2 to find out exactly what an MES is,and chapter 3 for a rough overview of the costs and benefits ofsuch a system. If you see opportunities for your company, thenchapter 4 will tell you in global terms how an MES selectionproject should proceed, and chapter 5 spells out what your companycan expect during implementation and initial use of the MES. Ifyour company has multiple production sites, it may be possible touse one and the same MES in all your plants; chapter 6 containsadvice on developing and maintaining a multi-site MES template.Finally, chapter 7 gives a bird’s-eye view of the ISA-95 series andhow it can help both people and information systems communicatebetter, internally and externally, during your MES projects.

This book would not have been possible without the help andsupport of several organizations, companies, and individuals. Mythanks go to WBF (The Forum for Automation and ManufacturingProfessionals, formerly known as the World Batch Forum), whoseyearly conferences offer professionals the opportunity to exchangeinformation on best practices. Many WBF conference presentationshave been a source of inspiration for this book. I also thank MESA(Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International) forits congresses, white papers, and other sources of information thathelp manufacturing enterprises to reach a higher plane. I’ve quotedfrom several MESA studies and publications in this book. And thankyou, ISA, for making it possible to develop useful standards suchas ISA-95, and for publishing specialized books in the field ofmanufacturing IT.

I also extend my heartfelt thanks to all my interviewees; theirreal-world experience will help readers to understand what they cando to make an MES project successful. Thank you also, Gert-Jan vanDijk, Jos Hensen, Wouter Huijs, Jan Kelderman, and Sjoerd vanStaveren, for reviewing the draft versions. Your critical commentsand useful tips—based on your own practical experience—have made anextremely valuable contribution to the quality of this book.

And finally, of course, a big hug for my husband, family,in-laws, and friends; thank you all for providing an environment inwhich I found the relaxation, rest, and energy I needed to writethis book.