MES cannot be packaged; software modules just cut cost

So says Martin Filz, managing director of high growth MES and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems developer Citect in Europe, now part of the Schneider empire. “We have 13 flexible core MES modules, but it’s about bespoking those for specific customer needs.” Confirming what many have been concluding for some time, he insists that specifying and then implementing MESs today is about business analysis by specialists equipped to ask the right questions, coupled with professional services harnessing recognised change management methodologies. The MES modules then serve to keep costs down. “In Europe, we’re focusing on OEE [overall equipment effectiveness], downtime analysis and production metrics on the lines within a plant or factory,” says Filz. And that’s across several industry sectors, including energy, automotive, food and beverage, general manufacturing and mining and minerals. “Today, people are expecting information – just as with general business systems. So through our MES we provide business information that improves manufacturing execution – output and efficiency across the lifecycle of equipment.”