Manufacturing Execution Systems And The Human Factor

James Wood, Director, Factory & Activplant Product Lines at Aptean, discusses the benefits of bringing humanity to your workplace MES technologies.

In an age of increasing technological sophistication in manufacturing processes, human beings are the most important and valuable resource a company possesses. It is still this human element that dictates true operational efficiency – that is, if it can be optimally integrated into a business’ production practices.

A manufacturing business will often measure its efficiency output by using a metric such as OEE – Overall Equipment Effectiveness. To maximise OEE and reveal hidden capacities, a business should use a number of real time Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for evaluation: quantities produced, lead times, quality and substandard goods, and periods of disruption.