Two types of enterprise systems find use with any factory-floor-to-boardroom, data transfer-and-analysis route.
Nearest the floor is the MES, the manufacturing execution system. It can be an assortment of information systems the control systems designer decides is needed to meet the application demands.
On its Web site, MESA, the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association, says an MES is “the information systems that span and connect the supply chain, enterprise, product-lifecycle, production and service environments.”
At a minimum, the MES is a plant-floor tool necessary to get data up to operations and middle management, where it can be connected to ERP systems, for the ultimate handoff to higher-level, executive decision makers.
ERP, the enterprise resource planning system, is a collection of software, distributed across the enterprise, that integrates business functions. ERP systems typically support finance and human resources functions and often include modules to help manufacturers in areas such as production planning, parts purchasing, order tracking, inventory maintenance and supply chain interaction.
See the story that goes with this sidebar: Connecting the enterprise endpoints
