In this issue, Automation World looks at the latest advances in MES software that are enabling better, more effective use of information to drive smarter decision making across the factory enterprise.
Though manufacturing execution systems were once seen by some to be on the wane, MES software is making a resurgence, as vendors develop solutions to meet the needs of multi-site, globally distributed manufacturers. In a story that begins on page 28, Automation World Editorial Director Jane Gerold examines the latest advances in MES, and describes how major manufacturers are putting the technology to work across their enterprises.
On the plant floor, engineers and managers are increasingly relying on the power of large databases combined with the data handling capabilities of today’s MES software to boost the efficiency of their operations. Contributing Editor James R. Koelsch explores the trends in an article that starts on page 34.
The idea of feeding plant floor data to higher level enterprise systems has long been seen as one way to improve business operations. But now, as Contributing Editor Rob Spiegel points out in an article that begins on page 40, there is growing sentiment in some camps that for optimum effectiveness, more data should also be flowing in the other direction—from the business systems down to the factory floor.
IBM Corp. relies on radio-frequency identification technology and internal MES software for precise tracking and control of high-value wafers on a fully automated semiconductor production line in East Fishkill, N.Y. The system pays major benefits, as reported by Managing Editor Wes Iversen, in an article that begins on page 44.
With this issue, Automation World is also launching the first in a series of quarterly special reports on Intelligent Sensing Systems. In the article beginning on page 48, Editor Gary Mintchell describes how improved sensing technologies and wireless networking strategies are saving time and money for manufacturers. In a second article starting on page 52, Contributing Editor Terry Costlow reports further on the productivity benefits of intelligent sensing systems.
