The central technology of digital transformation is MES software. To become a digital ecosystem of technology and a unified source of data, the right MES solution helps to tightly integrate all Industry 4.0 devices.
FREMONT, CA: The success of early adopters who deploy the newest solutions will be crucial in bridging the gap between interest and adoption. Several manufacturers are still unable to completely take advantage of Aerospace & Defense 4.0, and they struggle to get crucial data from more intelligent devices and equipment off the factory floor. Here, manufacturing execution systems (MES) play a crucial role in simplifying the complexity of defence contract management for A&D manufacturing enterprises, from better production execution and quality control to enhanced Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
By digitally executing, tracking, and documenting each step in the end-to-end manufacturing process, MES helps to deliver efficient and compliant work. By ensuring data is accessible from the shop floor to the top floor, continuously feeding real-time dashboards, and enabling control at every level of the production organisation, MES is a crucial component of the vertical integration of manufacturing. Everyone in the chain, from the shop floor supervisor to the head of operations, has access to real-time information for actionable intelligence.
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For A&D manufacturers, the malevolent is in the details, which MES data must be able to deliver. The precision and safety of A&D equipment are held to extremely high standards; engineering tolerances for aeroplanes can be as small as a thousandth of an inch, and that's just on an exterior panel! For safety and mission effectiveness, the degree of quality and precision combined with exceedingly tight tolerances are crucial. Anywhere the equipment is in use, the loss of either of these components has significant effects on A&D and has the potential to result in catastrophic equipment failure that might jeopardise mission success and even endanger the life of the warfighter.
Separate MES is not apt to provide the additional level of granularity and specificity required to operate in the A&D manufacturing industry, nor is it conducive to providing the level of vertical reporting required in a modern manufacturing environment. To address these problems and move information throughout an A&D manufacturing organisation, it is time-consuming to manage complex point solutions with highly customised integrations, and there is a risk of soloing out data that would otherwise be essential to the overall execution of production, quality control, and KPIs like OEE.
Like many other industries, A&D manufacturing is experiencing a skilled labour shortage. By 2026, the manufacturing industry needs 3.5M workers for A&D. This is where a combined MES/ERP solution can help with human capital. Instead of dismissing staff, A&D manufacturers can upskill employees for higher-level work while the factory is automated by improving processes with better feedback on MES data.
Industry 4.0 technologies are now widely used in A&D manufacturing, but their whole potential will only be realised when they can bring previously unavailable financial, operational, and security benefits to the top floor. Given the specific requirements of the A&D business, getting MES right is essential for A&D 4.0. To enable firms to reap the rewards of A&D 4.0 and vertical manufacturing integration, MES must be an integrated component of a larger system.
