What are ERP and MES systems? What are the differences between them? ERP and MES are important components of management information systems for manufacturing enterprises. Many people have only a superficial understanding of the two and do not know the exact differences. Below is some related knowledge.
Introduction to ERP and MES systems:
MES systems, namely Manufacturing Execution Systems, are intended to strengthen the execution function of MRP plans by linking MRP plans with shop-floor control through the execution system. The shop-floor control here includes PLC controllers, data collectors, barcodes, various measuring and testing instruments, manipulators, and so on. ERP systems are Enterprise Resource Planning systems, meaning management platforms built on information technology, integrating information technology with advanced management thinking, and providing enterprise employees and decision-makers with decision-making tools through systematic management concepts. MES systems are the foundation of enterprise information management. By linking ERP systems with real-time production processes, they enable enterprises to effectively control and organize production.
Differences between ERP and MES systems: 1. The management objects of the two are different. ERP software generally serves the service industry or distribution industry. Enterprises implement informatized management systems because MES has no management object? For manufacturing industries, the main determinant is the degree of on-site demand for product information during production. For example, if a parts factory produces only three products, and the daily demand for each product does not change much, while there are only one or two kinds of parts, then there is no need to implement MES. At most, some automatic identification technology and one or two computers can be used to count output and materials. 2. The management scope of the two is different. Compared with MES, ERP manages a broader scope, while MES manages in finer detail. Enterprise production resources are part of enterprise resources and therefore also fall within the management scope of ERP, which correspondingly has functional modules such as production planning, data collection, quality management, and material management. Therefore, it is often confused with MES. However, ERP mainly manages at the work-center level, while MES can go into each manufacturing process in more detail, issuing tasks, controlling execution, collecting data, and conducting on-site scheduling for each process. For ERP to achieve process-level management, customized development is required. 3. The management functions are different. ERP's manufacturing management functions mainly involve formulating production plans and collecting production data. In addition to refining production plans and collecting production data, MES also has management functions for batch-level production control and scheduling, such as changes to batch-level process flows, validation control of manufacturing equipment, personnel and materials, batch splitting and merging, and changes to production orders at the batch level. 4. The implementation methods are different. ERP mainly realizes management by filling in forms and transferring forms. Manufacturing tasks received on-site are conveyed through forms, and manufacturing data on-site is also collected by filling in forms. MES realizes management through events. Changes in production orders and on-site manufacturing conditions immediately trigger related events through the built-in WIP engine in MES, requiring relevant personnel or equipment to take corresponding actions. Therefore, MES can reduce data input work, reduce errors, and improve timeliness. 5. The working methods are different. In order to achieve real-time control and scheduling of the manufacturing site, on-site working methods also change. Without information systems, the working method is to obtain production orders or production progress from the production planning department, then after completing on-site work, fill in the production situation on manufacturing orders or batch transfer sheets and report upward. ERP works similarly, except that the interface between the manufacturing site and the production management department is connected through the information system. After using MES systems, however, on-site instruction issuance and data collection are both realized through information systems.
MES system software and ERP complement each other 1. ERP shortcomings. Although ERP can solve production planning problems well, control at the workshop level is often insufficient. For example, the workshop control module planning function in ERP is generally weak and mainly executes MRP plans. It transforms MRP plans into workshop processing orders and dispatch orders, executes according to those orders, feeds back plan execution conditions, and performs input and output control. The time span, or planning period, of ERP workshop processing orders and dispatch orders is often relatively long, usually a week. The equipment resources in workshop processing orders and dispatch orders are based on work centers, but the definition of work centers is often not strictly regulated and is entirely determined according to system implementation requirements and control granularity. Usually, work centers in ERP are defined as a group of equipment resources, and all information feedback and cost accounting are carried out at the work-center level. When ERP collects on-site information for key processes, it usually relies mainly on manual input, which is not only inefficient and error-prone, but the entered data is basically from the previous shift or the previous day, resulting in information lag. 2. Advantages of MES system software The planning and scheduling functions of MES system software are somewhat similar to the functions at the ERP workshop layer, but the planning and scheduling functions of MES system software are stronger, and the plans it formulates are more detailed. MES system software generally formulates operation plans hierarchically at the workshop level and unit level, and assigns tasks to every piece of equipment or operator in the workshop. Workshop processing orders in MES system software are similar to those in ERP, while dispatch orders in MES system software are a further decomposition of workshop processing orders in time and space, usually refined down to the production tasks of each unit and each device each day, or each shift, within the planning period. At the same time, the production tasks for the next day or next shift are assigned to each operator or device in the form of work orders. The data fed back by MES system software includes not only data for each device, each process, and each operator, but also state data during the processing process. Because automatic data collection technology is used, state data can be collected in real time. After layer-by-layer aggregation of the collected data, the production site data of the entire factory can finally be obtained. At present, the meaning represented by ERP in China has already expanded. All types of enterprise software have been incorporated into the category of ERP. It breaks beyond the traditional boundaries of enterprises and optimizes enterprise resources from the perspective of the supply chain. It is a new generation information system based on the era of network economy, mainly used to improve enterprise business processes so as to enhance core competitiveness.
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