Manufacturing Execution Systems Deliver Real Value and Competitiveness

Customer References verified by TechValidate.

by Michael Schwarz, MES/EMI/Workflow Product Manager, Invensys Schneider Electric

Every manufacturer approaching the transformation from a paper based, fragmented or manual operations management system to a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) raises that question – what will be the ROI (Return on Investment) in my case?  Often this question cannot be exactly answered directly – only very experienced professionals will be able to compare a prospect's situation to a similar case, and relate to the results achieved in these case(s) without detailed analyses and investigations which may require similar efforts close to a small MES implementation itself!

We wanted to know better ourselves and asked our existing Wonderware MES Software customers what operational improvements and ROI they achieved, to share with those who need decision support to justify the investment. We partnered with a research service, TechValidate, to collect and validate such information for publication. The chart above is an overview of Improvements through Wonderware MES Software use.

What we got back as detailed answers to our research questions even surprised us in positive outcome for our Customers. We received a significant number of responses, which indicated that customers using Wonderware MES solutions received  more than 30% improvements in product quality, productivity or even manufacturing cost reduction. This is a huge benefit for these companies showing significant cost savings by using Wonderware MES. We also published a number of  Wonderware MES Software case studies which document these levels of benefits achieved by customers from all over the globe, and in different industries.

Obviously, a 30% or more improvement benefit is not typically the immediate result after a few months of a MES implementation. Leveraging the new detailed data and transparency at hand for the continuous improvement process will provide these results over time. Nevertheless, customers reported fast payback and facilitation of improvements of processes which were even not the core part of the initial MES project scope through synergies in enterprise integration and hidden  insights gained.

The initial customer survey definitely shows MES provides value, in many cases extended value, which we are documenting and which you can now access. To see the so-far published research information in case studies, facts and charts, please visit the research website on Wonderware Operations  Software