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Infor LX & BPCS: Why You Need MES

You know your plant better than anyone, and most likely you'd admit that there is room for improvement. Perhaps too many defects are causing costly issues down the road, or maybe your production is behind and orders are shipping late? Do you know what needs to be improved? Do you know about the root causes of the problems that you’re experiencing? Is it fair to say, you don’t know what you don’t know … yet?

MES helps you dig into the problem and better yet, SOLVES the problem!

What Is MES and How Does It Work?

Many companies still enter data manually or share work instructions on paper. Most of them, however, know there’s a better way to organize the mass of activity happening on the plant floor. MES provides visibility to that activity as well as the underlying data and uses that data to improve how that activity is done and makes it repeatable. MES connects multiple sites, integrates with equipment, and raises the effectiveness of business applications all to better optimize operations.

The 3 Pillars of MES:

  1. Establishing a plan and staying on schedule. The system takes your input — production shifts/times, production goals, etc. — and calculates the rate at which you need to complete production in order to meet customer demand. Operators see real-time progress on dashboard graphics, knowing the progress at every moment.
  2. Enforcing a repeatable process. Knowing your process is being followed exactly as defined provides the ultimate peace of mind. Every target, from fastening to product routing, is achieved just as you defined it time after time.
  3. Creating a rich data set. Capturing data is one thing; being able to act on that data is really the key to driving improvement initiatives. Use your analytics, explore your data set, and identify and solve your hidden inefficiencies.

All three of these MES pillars are used to help you reach productivity and quality goals by:

  • Solving production scheduling challenges
  • Discovering and sharing your best operators’ insights
  • Uncovering inefficiencies in your process and fixing them
  • Reducing the exhausting task of putting out fires
  • Establishing a continuous improvement philosophy
  • Increasing operator engagement and dedication

And if you need another reason... according to Forbes.com, MES ranks in the Top 5 Key Areas to Affect How Goods Are Made in 2023 - Five Predictions For Manufacturing And Logistics In 2023.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/02/13/five-predictions-for-manufacturing-and-logistics-in-2023/?sh=1155863f1f76

So, what's next? Work with Crossroads RMC, an experienced MES partner who has seen situations just like yours and who has guided companies in your position. And best of all, Crossroads RMC doesn’t just know MES, we have a team of experts who are knowledgeable about manufacturing best practices, your Infor ERP, and MES and can bring all of that knowledge together to help you formulate the right plan for your company’s success.

Contact Anthony Etzel at Crossroads RMC today. He can provide you with a free MES ROI calculator to give you some concrete numbers to help you see what MES can do for your business. 800.762.2077

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Industry Insight: Why ERP Data Stays Siloed, and What to Do About It

Most manufacturers don't have a data problem. They have a connection problem.

Production data lives in one system. Sales and customer data lives in another. Finance runs somewhere else entirely. Each system does its job well on its own, but without a way to connect them, the organization never gets the full picture, and neither do the people trying to run the business.

Why This Happens
ERP systems are often the core of a manufacturer's operations, but they rarely operate alone. Over time, businesses add third-party software for CRM, e-commerce, warehouse management, EDI, and more. Each addition solves an immediate need, but without integration, it also creates another silo.

The result is familiar across manufacturing: teams end up manually re-entering data between systems, waiting on reports that should be immediate, and making decisions without visibility into what's happening elsewhere in the business.

Integration vs. Enhancement
There are two ways to close this gap, and they solve different problems:

  1. ERP Integration connects your ERP to the third-party software you use every day, creating a single source of data instead of several disconnected ones. Whether it's a one-way, two-way, or complex systems integration, the goal is the same: eliminate errors, reduce manual entry, and give everyone access to the same real-time information.
  2. ERP Enhancement goes a step further, creating new functionality or modifying existing functionality within the ERP itself, so the system matches how your business actually operates rather than forcing your business to adapt to the system's limitations. Done right, enhancements use parameter-co

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