The system has been purchased, but is the factory ready?

After Taiwanese businesses set up factories in Southeast Asia, their production scale expanded, and management complexity increased accordingly. Implementing an MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is a common choice for many factories to improve production visibility and shorten response time to anomalies. However, in practice, many implementation cases encounter difficulties in the early stages of implementation. The problem often lies not in the system itself, but in the fact that the factory's basic conditions are not yet in place.

This article summarizes three preparatory steps that must be confirmed before implementing an MES system, for reference by managers of overseas factories who intend to upgrade.

Three key preparatory steps

I. Process standardization precedes systematization

The core value of MES lies in digitizing the factory's production processes. However, if the processes themselves are not standardized, the system will only record chaos more quickly. Before implementation, it is recommended to break down the processes and set standard working hours to ensure that each process has a clear start and end definition, as well as quantifiable quality judgment criteria. If there are still many processes on-site that rely heavily on verbal communication or individual judgment by the operators, they should be documented as SOPs first before considering systematization.

II. Device networking capabilities need to be assessed in advance.

A significant portion of MES production data acquisition relies on direct signal output from equipment. Some older equipment lacks communication interfaces or has communication protocols incompatible with the system. If a thorough equipment inventory is not conducted before implementation, additional data acquisition modules may need to be purchased after deployment, extending the setup time. It is recommended to compile a complete list of all equipment in the plant before selecting a system, confirming the networking method of each device (OPC-UA, Modbus, automatic input, or manual reporting), as this will serve as the basis for functional requirements.

III. The operational and operational capacity of local personnel

In overseas factories, the MES (Manufacturing Execution System) operations are typically handled by local managers and operators, rather than Taiwanese IT personnel. No matter how complete the system's functions are, its benefits will be difficult to realize if local personnel cannot use it fluently. It is recommended to evaluate the system's multilingual support (Vietnamese, Thai) during the selection process and include sufficient training hours in the implementation plan, avoiding cramming training into the week before go-live. Some factories also designate local "system seed personnel" to assist their peers in operation and report problems; this arrangement helps improve the stability of the system's implementation.

Only with thorough preparation can the system truly speak.

MES is a tool for upgrading production management, not a panacea. Its capabilities depend on the quality of the data and operational discipline employed by the factory. Only by clearly defining these three prerequisites can MES achieve its intended benefits in Southeast Asian factories.