A new research from LNS Research puts a light on how MES and HMI/SCADA projects can jumpstart digital transformation today.
The first important metric to look at is the percentage of manufacturers with an MES system in their plants :
This low number means a lot of factories run their plants with HMI/SCADA softwares and no interaction to business systems. SCADA softwares provide information on the shop floor but for the long-term transformation it is not enough. First of all there might not be a standardized SCADA across plants. It’s a good start to avoid diverse and specific SCADA accross an enterprise.
Then SCADA might not be the right solution for various reasons, too close to the plant, operational tool-only, limited functionalities.
MES systems provide more functionality to the shop floor and also on the management floor, with a connectivity between others applications such as ERPs, Mainteance Softwares.
Building on a new or existing MES provide a solid foundation for your Digital Transformation.
The first step to build you Digital Transformation is to understand your starting point:
- No MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) Solutions
- Traditional On-Premise MOM
- Distributed Modular MOM
- Cloud-based MOM
Then you need a strategy and it’s not only about technology. It’s about people, process, and technology.
You cannot start your digital transformation if the leaders are not fully in it and define the vision and goals. This will include manufacturing and also business, customer experience, communication and more.
You will have to define the steps to go for a modular MOM, the cloud-based solution or beyond that depending on your needs.
As always, small steps are the best way to see quick results, gain confidence and succeed in your project.
It is today a necessity for manufacturing leaders to implement MOM solutions to stay alive in a modern manufacturing world.
Tomorrow competition will be around data, and you need to go into that direction.
The main objective of digital transformation is to drive more value out of business, and MOM solutions can help by being a focus for adding value to the manufacturing factories and business.