MES Manufacturing Execution System
Core Positioning
MES is the largest business module on the entire platform (133 tables), designed for workshop-level management needs of manufacturing enterprises. It’s not just “purchase-sales-inventory,” but dives deep into production work orders, process routes, scheduling, work reporting, quality inspection, and equipment maintenance — a complete manufacturing execution system.
In one sentence: If your factory needs to manage “how to schedule work orders, how to execute processes, how to inspect quality, how to maintain equipment,” MES is the answer.
Problems Solved
| Pain Point | How MES Solves It |
|---|---|
| Production progress is opaque | Work order → Scheduling → Work reporting full-chain tracking |
| Quality inspection relies on paper records | IQC/IPQC/OQC/RQC digitized |
| Equipment failures affect delivery deadlines | Equipment ledger + inspection plans for preventive maintenance |
| Material management is chaotic | Line-side inventory + production picking/return management |
| Outsourced processing is hard to manage | Independent outsourced inbound/outbound management |
| Worker scheduling is complex | Shift scheduling module |
User Roles
graph LR
subgraph Roles
PLANNER["Planner
Create production work orders
Develop scheduling plans"] WORKER["Operator
View work order tasks
Report work records
Pick/return materials"] QC["Quality Inspector
IQC incoming inspection
IPQC in-process inspection
OQC outgoing inspection"] MAINTENANCE["Equipment Maintainer
Manage equipment ledger
Execute inspection plans"] SUPERVISOR["Workshop Supervisor
View production progress
Andon exception handling"] end
Create production work orders
Develop scheduling plans"] WORKER["Operator
View work order tasks
Report work records
Pick/return materials"] QC["Quality Inspector
IQC incoming inspection
IPQC in-process inspection
OQC outgoing inspection"] MAINTENANCE["Equipment Maintainer
Manage equipment ledger
Execute inspection plans"] SUPERVISOR["Workshop Supervisor
View production progress
Andon exception handling"] end
Seven Module Panorama
graph TB
subgraph MD["Master Data md (17 tables)"]
MD1["Materials/Products"]
MD2["Customer/Supplier"]
MD3["Workshop Management"]
MD4["Coding Rules"]
end
subgraph PRO["Production Management pro (17 tables)"]
PRO1["Process Routes"]
PRO2["Production Work Orders"]
PRO3["Scheduling Orders"]
PRO4["Work Reports"]
PRO5["Andon System"]
end
subgraph WM["Warehouse Management wm (62 tables)"]
WM1["Location Setup"]
WM2["Inventory Management"]
WM3["Purchase Inbound"]
WM4["Finished Goods Inbound"]
WM5["Sales Outbound"]
WM6["Picking & Returns"]
WM7["Stock Transfer"]
WM8["Stocktaking"]
WM9["Miscellaneous In/Out"]
WM10["Outsourcing Management"]
end
subgraph QC2["Quality Management qc (16 tables)"]
QC1["IQC Incoming Inspection"]
QC2_IN["IPQC In-Process Inspection"]
QC3["OQC Outgoing Inspection"]
QC4["RQC Return Inspection"]
end
subgraph DV["Equipment Management dv (12 tables)"]
DV1["Equipment Ledger"]
DV2["Inspection Plans"]
DV3["Inspection Records"]
end
subgraph TM["Tool Management tm (2 tables)"]
TM1["Tool Ledger"]
TM2["Tool Checkout"]
end
subgraph CAL["Shift Scheduling cal (7 tables)"]
CAL1["Shift Definition"]
CAL2["Scheduling Plans"]
end
MD --> PRO
MD --> WM
PRO --> WM
PRO --> QC2
Production Execution Process
sequenceDiagram
participant PLAN as Planner
participant MES2 as MES
participant LINE as Production Line
participant QC3 as Quality Inspector
participant WH3 as Warehouse
PLAN->>MES2: Create production work order
PLAN->>MES2: Develop scheduling plan
MES2->>LINE: Work order dispatched to production line
LINE->>WH3: Material picking request
WH3->>MES2: Confirm material issuance
LINE->>MES2: Process work report
QC3->>MES2: IPQC in-process inspection
LINE->>MES2: Completion work report
QC3->>MES2: OQC outgoing inspection
LINE->>WH3: Finished goods inbound
Quality Inspection System
graph LR
subgraph IQC["IQC Incoming Inspection"]
I1["Supplier Incoming Materials"]
I2["Inspect → Pass/Fail"]
I3["Fail → Return/Concession"]
end
subgraph IPQC["IPQC In-Process Inspection"]
P1["Sample inspection during production"]
P2["Key process inspection"]
P3["Exception handling"]
end
subgraph OQC["OQC Outgoing Inspection"]
O1["Inspection before finished goods shipment"]
O2["Pass → Release"]
end
subgraph RQC["RQC Return Inspection"]
R1["Customer return inspection"]
R2["Determine responsibility attribution"]
end
IQC --> IPQC --> OQC
RQC -.-> IQC
Virtual Line-Side Inventory (WIP)
There is a special concept in the MES warehouse module — virtual line-side inventory (WIP_VIRTUAL_WAREHOUSE), used to track work-in-process materials on the shop floor:
- Materials issued from warehouse to production line → Line-side inventory increases
- Production line consumes materials → Line-side inventory decreases
- Finished goods completed → Line-side inventory decreases, finished goods inventory increases
This keeps the quantity and location of WIP materials on the shop floor always clear.
Relationship with Other Modules
| Relationship | Description |
|---|---|
| MES vs WMS | WMS is general warehouse management; MES’s warehouse module is deeply integrated with manufacturing (line-side inventory, picking, outsourcing) |
| MES vs ERP | ERP manages “purchase-sales-inventory,” MES manages “production execution,” complementary |
| MES vs IoT | IoT can be used for equipment data collection, MES for production management |
| MES vs BPM | Can integrate BPM for quality inspection exception approvals, etc. |