MES System | The Role of MES in Smart Manufacturing

NGÀY ĐĂNG 08/12/2025

Võ Hồng Tiên

In the context of digital transformation becoming a strategic priority of the manufacturing industry, the MES system is considered the core platform to help businesses improve productivity, optimize costs and build smart factories according to Industry 4.0 standards. More than just a software to monitor the production line, MES plays the role of an "operational brain", seamlessly connecting the management level (ERP) and the control system (SCADA/PLC), collecting and standardizing real-time data, coordinating production according to plan, ensuring quality and comprehensive traceability. The following article will provide a comprehensive view of MES: from concepts, roles, principles, applications by industry, benefits, criteria for choosing solutions, to the latest MES trends in the Industry 4.0 era to help businesses build effective and sustainable implementation strategies.

MES System & Role in Industry 4.0

What is MES?

Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is a production management and execution system that connects the enterprise management level (ERP) and the factory control level (SCADA/PLC/IoT). MES collects real-time data from the production line, thereby monitoring - controlling - optimizing the entire production activities of the factory.

Simply put, MES manages the entire production process, from input materials to finished products, while ensuring quality control and optimizing production processes. MES collects real-time production data from the factory floor, allowing businesses to evaluate production efficiency and make strategic decisions based on real-time information. The system acts as a "production executive", directly managing progress, controlling quality, and operating on-site equipment maintenance.

The role of MES in modern factories

MES brings many important benefits in modern manufacturing:

• Management of production progress: Track the production progress of each order, each stage.
• Quality control: Record QC data, detect errors immediately, reduce defective products.
• MES helps optimize resources, machine efficiency, labor and raw materials.
• Warn before equipment has problems, reduce machine downtime.
• Monitor each production step for easy retrieval and ensure standards.
• MES receives data from machines, reports to ERP, creates a feedback loop for production planning.

Why is MES increasingly important in manufacturing 4.0?

• The 4.0 industrial revolution requires all data to be real-time - transparent - analyzable, MES will help turn raw data into management information.
• Support process standardization, reduce manual errors, optimize machinery - things that 4.0 businesses must have to compete.
• Some industries such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, food, automobiles, ... need to trace from raw materials to finished products - MES will ensure the entire information chain is stored accurately.
• In the 4.0 factory, MES becomes a connection platform, helping businesses switch from manual operation to smart operation.
• Create a unified management system, suitable for corporations operating many factories in many regions.

Operating principle of the system

The MES system operates based on collecting - processing - synchronizing - displaying - optimizing production data in real time. The core operating principle includes 5 main steps:

Collecting data directly from the production line

Data collection is the most important step, this is the foundation that helps the system understand how the machine is running, how the product is, and whether the quality is up to standard or not. MES collects data in real-time from multiple layers in the factory, ensuring that all information is updated continuously and accurately.

• Collect data from machines & PLCs (SCADA, OPC UA, Modbus...).
• Collect data from IoT sensors (temperature, vibration, pressure, humidity...).
• Collect data from QC inspection equipment (CMM, scale, AI vision machine).
• Collect data from production personnel (Tablet, Terminal at the stage).

Collect data from warehouse & raw materials.

Collect data from other systems: WMS, LIMS, QMS...

Data collected includes:

• Production quantity.
• Machine speed.
• Machine downtime.
• Error/warning code.
• Damage rate.
• Material usage.
• Shift/shift information.
• Work Order information.

Data Processing & standardization
After MES collects data from machines, sensors, PLCs and workers, the next important step is to process - standardize - synchronize data to ensure all information is accurate, consistent and usable in production operations.

Data Cleaning: MES removes invalid or duplicate data, this helps the system avoid false warnings, avoid miscalculating output or machine downtime.
Timestamp & ID Mapping: Automatically add identification information to attach data to the right place in the production cycle, so that all data has a clear origin and context.
Standardize data according to the ISA-95 model: This helps data from different machines become consistent and easy to analyze.
Production Contextualization: MES combines actual data with planning information, which is an important factor to ensure 100% traceability.
Normalize raw data into standard data: Convert and standardize all lower and upper systems to the same language.
Apply automatic calculation logic: Process data according to algorithms, reduce dependence on manual data entry, increase reliability.
Synchronize clean data to other systems: Create a seamless data chain from enterprise - factory - equipment.
Production management according to plan
Once the data has been collected and standardized, MES enters the most core role: operating and controlling the entire production process according to the plan sent down by ERP or APS. Here, MES turns the plan into action, ensuring that the production line operates according to the correct process, standards and schedule.

Receive and decompose production plans from ERP/APS: from a master plan, MES creates detailed operating orders for each station.
Issue production orders to machines and workstations: At each stage, MES displays full information, which helps operators always know what to do - how to do it - in how long.
Set up & lock machine parameters: helps avoid operating errors, wrong formulas, wrong production orders.
Real-time production monitoring: managers grasp real-time progress, do not have to wait for end-of-shift reports.
Automatic coordination when there are abnormalities: helps the line maintain flexibility and continuity.
In-line QC: In some factories, MES can automatically stop the machine if abnormal quality persists, ensuring quality during the process, without having to wait for final inspection.
Tracking consumption and use of raw materials: supporting cost optimization, waste control.
Completing production and updating back to ERP: Connecting ERP - MES creates a closed production cycle.
Synchronization and analysis of data (Synchronization & Analytics)
After MES collects, processes and operates production, the next important step is to synchronize data with other systems and analyze in depth to optimize operations. In other words, this is the stage of creating a "big picture" of the entire factory, helping businesses make quick and accurate decisions based on real-time data.

Two-way data synchronization with upper and lower level systems such as: ERP, SCADA/PLC, WMS, QMS, APS, helps the entire enterprise operate as a unified system, no longer with discrete data.
Centralized data storage: MES stores all factory data, this is a “data lake” for advanced analysis and reporting.
Production performance analysis: MES generates real-time and historical analysis to help:
Automatic OEE calculation: helps identify which equipment is bottlenecking.
Downtime analysis: reduces unplanned downtime.
Quality analysis (Quality Trend): supports continuous quality improvement.
Real-time dashboard: Helps see everything to manage immediately.
Early warning and prediction: The factory moves from passive to proactive operation - forecasting.
Automatic report generation: Reports are automatically sent by email or saved on the system, reducing the time to summarize