How Holistic MES + QMS Work Together to Elevate Quality

Remaining competitive in today's complex manufacturing landscape requires the right solution(s) for the job. Ideally, minimizing the number of solutions you need to leverage to achieve your operational and financial objectives is vital. Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Quality Management System (QMS) are prime examples of disparate and disconnected systems often found in today's manufacturing environment.

But by leveraging MES and QMS capabilities in a holistic solution, companies can instantly access deeper and richer manufacturing insights than a standalone QMS system could ever provide. With a robust MES and QMS on a single platform with a single data model, the capabilities far exceed those of standalone MES and QMS solutions. The MES further extends the capabilities of the QMS, preventing information gaps and data siloes and driving quality and process improvements across the entire enterprise. Best-in-class companies already know this and are 58.2% more likely to use MES solutions with a QMS, according to Aberdeen Strategy & Research.

This blog will discuss why data is a crucial driver of quality, how to achieve holistic quality management, and why a holistic MES and QMS platform is the key to achieving a more efficient supply chain.

Defining Holistic Quality Management

Digitalization and competition in manufacturing have created the need for a holistic quality management and manufacturing execution system platform approach since this is the best way to keep supply chains accountable for product integrity. A holistic quality management and MES approach can connect the entire supply chain with the key pillars of quality management.
When an MES+QMS is holistic in its adoption and implementation, it drives a manufacturing culture of in-process quality from beginning to end. Utilizing systems that instantly cross-link component trace data with production and quality data from test and inspection can provide immediate visibility into issues that correlate to the supply chain.

This real-time management of quality data and KPIs across the enterprise enables decision-makers to make informed calls with up-to-date, accurate data. And according to Aberdeen, 64% of organizations are integrating quality with another platform like PLM, ERP, or MES to gain these valuable insights. By leveraging a holistic MES and QMS solution, companies can glean deeper, richer manufacturing data, then act on that data to impact the enterprise's financial and operational initiatives.

Holistic MES + QMS: Integrated Tools with a Common Mission

When QMS capabilities are embedded with an MES, manufacturing operations can be effectively streamlined by ensuring adherence to quality norms at all product and process lifecycle stages. With a systematic and integrated approach to managing quality, manufacturers gain better visibility into manufacturing and develop actionable intelligence to proactively diagnose and prevent potential quality-related failures before they impact the end product.

By strategically enhancing process visibility and compliance through a quality-driven mindset, cost and customer satisfaction show positive impacts. The top reasons MES and QMS should work together as integrated tools in your manufacturing environment are the following.

• Firewall Factory from Nonconforming Material & Improve Supplier Quality

With deeper quality analytics, organizations can examine the history of their products, including the frequencies and types of various defects, to gain greater knowledge about preventing future defects and potential recalls. If issues are found, having a holistic approach enables defects to be logged accurately and in a timely manner, visible to all stakeholders and decision-makers.

• Prevent Defects from Escaping the Factory

With deeper quality analytics, organizations can examine the history of their products, including the frequencies and types of various defects, to gain greater knowledge around preventing future defects and potential recalls. In the event that issues are found, having a holistic approach allows for defects to be logged accurately and in a timely manner throughout all systems.

• Intelligent Product, Process, and Document Revision

Enforcing quality standards can be complicated, and as products become more complex and differentiated, processes need to be both flexible and robust. Having a holistic approach that allows systems to adaptively update across the supply chain is paramount to making this possible. Powerful automation enables product, process, and document tracking to gain better insights and eliminates the task of hunting to find the right inspection documents or inspection criteria.

• Continuous Process Improvement

The ability to track process changes over time enables long-term improvements to warehouse operations and internal workflows. When MES and QMS work together in a single solution, a defect found in manufacturing can instantaneously address non-conformances and corrective action procedures, providing key stakeholders instant visibility every step of the way.

• Single Source of Truth from Shop Floor to Top Floor

As more systems enter the production environment, the more complex and expensive it becomes to achieve a single source of truth. With an MES that has a data contextualization foundation layer at its core, every piece of incoming data can be correlated against CAD information and the process, then stored in a meaningful and accessible way for all stakeholders.

• Forward and Reverse Traceability & Visibility

Manufacturers are sourcing their raw materials from fewer suppliers, which has created increased risk and initiated a ripple effect, where a single recall can impact many organizations. By integrating holistic MES and QMS, organizations enable visibility that allows for complete product and process traceability so that when changes occur, real-time revisions and updates are automatically reflected in all interrelated parts.

• Ensure Adherence to Regulatory & Customer Compliance

The accuracy and ease with which data is collected and provided to customers and regulatory organizations is a key aspect of a manufacturer’s operational efficiency and regulatory success. Holistic quality management allows organizations to meet these requirements easily and cost-effectively by integrating data from all systems to deliver up-to-date insights and ensure quality compliance.

Enable Holistic Quality Management with FactoryLogix

Using a holistic quality management & MES approach is the best way for organizations to gain valuable supply chain insights that empower more informed decision making. By implementing a single platform with powerful MES and QMS capabilities, manufacturers can improve production processes, enhance traceability, increase visibility, minimize defects, mitigate recalls, ensure compliance, and reduce costs—all of which drastically improve quality and financial outcomes.

The right MES makes all the difference in holistic quality management. Aegis’ FactoryLogix solution is an IIoT-based MES platform, supporting and improving manufacturing quality at every stage of the supply chain. Its quality management system capabilities automates material and product quality while continuously improving processes across the enterprise, delivering speed, visibility, and control as it optimizes for manufacturing excellence.

To learn more about how the MES and QMS work together to deliver better business outcomes, watch our on-demand webinar “Surf the Quality 4.0 Wave.”