MES by Plex
MES by Plex Overview
The Plex Advantage
Plex powers modern manufacturing with the first ERP cloud solution built from the plant floor up to include a completely integrated MES and supply chain planning (SCP) solution. Manufacturing businesses that use Plex are able to control their shop floor with error-proofed operations driven from documented procedures. Plex’s unique top floor to shop floor coverage connects everyone in the business to the most accurate, up-to-date production data collected at “the manufacturing moment”. And as a native, true SaaS cloud solution, IT teams free up their resources to unlock more potential that can be applied for greater IT-OT collaboration and more effective data analysis to help drive the entire business.
Built for Manufacturers
Manufacturing ERP software is not all the same. Historical ERP software solutions involve painful implementation projects followed by challenging periodic updates – often forcing companies to go years without updating their ERP system. Meanwhile, these same companies lose value day after day as new features and functions elude them, only implemented with the next painful ‘big bang’ upgrade.
Modern manufacturing ERP software from Plex takes a different approach. No more waiting. No more upgrades. New features are added daily to a single line of code, shared instantly with all Plex customers. Those customers not only realize renewed value daily, but share best practices real time with other peer Plex customers, all of which have access to exactly the same features, functions and capabilities enabled by a true, single ERP software code SaaS cloud offering.
ERP software solutions should truly be just that; solutions. Manufacturers are often tempted by ERP software vendors touting strong financial, accounting, and even retail ERP software solutions and systems. None of these, however, do the one thing they need particularly well – manufacturing.
Plex is different, offering the only ERP software solution built from the ground up in the cloud and focused exclusively on manufacturing. At Plex, we know manufacturing isn’t just part of the business: manufacturing is the business. The Plex ERP software solution is purpose-built to fit your manufacturing business needs, evolving with you while adding value daily.
You’ll better manage and streamline your operations, and realize key achievements such as:
- Operational excellence for increased productivity
- High-resolution track and trace for reduced inventories including work-in-progress
- Systemic built-in error-proofing to prevent quality issues, not just detect them
- Reduced risk by operationalizing production and quality processes for greater customer and industry compliance
- Full compliance with ISO, QS-9000, IATF and TS-16949 , as well as FSMA, SQF, and BRC
- Real-time data collection and availability from a single, central database
- Robust manufacturing business intelligence reporting with domain-specific apps and dashboards
- Superior customer satisfaction through increased transparency provided by customer and supplier portals
- Intuitive user experience for easy-of-use by everyone in the company
- Control the Shop Floor to Drive Operational Excellence
Plex is a real-time system that captures all shop floor activities and digitizes them enabling greater operational control of processes. All production data is made available through the common database to everyone who needs it so you know what’s happening in real-time. Moreover, procedures are monitored and managed by a control plan that error-proofs operations so the easiest thing to do is the right thing as set forth in the plan. This governs operational behavior that results in fewer errors and greater on-time-delivery that translates into greater customer satisfaction.
Manufacturers who have digitized their production operations outperform those who don’t:
- Actual production rate as a percentage of the maximum capable production rate (90% vs 84%)
- Finished-product first-pass quality yield for primary products (98% vs 94.75%)
- Inventory accuracy (96% vs 80%)
- Unplanned machine downtime as a percentage of scheduled run time (3.5% vs 6%)
Connect your Business with Integrated Manufacturing Software
Plex includes a unique collection of capabilities we call “connected manufacturing” in that all data from an initial customer order to ultimate shipment is linked to a common, single source of truth, such as production scheduling, real-time inventory control, tool tracking, production tracking, and part genealogy, and more with enterprise resource planning (ERP) functions, customer relationship management (CRM), manufacturing execution systems (MES), and supply chain planning (SCP) functions. Manufacturing data is collected as it happens — at the manufacturing moment on the shop floor – and flows throughout the solution for streamlined operations, reduced costs and better decision making.
Unlock your People Potential with a Cost Effective Cloud Platform
Plex is a true software as a service (SaaS) cloud, leveraging a multi-tenant, single instance deployment model that ensures that all customers are running the same version of software in their own, secure, configurable instance of the Plex Manufacturing Cloud. This means that Plex users never face the hassles of an upgrade. Users can share best practices and lessons learned with other companies (via a vibrant user community) because there are no version conflicts. In fact, there are no versions. Flexible configuration allows customers to shape Plex to their unique manufacturing requirements and processes, without the need for custom-coding.
MES by Plex Modules
Production Management for MES by Plex
Production Management Module
Defect Log
Track production defects at the inventory container level
Deviation Tracking
Track approved deviations from control plan dimensions or specifications during the production process
Dynamic Control Plans
Combine the benefits of specification-level control plans with failure mode effects and analysis (FMEA) methodology, gage repeatability and reproducibility (gage R&R) and process capability (Cp/Cpk)
Issue Management
Identify and record issues on which company focus needs to be maintained
Part Specifications
Establish and maintain a detailed list of dimensions and characteristics on specific parts, including dimension name, target value and tolerance
Process Flow Charts
Create presentation-quality process flow diagrams
Diagrams are dynamic and driven directly from process routing data
Statistical Process Control (SPC)
Collect in-process inspection data for statistical process control (SPC)
Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) Overview
Support for the advanced product quality planning (APQP) discipline to coordinate multiple tasks that help ensure product quality is built into the production process.
This is often a necessary element for quality standard compliance.
Continuous Improvement Project Tracking
Track and document implementation of cost-saving ideas, best practices, Poka-Yoke (error proofing) and other continuous improvement projects
Cost Recovery
Normally used in conjunction with the Problem Control feature set
Electronic Gage Integration
Connect electronic gages to Plex to eliminate manual data entry of dimensional measurements
Check Sheets and Process Instructions
- Access process instructions and author check sheets directly from the control panel
- Fully integrated with and driven from the Control Plans module
Continuous Improvement Project Tracking
Track and document implementation of cost-saving ideas, best practices, Poka-Yoke (error proofing) and other continuous improvement projects
Control Plans
Help ensure compliance with quality standards by creating and managing powerful and effective, highly-detailed process control plans with detailed inspection instructions and checksheets
- Specify sample frequency, gaging, control chart type and other quality-oriented data
- Define control plans specific to each product, product type or process
- Optionally create one or more “common” control plans to cover a whole range of products or processes in a generic fashion
- View and execute control plan instructions and check sheets directly from the Control Panel and other interfaces
- Highly integrated with product specifications
- Is often a necessary element for quality standard compliance
Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA)
Use failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to address questions like:
- What can go wrong with a product design or a production process?
- What will happen if it fails?
- What controls do we have in place to detect failures?
- What product or process improvements should have the highest priority?
- Create, edit and view design and process FMEAs
- Link FMEAs to specific products or product types
May be a necessary element for quality standard compliance.
Gage Control
- Manage and control measurement devices within the facility using a master list of gages
- Optionally serialize and identify gages with barcode labels
- Perform gage studies including gage repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R), bias, linearity and stability
Inspection Data Collection
- Establish and maintain a detailed list of product dimensions and characteristics
- Assign dimension names and descriptions, gage type, target values, dimensional and attribute tolerances
- Where appropriate, define formulas that derive variable specification limits from data such as actual chemical composition of the inventory being produced
- Optionally specify custom gages, SPC special cause alert parameters and significant characteristic symbols
- Link specifications to potential failure modes
- Keep a complete history of specification changes and applicability over time
Internal and Supplier Auditing
- Define, track and conduct internal and supplier quality audits
- Custom configure audit forms for a variety of other auditing and checking tasks and projects
Manufacturing Execution System (MES+)
Plex delivers the industry’s most comprehensive and scalable multi-tenant Cloud MES solution. The complete Plex MES functionality is easily extendable to accommodate “non-traditional” MES specific capabilities which allows you to dramatically improve manufacturing efficiencies and product quality while also reducing overall costs.
The Plex MES capabilities include:
- Core MES – Production Management including all functionality under the Production Management category, end-to-end Inventory Management including the functionality under Materials Management, and in-process Quality Management
- MES+ — Traditional MES solutions rely on 3rd party add-ons to extend the Preventative Maintenance, Tooling and Gauge control, and Quality Planning functions required for a complete production control solution. With Plex, these modules were designed to work as an integral part of Plex but are optionally turned-on with MES+.
Problem Control
Use highly configurable forms to apply techniques such as problem reporting and resolution (PR/R), 8‑discipline (8D), 5 Why or other corrective action methods to record, track, follow-up on, resolve and report problems and concerns within the company, whether caused by suppliers or raised by customers.
- Assign actions needed for containment, correction and prevention of problem recurrence
- Suppliers can directly collaborate on the resolution of problems for which they are responsible using the Plex Supplier Portal
- This is often a necessary element for quality standard compliance
Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)
Create and manage first-piece inspection packages or production part approval process (PPAP) for submission to your customer to obtain approval to begin production.
Print a combined set of documents such as part submission warrants as required by your customer to obtain approval to begin production.
The system draws data from a variety of other modules to produce other supporting documents such as control plans, FMEAs, gage R&R, first-piece inspection data, etc.
Compliant with Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) for PPAP 4th Edition on the Part Submission Warrant (PSW); forms for PPAP Dimensional Results (CFG-1003, March 2006); and the PPAP Performance Test Results (CFG-1005, March 2006).
Quality Standards Compliance
Help ensure accomplishment and retention of certification to the quality standards important in your industry using flexible, user-configurable methodologies.
Document itemized quality standard requirements within the system, then use a formalized mechanism for review/signoff, audits, checklists, procedures, documentation and follow-up activities.
Supplier PPAP
Issue and manage first-piece inspection packages for production part approval process (PPAP) to help ensure vendors are qualified to supply products and materials you may order from them.
- View and print a combined set of documents such as part submission warrants provided by the supplier
- Compliant with AIAG for PPAP 4th Edition on the PSW
Supplier Quality Management
- Manage supplier quality by tracking supplier status, certification level, problem history, quality performance and other metrics
- Prevent purchase orders from being issued to suppliers with an unknown or unacceptable status
- Suppliers can directly review and collaborate with you to improve their performance using the Plex Supplier Portal
- Integrated with Supplier List, Problem Control, Purchasing and Shipping and Receiving
- Supplier Returns
- Track product that needs to be returned to a supplier
- Integrated with inventory and lot tracking, problem control, supplies, rejections and general shipping
Test Tracking
Store and track information about tests performed on products and materials, often performed as a pre-delivery inspection.