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ERP to MES Integration: An Integral Key to an Effective Supply Chain
by Kevin Ake, EnteGreat

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Paper Overview
Everyone understands that Manufacturing is indeed an integral working part of the supply chain; however, most companies use disparate systems to support the management of their manufacturing operations, and they are not necessarily the same ones driving a lot of Supply Chain management functions. In this paper, we explore the critical importance of good integration between the ERP systems, that most companies use as the back bone of their supply chain operations, and the critical functions most often managed by plant systems such as MES. We explore both the strategic importance and the complexity of this integration in the context of the decisions each company will need to make in order to plan and support the integration needed between these functional levels in the IT architectures of most manufacturing companies.

Paper Outline

• ERP and MES Integration: Can Your Supply Chain Be Effective Without It?
• What Complicates Integration?
• Does a Strategic Integration Plan Help?
• Defining Boundaries
• Things to Consider when Designing Integration
  • Can you design integration?
  • Or are we designing an integration plan?
  • Or planning an integration project?
• Figuring Out Which System Owns Which Information
  • Independently Controlled Information
  • Dependently Controlled Information
• Conclusions

About the Author
Kevin Ake, Vice President of EnteGreat, has over 16 years of experience in manufacturing, including work within the Food and Beverage, Discrete Electronics, Government, Life Sciences, Mill Products, and Consumer Products industries. Kevin has spent his career working for industry-leading manufacturing companies and consulting firms. His papers, industry press articles, and technical sessions have helped people throughout these industries gain a better understanding of manufacturing systems integration within the Enterprise IT environment. Kevin has also co-authored the book "Information Technology for Manufacturing: Reducing Costs and Expanding Capabilities."

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