How to implement an MES without a stalled rollout
Why manufacturing software projects stall, a week-by-week plan for the first line, what your plant needs to provide, and how to know it's working before you roll it out further.
Written for the plant, operations and engineering leaders who have to make it work, and the directors who sign off on the risk.
How do you implement an MES successfully?
Start with one line and one problem, and have someone review the data every week from day one. Connect the machines you can, enter the rest manually, and keep reason-code lists short enough for operators to use.
Prove the value on that line, then roll out line by line, with your own team doing more of each rollout. Stalled implementations usually took on too much in the first phase, or went live with nobody owning the weekly review.
Why MES rollouts stall
The six failure modes below come down to scope, ownership and adoption. Each one has a simple countermeasure.
| Failure mode | What it looks like | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Starting plant-wide | Months of configuration before anyone sees a number; momentum fades | Pick one line and its biggest loss, get it live, then extend line by line |
| Integration first | The ERP interface becomes the critical path and the pilot waits on it | Start with machine data and operator input; integrate once the data is trusted |
| Too many reason codes | Operators face a long list, pick the first plausible reason, and "Other" tops the Pareto | Eight to twelve reasons per machine to start, refined from real data |
| Nobody owns the review | Data is collected, reports are emailed, nothing changes | A named owner and a fixed weekly meeting from the first week |
| Operators left out | Entries made at the end of the shift, from memory, or not at all | Operators help choose codes and screens, and see the live board they feed |
| The vendor leaves at go-live | Small issues pile up and the system drifts away from how the plant runs | A project manager who stays involved, and your team trained to make everyday changes |
A realistic rollout, week by week
Typical timings for a focused first deployment. ERP integration and the plant-wide rollout wait until the pilot has proved itself.
- Weeks 0–2
01 Assess
- Pick one line and the one problem to solve first
- List the machines and which signals each can give
- Define shifts, products, ideal rates and targets
- Name the owner and set the weekly review
- Weeks 2–4
02 Go live on the pilot
- Connect the machines that can be connected; enter the rest manually
- Operator console with short downtime and scrap code lists
- Train operators and supervisors on the line, on shift
- Live board and shift report running
- Weeks 4–12
03 Prove it
- Weekly review of the biggest losses, with owners
- Refine codes where "Other" or vague reasons grow
- Ship at least one fix and measure it
- Compare against the starting baseline
- After that
04 Extend
- Roll out line by line, reusing what worked
- Your team takes on more of each rollout
- Add ERP integration and further modules
- Keep the weekly review going on every line
Rolling out faster the second time: at Stackpole's water pump operation, 10in6 trained the plant team on a small set of checks, and they completed 75% of the rollout themselves. Read the case study →
What your plant needs to provide
- An owner with time set aside, usually from operations or continuous improvement
- Controls or maintenance support for access to machines and PLCs (read-only)
- IT support for network and server access
- Short reason-code lists for downtime and scrap on the pilot machines
- Shift schedules, products, ideal rates and targets
- Operator and supervisor time for training on shift
How to know the pilot worked
- The data is trusted. Nearly all stop time carries a real reason, and "Other" is small
- The weekly review happens without being chased, and actions have owners
- At least one fix shipped because of what the data showed
- The numbers moved against the baseline you took in week one
- Operators use the console during the shift, not at the end of it
MES implementation questions
- How long does an MES implementation take?
- A focused first deployment, such as one line with an operator console and its downtime and scrap codes defined, typically goes live in two to four weeks with 10in6. Plan another six to eight weeks of weekly reviews to prove the value and refine the setup before rolling out further. Plant-wide rollouts and ERP integration take longer; the integration work is usually the longest part.
- Why do MES implementations fail?
- The common causes are trying to go live on every line in the first phase, making ERP integration the first milestone, reason-code lists too long for operators to use, no named owner reviewing the data every week, operators left out of the design, and a vendor that steps back at go-live. Each has a simple countermeasure: a single pilot line first, short code lists, a weekly review from week one, and a team that stays involved.
- Should we integrate the MES with our ERP first?
- Usually not. Start with machine data and operator input on a pilot line, so the plant sees value in weeks and the data is trusted before other systems depend on it. Add schedule download and production upload once the pilot is working. Integration done first tends to become the critical path for the whole project.
- Who should own an MES project in the plant?
- One named person with time set aside, usually from operations or continuous improvement rather than IT. They run the weekly review, decide on reason codes and targets, and are the vendor's main contact. IT and controls support with network, server and machine access, and the executive sponsor removes obstacles and asks about the numbers.
- Will we have to pay every time we want to change something?
- No. Once 10in6 is set up, your own team manages the day-to-day: operators, downtime and scrap codes, products and targets, shift schedules, scheduled checks, alerts, emailed reports and real-time boards (using the board builder). Showing your team how is part of go-live. Connecting new machines, adding modules or anything else that needs extra licensing, and custom reports come through 10in6. If you'd rather we made everyday changes for you, we can do that as a service, but you don't have to. Stackpole completed 75% of its rollout itself after training on a small set of checks.
Set up around how your plant runs
Standardized platforms expect the plant to change to fit the software. Do-it-yourself platforms leave your team to build and maintain everything. With 10in6, we configure the system around your equipment, codes and reports, and your team runs it day to day.
Your equipment, codes and reports
Your machines, your ERP, your part numbers, your shift structure and your reports.
Your team runs it day to day
Operators, downtime and scrap codes, products and targets, shift schedules, checks, alerts, emailed reports and real-time boards are managed by your own people. Everyday changes need no support ticket and no invoice.
A project manager for the bigger things
New machines, new modules and custom reports go through a 10in6 project manager who already knows your deployment, so nothing starts from scratch. If you would rather we made everyday changes too, we can.
Still here years later
The system keeps being refined after go-live, and new capabilities are added without rebuilding it. Some of our customer relationships have run for 12 years, and 97% of customers say they would never go back.
“Our 10in6 Project Manager has been very responsive and the software is flexible enough to be configured to our specific needs.”
How the 10in6 delivery model works →
Plan your pilot line with us.
Tell us which line and which problem you'd start with. We'll tell you what the first four weeks would look like at your plant, and what we'd need from your team.
Free 30–60 minute call with one of our engineers.