News


MESA Southern Africa 2011 theme

May 2011 News

Innovation and flexibility in manufacturing execution

The current economic climate and changing consumer patterns have resulted in a greater need for innovation and flexibility than ever. Product portfolios are becoming more customised and need to reach the market quicker and typically have shorter life spans and smaller scale opportunities. Manufacturing needs to be extremely flexible and innovative to deliver on the demands of marketing and its consumers and needs to deliver faster, more reliably and cheaper.

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) play a critical role in enabling these capabilities. This year’s theme will accommodate topics about systems such as:

* Product development and definition systems allow shorter time from product conception (design) to full production.

* Supply chain management, planning, integration and visibility tools provide greater scheduling and planning capability in turn driving down response time and improving on the flexibility of business.

* Integrated quality management reduces the need for rework and identifies critical improvement areas allowing a move to six levels of defects.

* Historians allow storage of production data for later analysis and problem solving enabling rapid turnaround in resolution and identifying opportunities and process bottlenecks.

* Manufacturing information systems capture and present key business metrics (typically in dashboards) that allow both strategic planning and operational efficiency management.

* Solutions within operations not traditionally classified as MES.

There are no doubt countless industry examples where manufacturing execution systems have played a significant role in driving ‘Innovation and flexibility in manufacturing’ within southern Africa.

For more information contact Gerhard Greeff, Bytes Systems Integration, +27 (0)82 654 0290, [email protected], www.bytes.co.za





Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Reinstatement opportunity for ECSA registration
News
In 2023 the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) announced a special opportunity for engineers in South Africa to reinstate their registration status if it had been cancelled. This exclusive offer is available until the end of August 2024.

Read more...
Pepperl+Fuchs Channel Partner Conference
Pepperl+Fuchs News
Pepperl+Fuchs recently hosted its Channel Partner Conference. Under the theme ‘Together, Breaking Ground in Africa’, the conference served as both a celebration of partnerships and a strategic forum focused on future growth.

Read more...
ACTOM opens new training centre for apprentices
ACTOM Electrical Machines News
ACTOM has opened a new training centre facility that offers a variety of apprenticeship programmes.

Read more...
Bühler celebrates expansion, innovation and sustainability
News
Bühler has marked another milestone in its dedication to regional support with the expansion of its Cape Town Service Centre. Hosting its annual customer day, the company showcased the facility’s new offerings and highlighted its commitment to service excellence, local innovation, and sustainability.

Read more...
Galvanising Africa: the HDGASA’s bridging role in promoting hot dip galvanising in Africa
News
Africa is poised for massive expansion in the power, energy, and communications spheres, and hot dip galvanising is firmly entrenched as a preferred corrosion control technology in these sectors.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: First break it, then fix it
Technews Publishing (SA Instrumentation & Control) News
      Welcome to another year with SA Instrumentation & Control. May it be a happy and healthy one where you can rise to the challenges ahead and still enjoy all the good things we have in this country.  ...

Read more...
SEW-EURODRIVE’s new service and repair centre
SEW-EURODRIVE News
As part of its strategy to ‘close the loop’ in its service offering, SEW-EURODRIVE has broken ground on a new 17 000 m2 Service and Repair Centre. The establishment of the state-of-the-art facility plugs the gap for expert repair services for gearboxes in Africa.

Read more...
EtherCAT Technology Group holds its annual Plug Fest
News
The 2024 EtherCAT Plug Fest of the EtherCAT Technology Group offered participants a valuable opportunity to test the interoperability of their 9 EtherCAT MainDevices and 10 EtherCAT SubDevices. Using the knowledge gained, they will be able to improve compatibility and optimise their products for use in the field.

Read more...
Leading the way in industrial automation and digital transformation
Iritron News
As a pioneering engineering, integration, and manufacturing firm, Iritron has built a reputation as a trusted partner in critical industries such as mining, energy and manufacturing. By embedding innovation and expertise into its four foundational pillars, the company continues to deliver tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of modern industry.

Read more...
Save the date for Securex 2025 Cape Town
News
Specialised Exhibitions will be launching Securex South Africa, A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo in the Western Cape in 2025.

Read more...