IPACT MES Library

Addressing the Need

Wonderware’s Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and Operations and Performance (O&P) Software defines the state of the art in plant floor Manufacturing Execution Systems – functionally rich, scalable, and highly configurable solutions that provide an incremental approach to operational improvements with low-risk deployment.  Great platforms promote great application software, and in working with Wonderware MES, IPACT has developed several modules that together we call the MES Library.  The MES Library consists of a series of functions that can be called from within the System Platform, a series of ArchestrA graphics that can be assembled into a presentation layer, and reports / dashboards to report and analyze data.

Overview

IPACT’s unique MES Library provides both developers and users with extended functionality to further leverage the capabilities of the Wonderware MES Software.  The Toolkit consists of a Dot Net Application Programming Interface (API) for programmers.  The following elements are included in the API:

• Enhanced validation checks.  These checks insure good inputs are being passed and that the MES Library objects are in an acceptable state for the desired action.
• Error handling.  The API returns meaningful messages to the calling program if the call fails.
• Context sensitive programming.  The API makes use of Microsoft IntelliSense to assist programmers (e.g. lists methods, parameters, parameter meanings, etc.).
• The ability to queue up calls using Microsoft Message Queue, so that if a data server is down, plant operations can continue and no transactions are lost.  Failed transactions are posted to a log and can be re-run on demand.
• Configurable business rules through the API.  Business rules can be configured through switches for areas such as consumption, inventory management, and container management.

For users, the GUI front end provides elegant access to MES information via enhanced .NET controls and ArchestrA graphics.   This enables the configuration of clients easily and quickly for common MES transactions and tasks.  There are additional pre-built dashboards and reports that can be used to quickly render graphical windows.

Benefits

Every Wonderware client that attempts to implement a new MES system struggles with the initial effort to create a common set of objects, business rules, and graphics to execute the MES transactions.  IPACT provides an out of the box library that greatly reduces that effort.  Further, the library addresses some of the critical needs of a robust MES system such as store and forward of messages to the MES database, error-proofing, and error handling in the application.  This functionality is build directly into the library, saving the many man-months of effort that would be needed to create it independently.

Industries Served

The IPACT MES Library was designed generically with common business logic and designed to be applied to business processes as diverse as steel manufacturing and food packaging.  The MES Library includes functionality for:

• Inventory Management
• Production Execution
• Labor Tracking
• WIP Management
• Order Management
• Quality Management
• Work Instructions
• Specification Management
• Data Collection

The IPACT MES Library not only allows IPACT to more quickly create a MES application with lower risk, lower cost, and less time, but also allows us to create demos, conference pilots, and prototypes rapidly and with ease.

Projects that have used the IPACT MES Library: