Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Integration

A Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) connects production system machines to an ERP system. IFS Cloud can be used as a standalone MES solution or can be integrated with third party systems. Example of supported MES features:

• Sending an outbound message to start and stop machines from Shop Floor Workbench.
• The Work Guideline Machine Instruction can be fetched to a machine, enabling production parameters to be stored in IFS Cloud.
• Machine reporting of shop orders and Work Center Resource status via the APIs in Shop Floor Connector projection, enabling the following actions: 
  • Real-time machine registration of quality results. 
  • Automatic registration of downtime, which can improve OEE accuracy.
  • Operation time and quantity reporting and receiving Shop Order to stock
  • Fetching next executable or ongoing operations.

Outbound Communication

A shop order operation can generate an outbound message to a machine, effectively telling the resource to start or stop. The Work Center option Send IoT Events to Device needs to be enabled and a Device ID connected to the Work Center Resource via the Device Map. Machine Time started or stopped on an operation will generate an Application Message. This message contains the operation ID. The IFS Connect functions Routing Rule and Routing Address can be used to enrich the message via the "Get Operation Info" API and pass it on to external machines.

Refer to the technical documentation for more information.   

 Shop Floor Connector Projection

To automate Shop Order activities and quality reporting, these APIs can be used:

• Start Production & Start Setup (Invoke action StartOperation)
  Start Run Time or Setup Time of the type Machine Time on a Work Center Resource connected to a specific Shop Order Operation.
• Stop Production & Stop Setup (Invoke action StopOperation)
  Stop Run Time or Setup Time of the type Machine Time on a specific Shop Order Operation. This can also be used to close the operation.
• Report scrap (Invoke action ReportQuantityScrap)
  Report produced scrap on a specific Shop Order Operation. Handles quantity, Scrap Reason and Time of Production. This can also be used to close the operation.
• Report completed quantity (Invoke action ReportQuantityComplete)
  Report produced parts on a specific Shop Order Operation. Handles quantity and Time of Production. This can also be used to close the operation.
• Start Machine Downtime (Invoke action StartMachineDowntime)
  Start a Machine Downtime on a Work Center or Work Center Resource connected to a site. It is optional to register the downtime cause.     
• Stop Machine Downtime (Invoke action StopMachineDowntime)
  Stop a Machine Downtime on a Work Center or Work Center Resource.
• Enter Analysis Results for Shop Order (Invoke action ReportAnalysisResult)
  Register analysis result on a Data Point connected to a specific Analysis Number. Handles Entered by to identify who entered the result. Can set the Data Point to completed if the required sample size has been registered. Values sent to a Data Point will be handled incrementally depending on the data type:
  • Attribute - Sending a Result will increment the number of Nonconforming by one and the Result value will be added to the current value of Nonconformities.
    
  • Categorical - Sending the Category Value ID as the Result will increment the value in the corresponding result number by one.  
    
  • Variable - Sending the result will register the value in ascending order of available result number.
• Receive Shop Order (Invoke action ReceiveOrder)
  Receive completed items to inventory on a specific Shop Order Operation. Non issued components are backflushed if possible. Handles quantity, Lot Batch Number, Serial number, Location number and Handling Unit ID. When receiving serial number items you are limited to receive one item at a time. 
• Get Operation Info
  Returns a list, based on an Operation ID, containing shop order operation information. Refer to the API Explorer specification for a complete list of returned information.
• Get Next Executable Operation
  Returns "Get Operation Info" list for the next executable operation on a specific Work Center and Work Center Resource.
• Get Current Operations
  Returns "Get Operation Info" list for ongoing setup and production operations on a specific Work Center and Work Center Resource.

Refer to the technical documentation & API Explorer for more information.   

Machine Instructions

The Work Guideline type Machine Instruction can hold information use by the machine in the production process. This data can be fetched with the "Get Operation Info" API.