The MES market is growing – what are the drivers?
What are the drivers?
The MES market in Europe is estimated to grow by 2 digit numbers at least until 2016, according to Frost & Sullivan.
The need to implement a MES solution is forced by recent and more strict regulations on tracking and tracing, the need for integration with the ERP platform (Enterprise Resource Planning) and the need for better reporting e.g. on Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
According to Gartner approximately 35% of companies in Western Europe and US have now implemented a MES solution. It is estimated that this number will increase to 72% in just two years!
Discrete manufacturers are faced with constant changes in technology, materials and customer needs as well as an aggregation in competition. As a result, products have shorter lifecycles and experience many engineering changes.
Discrete industries require the following from a MES:
- The ability to issue production orders and work instructions to the appropriate personnel along the defined route
- The digital tracking or tracing of materials involved in productions
- The tracking or tracking of works in process and finished goods on the plant floor
- The availability and status of machines, equipment, work cells or production lines
- The records and analyses of labour utilization in production
Geographically differences
Eastern Europe is fast emerging as the key-manufacturing region across all end-user sectors ranging from automotive to pharmaceuticals. If we look at a market as Poland their growth rates compared to other European countries are among the highest.
We have already seen a strong movement of Scandinavian and central Europe based manufacturing companies into Poland to utilize their competitive landscape, where it is much more cost effective to establish new factories and to produce.