Katie Farley, product management director, MasterControl explores how a no-code MES solution gives users control in medtech manufacturing.
As demand for automation and digitisation continues to rise in medical device and diagnostics manufacturing, the need for support and configuration of modern software solutions extends to non-IT roles in manufacturing operations. This poses a challenge in an environment where traditional manufacturing execution systems (MES) are rigid, hard-coded, and difficult to use.
In a 2022 survey of life sciences manufacturers, MasterControl found that only 9% of organisations have their MES fully implemented at all facilities, due to the complexity and customisation typically associated with a traditional MES.
The data indicates a need for light, no-code manufacturing solutions that are configurable, adaptable, and easy to use.
Digital expectations of manufacturing workers
Today’s manufacturing workers are used to pick-up-and-use smart phones, tablets, and apps in their personal lives, and they expect these easy-to-use digital tools in their business tools.
There is a longstanding view among manufacturers that a legacy MES is the only path to digitising and automating the shop floor. Yet for most production environments, the barriers of adopting a traditional, hard-coded MES have kept many organisations from digitising their manufacturing environment.
Problems with a hard-coded legacy MES
Because they’re built for a specific set of requirements and with narrow architectures, MES tend to be rigid systems. While a traditional off-the-shelf MES can be customised, almost everything is hard-coded.
These hard-coded process configurations make legacy MES difficult to adapt when processes, products, product parameters, or quantities need to change. Making changes is time-intensive and can involve significant process re-engineering.
User adoption is a challenge, because a traditional MES’s machine-centric design and complexity tend to make user acceptance and usage difficult, and the hard-coded software often requires highly educated and highly skilled employees to configure it. When the MES isn’t user-friendly and requires dedicated support, the barrier to user adoption and use becomes even greater.
Digital alternatives to traditional MES mean the common challenges of digitising manufacturing can quickly be overcome using no-code tools and approaches to achieve automation and digitisation goals.
Advantages of a No-Code Modern MES Solution
No-code manufacturing solutions are powerful tools that help manufacturers automate and digitise their processes with human-centric technology across all of production. This is especially true for small manufacturers with fewer resources to invest in large digitisation projects, or manufacturers of highly customised products or personalised therapies, as they allow organisations to apply the latest technologies to variable processes quickly and cost-effectively without overburdening IT.
Among the many advantages associated with no-code manufacturing solutions, below are a few that give medical device and diagnostics manufacturing workers greater control.
Flexible Structure
A modern MES solution will offer no-code configuration that allows organisations to quickly adapt processes and parameters. A purpose-built manufacturing solution easily supports existing processes and workflows, eliminating costly process re-engineering.
User-Centric Design
A configurable, no-code MES solution is designed for any manufacturing environment, with a simplicity focused on the operator and their ease-of-use with little training required. A modern no-code MES solution’s electronic device history record (eDHR) is configured to resemble a manufacturer’s current paper DHR, but with a user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) designed specifically for mobile technology on the shop floor. So, the manufacturing solution is easy to learn by any employee.
Easy-to-Use Templates
A configurable, no-code master record builder enables manufacturers to quickly and easily build out and use a variety of eDHR templates – with templates for efficient scaling and an integrated product family tool to simplify recipe and product variant management – requiring minimal training, no technical background, or engagement of a third party.
Conclusion
In today’s increasingly digital manufacturing environment, the challenges of implementing and maintaining a traditional hard-coded MES means manufacturers need to rethink what manufacturing automation and digitisation looks like. A light no-code MES solution that is configurable, adaptable, and easy to use can bridge the gap between a traditional MES’s rigid capabilities and the digital tools needed by the modern manufacturer to speed up transformation without burdening their IT teams.