Build or Buy Your MES? Lessons from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
When Hexagon AB leaders realized they needed a manufacturing execution software (MES) system for process improvement, they decided against off-the-shelf solutions and instead created their own, the Smart Factory Manager.
Few companies have the programming expertise or the desire to tackle such a big project when lots of technology providers offer good programs. However, the questions Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence asked itself to determine whether or not to pursue custom MES deployment are the same questions a manufacturer has to ask when deciding whether or not to deploy an off-the-shelf MES and which specific solution best fits their business.
Hexagon AB began as a conglomerate of varied interests and by 2000 had pared-down into a company focused on precision measurement systems, recognized for superior metrology tools.
In the early 2000s, Hexagon engaged in a series of strategic acquisitions of software companies and currently supports five divisions, largely organized around Hexagon’s sprawling software portfolio.
The Manufacturing Intelligence division contains Hexagon’s traditional metrology solutions, production tools such as CAD CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing), design and engineering tools including CAE (computer-aided engineering), finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multi-body dynamics (MBD) software.
For our second episode of Smart Manufacturers, I visited the Hexagon plant in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and spoke with Steve Ilmrud, Vice President at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence and Ted Coppa, Director of Business Operations, about the development of Hexagon’s Smart Factory Manager software.
— Dennis Scimeca
