What is an MES? An explanation for manufacturers
An MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is software that directs and records production on the shop floor: which order runs on which line, with which materials and lots, who did what, which checks were carried out and where time was lost. It sits between the ERP, which plans and invoices, and the machines and people who do the work.
Updated September 30, 2026
What an MES does
An ERP knows that 12,000 bottles have to be filled for a customer this week. An MES knows that line 2 has been stopped for a changeover since a quarter past ten, that the eleven o'clock fill weight check passed, and which lot of sugar syrup went into batch 88213.
In the ISA-95 standard, which describes the layers of a factory, the MES sits at level 3: manufacturing operations. Above it is the ERP (level 4), below it the control of machines and sensors (levels 0 to 2).
The tasks an MES usually takes on:
- Turning orders from the ERP into a plan per line and per day
- Showing operators the work instructions and the right steps
- Recording materials, lots and consumption, so every batch can be traced
- Capturing quality checks during production, including deviations
- Tracking speed, downtime and its reasons, and calculating OEE from them
- Assembling the batch record or production report from what actually happened
- Reporting finished goods, consumption and hours back to the ERP
MES or ERP: what is the difference?
An ERP runs the business: sales orders, purchasing, stock value, invoices and the broad lines of the plan. It thinks in days and weeks and knows what should happen.
An MES runs execution: what happens on the floor this minute and what was actually made, consumed and checked. It thinks in minutes and hours and knows what really happened.
Most manufacturers need both. The MES takes orders and items from the ERP and reports back what was produced, so stock and invoices are right without anyone retyping anything.
When do you need an MES?
There is no fixed company size above which an MES pays off. It comes down to signs in the daily work:
- The plan lives in Excel next to the ERP and falls behind as soon as something moves
- Work orders, checklists and handovers are on paper and retyped later
- The batch record is pieced together after the fact
- Nobody knows how far an order is without walking the floor
- Tracing a lot after a complaint takes hours or days
- Nobody can say how much production time is lost, or why
MES and WMS: production and warehouse together
A WMS (Warehouse Management System) runs the warehouse: locations, lots and shelf life, receiving, picking and shipping. In companies that make to order, warehouse and production are intertwined: materials are picked for an order, consumed at the line and stored again as finished goods.
Many companies therefore buy two systems and connect them. Where they meet, in picking for production, consumption per lot and reporting back, the very gaps you wanted to close appear. One platform for production and warehouse avoids them.
What to look for when choosing an MES
A few questions that separate an MES people use from one that ends up in a drawer:
- Does it connect both ways with your ERP, such as Exact Online or Business Central?
- Do operators like using it on a tablet at the line, without long training?
- Can you start with one process instead of everything at once?
- Are traceability and the batch record built in?
- Does the factory keep working if the internet drops for a while?
- Can you reach your own data through an open API?
Where Frontlink fits
Frontlink is one platform for production and warehouse, between your ERP and the floor. It does what an MES and a WMS do, and AI does the routine work: updating the plan, preparing checks, assembling the batch record. People approve and stay in control.
A Frontlink engineer builds it at your site, on your own data and ERP. You start with one process, which is usually running within a few weeks.
How Frontlink helps with this
- Production planning on a digital planning boardPlan production on a digital planning board instead of in Excel or on the whiteboard. Per line and per day, with live progress from the floor.
- Digital work instructions and shift handoverWork instructions, material scans and shift handover on the tablet at the line. No more paper on the floor, and the right lot goes into the line.
- Quality control and electronic batch recordsQuality checks as a checklist on the tablet, deviations recorded and a batch record that builds itself. Release faster without searching.
- Warehouse management and lot traceabilityStock per lot and location, picking by shelf life (FEFO) and tracing a lot to batch and customer in one click. Your ERP gets the right quantities.
- Track machine speed, downtime and OEESee how fast your machines run, when and why they stop, and the OEE per line and per order. So you know where production time is lost.
Frequently asked questions
What does MES stand for?
MES stands for Manufacturing Execution System: software that directs and records the execution of production on the shop floor, between the ERP and the machines.
Is an MES the same as an ERP?
No. An ERP manages orders, purchasing, stock and invoices and plans in days and weeks. An MES directs and records what happens on the floor, in minutes and hours. They work together: the MES takes orders from the ERP and reports back what was made.
Does a small manufacturer need an MES?
It depends less on size than on the signs: planning in Excel, paper work orders, batch records assembled afterwards or no view of downtime. Then it pays to start with one process.
How long does it take to introduce an MES?
That varies a lot by system and approach. With Frontlink you start with one process, built at your site by an engineer; it is usually running within a few weeks, and the next process follows.
Curious how this works for you? Bring us one process.
In a 30-minute call we look at one of your processes and show how Frontlink handles it.
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