Manufacturing Execution System UK
Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Software UK
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) tracks every job, machine and operator on your shop floor in real time. DynamxMFG is MES software from Northampton-based TotalControlPro, built for UK SME discrete manufacturers, with UK support, Sage and Xero integration and a 90-day go-live.
Definition
What is a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)?
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is software that runs between your planning systems and the shop floor. It tracks and controls what is happening in real time as raw materials are turned into finished products, giving manufacturers live visibility of jobs, machines, people and quality.
Where an ERP tells you what should happen and an MRP tells you what to buy, a MES tells you what is actually happening right now. That is the difference between planning a shift and running one.
What a MES Does on a UK Shop Floor
In a typical UK SME, a MES replaces the job card, the whiteboard and the end-of-week spreadsheet. This is what that looks like day to day in a CNC machining, fabrication or assembly business.
Operators Clock On to Jobs
Operators start and stop each operation at a terminal or tablet. Labour time lands against the right job and work centre as it happens, not when someone types up timesheets on a Friday.
Live WIP and Job Status
Planners and supervisors see what is running, what is queued and what is behind, without walking the floor or phoning round the cells.
Stoppages With a Reason
When a machine stops, the operator records why. Over a month that tells you whether the real problem is tooling, material, programming or staffing.
Actual Cost Against the Quote
Time and materials are captured against each job, so you can compare what a job really cost with what you quoted. GMC used this to see which components made a profit and which did not.
One practical point. DynamxMFG needs a wifi connection at every point where operators record work, and it has no offline mode. If parts of your shop floor have weak coverage, such as next to large machines or in a separate building, plan for extra access points before go-live.
How it works
How Does a MES Work on the Shop Floor?
Connects to the shop floor
Operators use terminals, barcode scanners or tablets to start and finish jobs, record stoppages and log scrap. Machines and sensors can also feed status and counters into the system.
Executes and tracks production orders
Work orders from your ERP or MRP are broken into operations and routed to the right work centres. The MES shows planned against actual times and status for every job.
Captures real-time production data
The system records who did what, when, on which machine and with which materials. That data forms the as-built record, which is what traceability and quality depend on.
Feeds live information back to management
Dashboards show utilisation, bottlenecks, scrap and on-time performance, so teams act immediately instead of waiting for month-end reports.
Capabilities
Core Functions of a MES
- ✓Order execution and dispatching, turning work orders into shop floor tasks
- ✓Resource allocation and status for machines, people and tools
- ✓Detailed scheduling at operation level
- ✓Data collection from operators, machines and sensors
- ✓Work-in-progress (WIP) tracking
- ✓Quality checks, inspections and non-conformance capture
- ✓Traceability and product genealogy
- ✓Performance analysis covering OEE, downtime and scrap
Benefits
Benefits of a MES for Manufacturers
Better on-time delivery
Live status means problems are spotted and fixed before jobs run late, not explained afterwards.
Higher utilisation and throughput
Fewer unrecorded stoppages and a clear view of where the real bottleneck sits.
Lower scrap and rework
Quality issues surface earlier in the process, with the root cause still traceable.
Faster decisions
Supervisors and directors work from the same live numbers rather than two versions of a spreadsheet.
Where it fits
MES vs MRP vs ERP: Where Does a MES Fit?
These three are layers, not competitors. Most manufacturers need all three, and the gap is usually at the execution layer.
| Layer | What it does | Its job |
|---|---|---|
| ERP | Finance, sales, purchasing and high-level planning | The commercial system of record |
| MRP | What to buy and make, and when, from demand and BOMs | Planning, working from planned data |
| MES | What is actually happening on the floor right now | Execution, working from live events |
DynamxMFG covers the execution layer and includes MRP and scheduling, then connects to your accounts package for the finance side. For the full picture, including which layer a growing SME should buy first, read our guide to MRP vs MES vs ERP for UK manufacturers.
Right for you?
When Is a MES Right for Your Factory?
- ✓You run multiple lines or shifts and rely on spreadsheets or whiteboards
- ✓You have high-mix or make-to-order work and cannot see status in real time
- ✓You need traceability and consistent quality across many jobs
- ✓You want better shop floor control without re-implementing your ERP
- ✓Your job costing is only accurate once the job has been invoiced
- ✓You are quoting new work from gut feel rather than recorded times
The UK SME MES Buying Checklist
Most MES shortlists are built from feature lists. These six checks tell you more about whether a system will still be in use a year after go-live.
| What to check | Why it matters | DynamxMFG |
|---|---|---|
| UK-based support | When a terminal stops at 7am you want help from people in your time zone who understand UK manufacturing. | Configuration, training and support from the TotalControlPro team in the UK. |
| Accounts integration | Re-keying orders and invoices into your accounts package cancels out much of the saving. | Integrates with Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and Microsoft Business Central. See what to check in a Sage or Xero integration. |
| A realistic go-live | A project that drags on for a year loses momentum, budget and the goodwill of the shop floor. | A 90-day go-live from kick-off. GMC was fully live in under 90 days. |
| Shop floor connectivity | Find out what the system needs on the floor before you buy, not during the first week. | Needs a wifi connection wherever work is recorded. There is no offline mode, so check coverage at every workstation. |
| Fit for discrete, make-to-order work | Systems built for process plants assume batches and recipes. Job shops need routings, BOMs and job costing. | Built for UK SME discrete manufacturers: CNC machining, fabrication, assembly and specialist vehicles. |
| Proof from a similar business | A reference in your sector tells you more than any demo script. | Customers in CNC machining, vehicle builds, sheet metal and instrumentation. See the examples below. |
DynamxMFG
DynamxMFG Bridges the Gaps Between Your ERP, MRP and MES
Stop losing margin to unplanned overtime, scrap and manual admin. DynamxMFG turns the hours your team spends on spreadsheets into productive capacity, and goes live in 90 days rather than 12 to 18 months.
Live in 90 days
A UK team configures DynamxMFG around how your factory actually runs, then gets you live in 90 days.
Keep your ERP
DynamxMFG sits alongside Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and Business Central rather than replacing them.
Built for SMEs
No enterprise implementation programme and no in-house IT team required.
Proof
UK Manufacturers Running DynamxMFG
Three UK businesses, three different kinds of work. Each one replaced paper, spreadsheets or disconnected systems with a single live view of the shop floor.
Precision CNC machining
Gloucestershire Machining Centre
Live in under 90 days. Capacity up 40%, output up 22% and on-time delivery at 94%, with the same team and machines.
"DynamxMFG enabled us to monitor the machine time and see whether we're making a profit or a loss on each component." Paul Bland, Managing Director
Vehicle-mounted access platforms
Cumberland Platforms (CPL)
Over 700 highly customised vehicle conversions a year from Kettering. On-time delivery at 99.9%, admin and manual data entry down 75%, production efficiency up 12%.
"Managing BOM & process changes is a breeze and saves so much time." Philippos, Head of Digital Transformation
Bespoke metal cladding panels
Spanwall Facades
A paper-based shop floor system replaced with full traceability, and data flowing from sales and estimating through operations to finance. Reports that used to be compiled by hand now come at the press of a button.
Questions
MES Software Questions, Answered
What is the difference between MES and ERP?
ERP manages the commercial side of the business: finance, sales, purchasing and high-level planning. A MES manages execution on the shop floor, tracking jobs, machines and operators as work actually happens. ERP works from planned data, a MES works from live events. Most manufacturers run both.
Do I need to replace my ERP to add a MES?
No. DynamxMFG sits alongside your existing finance and ERP system rather than replacing it, and integrates with Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and Microsoft Business Central. You keep the system your finance team already knows and add the shop floor layer it does not cover.
How long does a MES take to implement?
DynamxMFG is designed to go live in 90 days from kick-off. That is significantly faster than a traditional ERP implementation, which typically takes 12 to 18 months, because the scope is the shop floor rather than the whole business.
Is a MES worth it for a small manufacturer?
Yes, if you make discrete products to order. DynamxMFG is built specifically for small and mid-sized UK manufacturers rather than large plants, so it does not need a dedicated IT team or an enterprise implementation programme.
What data does a MES capture?
Who performed each operation, when it started and finished, which machine it ran on, which materials were consumed, and any stoppages, scrap or quality events. That record is captured as a by-product of doing the work, not by asking someone to fill in a form afterwards.
Can a MES improve on-time delivery?
It removes the delay between something going wrong and someone finding out. CPL reached 99.9% on-time delivery using DynamxMFG. Live job status means a slipping job is visible while there is still time to react.
Is DynamxMFG a UK MES?
Yes. DynamxMFG comes from TotalControlPro, a manufacturing software company based in Northampton. It is built for UK SME discrete manufacturers, with UK support and integrations with the accounts packages UK businesses use, including Sage and Xero.
Does DynamxMFG work offline?
No. DynamxMFG needs a wifi connection wherever operators record work, and there is no offline mode. Check wifi coverage across the shop floor before go-live, particularly near large machines and in separate buildings.
How much does MES software cost for a UK SME?
It depends on the number of users, clocking points and modules you need. DynamxMFG is priced for SMEs rather than enterprise plants, and we give an itemised quote after a demo on your own products and order types. Our guide to what a modern MES really costs covers the cost drivers in more detail.
Can a MES handle high-mix, make-to-order work?
Yes, and that is where a MES earns its keep. CPL builds highly customised vehicle-mounted access platforms and manages BOM and process changes in DynamxMFG, reaching 99.9% on-time delivery.
Is there UK funding for a MES project?
Some UK manufacturers can apply for Made Smarter support, which focuses on digital technology projects that improve productivity. Availability depends on where you are based and the programme's current criteria. Our guide to Made Smarter funding for a MES project walks through the steps.
Related reading
Read next
Background reading on MES software from the DynamxMFG glossary and blog.
See a MES running on your shop floor
Book a 30 minute walkthrough on your products, your order types and your factory layout.
