What's going on?

The packaged software applications known as manufacturing execution systems (MES) have most often been associated with semiconductor and electronics manufacturing. A growing number of complex discrete-product manufacturers are implementing MES to improve plant-floor efficiency, including refrigerator and freezer manufacturer Manitowoc ice, custom-glass fabricator Viracon, and heavy-truck manufacturer Volvo Trucks North America. An MES improves shop-floor performance and provides real-time information about that performance using network computing to automate production control.