Mr. Ruthofer, what is the MESControl software all about?

Ruthofer : With MESControl, we at Evon want to close the gap between ERP and production. It is a software package that maps the production process of a product - from the delivery of raw materials to detailed planning and quality assurance through to delivery. The main focus is on the highest possible degree of flexibility with simple and, above all, customizable user interfaces. We therefore provide a series of basic modules that can be combined and adapted. It typically represents the level between the ERP system, which generally has a planning horizon of more than 1 week, and the automation, which operates in real time. When developing MESControl, attention was paid from the outset to the proven ISA S88 and S95 standards in order to combine the best of both worlds in one product.

What are the challenges of networking between the ERP and automation levels?

Ruthofer : This is where two worlds meet. An ERP system is heavily involved with commercial processes and flexible, constantly changing data. The time horizon for planning is usually longer than a week and the level of detail in planning is limited to what is necessary from a commercial perspective. The automation level, on the other hand, deals with rigid processes and the direct control of machines and systems in real time. For this reason alone, the necessary dynamics, flexibility and handling of data volumes are not available here.

You use the term unbundling for your software. What is this all about?

Ruthofer: Unfortunately, today you often come across automation solutions in which the automation tasks have been mixed with production processes. This makes programs increasingly complex, difficult to maintain and inflexible.

With our unbundling concept, we take a different approach - thinking in terms of functions. At the control level, only the functions that the machine can execute are implemented. For example, milling and drilling on a CNC machine. For these functions, the necessary parameters such as the drilling diameter and corresponding feedback such as the actual hole depth drilled are also defined. The functions are then operated by the higher-level system - for example MESControl - via a defined interface based on the ISA S88. This system then provides the necessary flexibility to customize the production processes. On the one hand, this provides a uniform connection to the automation level - regardless of which manufacturer supplies it - and, on the other, the necessary flexibility in production with regard to variant diversity and individualization. The next step in MESControl is to map the functions defined on the controllers as so-called activities and add further details, such as which machines can perform certain functions or which materials are used or produced during an activity.