Systems Overview
Typically, a supplier's main business system (ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning, and/or MRP - Material Requirements Planning) continues to be used for all of the financial as well as the conventional manufacturing and distribution requirements. These existing systems may be capable of receiving sequencing requirements via EDI (866 transaction), and also sending out of an Advanced Shipping Notice (856 transaction).
However, in order to meet the requirements of in sequence manufacturing and / or shipping, a variation of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) needs to be implemented. An MES system is also designed to handle specific project requirements such as receipt of a sequenced broadcast pulse and interfaces with Programmable Logical Controllers (PLC) typically for verification (Poka-Yoke) purposes.