CerebraQ Automation develops Manufacturing Execution Systems for discrete manufacturers in India — serialized production tracking, component genealogy, Andon, OEE, and shift reporting, built on SQL Server and integrated with SCADA and ERP. We offer both a fast-deploy MES starter package and fully custom builds. This page explains what our MES actually does on a line, because "MES" means different things to different vendors.

What our MES tracks, concretely

Every part, serialized. Each unit entering the line gets identified — barcode, DMC, or RFID — and every station it passes writes a record: cycle time, result, operator context, measured values from pressing or testing operations. Component genealogy: when a sub-assembly built on one line marries a unit on another, the MES links them, so eighteen months later a field-quality question can be answered with the exact pressing curve and torque values of one specific unit. Interlocks: the MES doesn't just record — it decides. A station can be blocked from cycling if the wrong component variant is scanned, if a prior operation failed, or if a side-specific process (a left-hand part in a right-hand fixture) is about to happen. We have implemented pressing-operation interlocks where the press physically will not stroke until the MES validates the part — inspection catches defects; interlocks prevent them.

Shift, OEE and reporting — where MES projects usually go wrong

The visible part of MES is dashboards. The hard part is the data model underneath: shift definitions that survive shift-pattern changes, hourly buckets that handle a unit crossing a shift boundary mid-cycle, OEE availability calculations that distinguish planned from unplanned downtime honestly, and reports that reconcile — where the shift email, the dashboard, and the SAP booking all show the same number. Our reporting stack is SQL Server plus SSRS plus scheduled HTML email reports, so a plant head gets the shift summary in their inbox minutes after shift end without opening any system.

Starter package vs. custom build

MES Starter Package: serialized tracking, station data collection, Andon, hourly/shift production reporting, and OEE — deployable in weeks on a defined line configuration. Right for a first line, a pilot, or a plant that needs visibility fast. Custom MES: full data-model design around your process — multi-line genealogy, ERP integration (SAP key-component booking and production confirmations), quality checkpoint systems, warehouse and material-flow modules, 21 CFR Part 11 controls for regulated production. Most clients start with the package on one line and extend custom from there; the data model is designed so that path is clean.

Integration reality

Our MES sits between the PLC layer and the ERP layer, and we build both interfaces ourselves: downward via Kepware OPC to Siemens, Mitsubishi, and other PLCs; upward to SAP and other ERPs via the interface pattern your IT team prefers. One team owns the whole chain — when a genealogy record is wrong, we don't need three vendors on a call to find out whether the scanner, the OPC tag, or the stored procedure dropped it.

Frequently asked

How long does an MES implementation take?

The starter package on a single line: typically 6–10 weeks. Full custom MES across multiple lines with ERP integration: 4–9 months. We give an itemized timeline after a site assessment, not before.

Does your MES work with our existing SCADA?

Usually yes — our MES is SQL Server-centered and consumes data via OPC, so it can sit alongside an existing SCADA. Where the plant runs ICONICS Genesis64, the integration is tightest, since that is our home platform.

What does an MES cost?

It ranges too widely for a published number — station count, interlocking depth, and ERP scope drive it. The proposal we send after assessment is itemized, so you see exactly what each scope element costs and can descope consciously.

Discuss an MES project or read how we built MES for EV powertrain assembly.