MES architecture maturity · Manufacturing Execution System
Your MES architecture, measured site by site and turned into an industrialisation roadmap.
10 themes, 162 questions, a 5-level scale. And the action that moves each level to the next.
The framework’s 10 themes, already written from L1 to L5. One company, one business unit, or 300 at once.
MES architecture maturity · Manufacturing Execution System
10 themes, 162 questions, 5-level scale.
Nordhavn Industries
53 / 100
They measure their maturity with Datamensio
An example
This could be your situation.
Take one company as an example: three sites, three spreadsheets, no shared answer.
Nobody can consolidate.
Nordhavn Industries, 2,400 people in Hamburg, Lyon and Porto. A client asks where the group stands. Each site answers in its own spreadsheet, with its own scales.
Three weeks, a single base.
One MES architecture maturity framework, structured according to ISA-95 layers and the 5-level CMMI scale assessment launched across all three sites at once, from the managers’ interview notes. The framework was already written, its 10 themes and levels L1 to L5 too.
Two costs avoided before being committed.
A score of 53 out of 100, with the gap concentrated on three themes. The AI companion spotted that two actions duplicated those of another audit. The committee report took one sentence to request.
What it saved them
- 3sites measured on the same base, instead of three questionnaires to reconcile
- 2duplicate actions caught before the spend
- 1committee report, with no manual rework
These figures are an example. They could be yours.
The standard imposes processes. Datamensio says where you stand.
01
The framework is already written
Themes, questions and levels L1 to L5, all written. You do not start from an empty spreadsheet.
02
The score lands the same day
Online, by self-assessment link or in interview. Theme by theme, comparable over time.
03
The gap becomes a costed plan
Every step up carries its action. The AI prioritises on expected effect, not on the order of the standard.
04
Progress can be demonstrated
Campaign after campaign, against your target and against your own past. That is what your board asks for.
The maturity scale
One level, the next, and the action that links the two.
It is this mechanism (a level, a higher level, and the action that connects the two) that turns a finding into a trajectory.
How is execution data collected from production equipment?
- N1
No automatic collection. Quantities produced and stoppages are noted on paper or in a spreadsheet at the end of a shift.
- N2
A few lines are connected, often as part of a pilot project. Elsewhere, entry remains manual and counting rules differ between shops.
- N3
Automatic collection covers the site’s main lines, with shared definitions for counters and stoppage causes. Manual cases are identified and documented.
- N4
Collection is standardised across the entire machine fleet within scope, counting discrepancies are detected and addressed, and data feeds directly into management indicators.
- N5
The collection standard is reviewed periodically, applied as soon as any new equipment is commissioned, and checked through automated consistency controls whose results are monitored.
Action to move from L2 to L3
Set a shared dictionary of counters and stoppage causes, roll it out on the site’s main lines by reusing the pilot’s configuration, and put the review of counting discrepancies on the agenda of the weekly production meeting.
« With Datamensio, we meet our objectives far more efficiently. The ERDF inspection services and our supervising ministry particularly appreciated an approach that gives them reliable data. »
Director, CCI 94CCI Île-de-France
« We believe this is the most suitable solution to scale our transformation project and measure impact according to our needs. »
Maja SucekChief Operating Officer, Interreg Danube
Rarely on its own
Frameworks combine. Put several together to cover your business, or have the AI write yours.
Take your first measurementon MES.
What this framework covers
The MES sits in the middle layer between the ERP and the shop floor controllers: it turns a production plan into executable orders, tracks their progress operation by operation, records material consumption and machine times, and forms the genealogy of batches. The expected functions are well known: shop scheduling, recipe and routing management, production reporting, non-conformance management, OEE calculation, upstream and downstream traceability. MES architecture describes how these functions are distributed, integrated and governed across a site, then across an industrial network.
In practice, the difficulty is not functional, it is architectural. The same questions keep coming up. Who holds the master reference for an item, a routing, a production unit: the ERP, the MES, or a spreadsheet maintained by the methods department? Is data from equipment collected automatically or re-keyed at the end of a shift? When a site rolls out a new line, does it reuse a proven model or start from a bespoke integration? These answers, rarely documented, determine the real cost of every change.
One point of context is worth making. The modularity promised by service-oriented architectures and MOM building blocks does not remove the need for a shared data model, it makes that need more visible. Many programmes have replaced a monolithic MES with a set of shop-floor applications without having stabilised the definition of shared objects, or the interface contracts with the ERP and the controller layer. The common confusion worth clearing up is that between MES and SCADA: supervising equipment is not the same as executing a manufacturing order.
A maturity assessment does not answer the same question as a project review. A review asks whether the scope has been delivered. The assessment asks what level of control each capability has reached, and what specific action moves it to the next level. Across a network of several plants, it becomes possible to compare business units against each other and compare each site against its own past, rather than making decisions based on impressions from the ground.
The framework is ready to use and adaptable. AI adjusts the themes, questions and levels to your industrial organisation, or builds a variant from your existing documents: application mapping, MES specifications, site standards. You remain the owner of the framework.
Reference standard: MES architecture maturity framework, structured according to ISA-95 layers and the 5-level CMMI scale
The themes assessed
Data model and shared master data
Definition of execution objects (items, routings, production units, resources), source of truth per object, alignment with an ISA-95 type model, management of life cycles and versions.
Application architecture and functional scope
Distribution of functions between ERP, MES and shop-floor applications, degree of coupling, up-to-date mapping, management of custom developments and technical debt.
Vertical integration with the equipment layer
Connection to controllers and supervisors, protocols used, automatic collection of counters and machine states, share of manual re-entry, handling of equipment that cannot be connected.
Horizontal integration with ERP and logistics
Downstream flow of manufacturing orders, upstream flow of reports and consumption data, synchronisation of work-in-progress stock, handling of discrepancies and interface rejections.
Shop-floor scheduling and execution
Fine-grained order planning, handling of disruptions and changeovers, operator guidance, recipe and manufacturing parameter management.
Traceability and batch genealogy
Granularity of traceability, chaining of materials and components, ability to reconstruct upstream and downstream, response time to a recall request, retention of records.
In-process quality
Controls built into the flow, batch holds and releases, management of non-conformances and waivers, links with measuring instruments and their calibration.
Performance and data use
Rules for calculating OEE and downtime causes, consistency of definitions across sites, availability of data for analysis, actual use in production meetings.
Cybersecurity and OT segmentation
Segmentation of industrial networks, management of access and service accounts, control of remote vendor access, backups and site recovery scenarios.
Governance, deployment and skills
Existence of a group MES standard, process for deploying to a new site, management of changes and version upgrades, internal skills and dependency on integrators.
A short version of the framework, with 35 questions, is available for the online self-assessment. The full version covers 10 themes and 162 questions.
Frequently asked questions
Does this framework lead to a certification?
No. MES architecture is not covered by any certification scheme. The assessment measures maturity levels against observable practices and produces an action plan. It is a programme management tool, not a file to present to a certification body.
How does this differ from an MES project review or an integrator’s audit?
A project review checks the progress of a delivered scope. An integrator’s audit often focuses on its own solution. The assessment places your capabilities on a progressive scale, independent of the installed product, and points to the action that moves you up one level.
How long does the assessment take?
The short version takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete by someone familiar with the site. The full version, in collaborative mode, usually spans one to two weeks: most of the time goes into gathering input from methods, industrial IT and production.
Can several plants be compared with each other?
Yes. The same framework applied across several sites produces comparable scores by theme, and each site can be compared against its own past. A cross-site roadmap then consolidates the assessments to avoid funding the same action ten times over.
Can the framework be adapted to our industrial organisation?
Yes. You can modify the questions, levels and themes, or start from a blank base. AI can build a variant from your internal standards and application mapping, then refine the wording of the levels.
Do respondents need technical expertise?
The questions cover practices and architecture, not controller configurations. An MES manager, an industrial IT architect or a methods manager can answer most of them. Collaborative mode lets you route network and OT questions to the right contact.
How is the action plan costed?
The gap between the observed score and the target generates the actions. The service catalogue matches a solution to each action, with its cost, timeframe and expected impact on the score. You make decisions based on comparable elements.
Where is the data hosted?
In France, with OVH, backed up with Scaleway. No transfer outside the European Union. The AI models used can be selected, including from European providers.