Why MES Has Become Central to Smart Factory Operations
In this episode we explain how IT/OT convergence, the need for digital thread traceability and agentic AI have extended MES software beyond its production tracking roots and are putting it at the core of industry's digital transformation. Insights from Luigi de Bernardini, CEO of system integrator Autoware, and Francisco Almada Lobo, CEO of Critical Manufacturing, explain why and how this is happening and what manufacturers should be doing in response.
MES is bridging the IT/OT divide: Manufacturing execution systems are evolving from simple production trackers into the critical link between enterprise systems (ERP, CRM) and operational technology (SCADA, machine controls), enabling real-time alignment between business planning and actual production capacity.
AI agents are transforming MES into adaptive platforms: The integration of AI agents with MES systems is moving manufacturing beyond fixed-rule automation toward intelligent systems that can plan and make autonomous decisions in real-time, supported by techniques like Retrieval Augmented Generation and multi-agent collaboration protocols.
MES serves as the foundation for smart manufacturing's digital thread: By contextualizing IoT data and serving as both consumer and producer of information across the enterprise, MES creates the data foundation necessary for digital twins, predictive analytics and the flow of information from design through production to customer delivery.
David Greenfield joined Automation World in June 2011. Bringing a wealth of industry knowledge and media experience to his position, David’s contributions can be found in AW’s print and online editions and custom projects. Earlier in his career, David was Editorial Director of Design News at UBM Electronics, and prior to joining UBM, he was Editorial Director of Control Engineering at Reed Business Information, where he also worked on Manufacturing Business Technology as Publisher.
