This is usually accomplished using software systems and documented procedures that are collectively called the Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) functional level. MOM defines a diverse set of functions that operate execution production orders while effectively applying resources above automation control systems; these operations functions reside below the functional level of enterprise business systems; and they are typically local to a site or area.
The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society’s ISA95 Part 3 standard defines further five levels of functions and activities of a manufacturing organization as originally described in the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture. Automation and control supports one level, and MOM supports a higher level—defined in the model as Level 3. According to the Manufacturing Enterprise Systems Association (MESA), four out of five manufacturers during the last two years have utilized Part 3 for their requests-for-proposal for manufacturing operations systems to specify their system requirements.
MOM—Level 3
Level 3 defines the activities that coordinate production resources to produce the desired end products. It includes workflow “control” and procedural “control” through recipe execution. Level 3 typically operates on time frames of days, shifts, hours, minutes and seconds. Level 3 functions also include maintenance functions, quality assurance and laboratory functions, and inventory movement functions, and are collectively called MOM. Level 3 functions directly related to production are usually automated using MOM.
The MOM model is driven by production schedules developed by the business and sent to production. The production schedules are used by detailed production and operations scheduling activities that define detailed production and operations schedules containing production and operations work orders. The production and operations work orders are dispatched to work centers and work units based on time and events, the production and operations work order is executed, and data is collected in a production data collection activity.
The collected data are used in production and operations tracking activities that relate the time-series information to the work order information to generate a report on production performance, and tracing and tracking information. The collected data and the data from tracing and tracking are used in production and operations analysis functions to generate reports and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Production capability information about the current and future availability is provided to business scheduling systems by production resource management activities. Product definition information about the recipe, procedures, Bill of Material (BOM) and work routing needed for production is managed by product definition management activities.
In addition to this list above, there are three other areas of activities. Maintenance Operations Management activities coordinate, direct and track the functions that maintain equipment, tools and related assets. Quality Operations Management activities coordinate, direct and track functions that measure and report on quality. Inventory Operations Management activities coordinate, direct and track the transfer of materials between and within work centers and manage information about material locations and statuses.
Work activity for Level 3 includes:
• Dispatching
• Execution management
• Data collection
• Tracking
• Resource management
• Definition management
• Performance analysis.
Manufacturing operations also require infrastructure activities that may be specific to manufacturing, but which are often elements also required by other parts of a manufacturing company. The infrastructure activities include:
• Managing security within manufacturing operations
• Managing information within manufacturing operations
• Managing configurations within manufacturing operations
• Managing documents within manufacturing operations
• Managing regulatory compliance within
manufacturing operations
• Managing incidents and deviations.
Charlie Gifford, [email protected], is Chief Manufacturing
Consultant for 21st Century Manufacturing Solutions LLC,
Chairman of the ISA-95 Best Practices Working Group
(www.isa.org) and recipient of the 2007 MESA International
Outstanding Contributor Award. For more information on MESA, visit www.mesa.org.
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