How MOMS can prevent loss of knowledge

MOMS are good at multi-tasking, and allow duties to run more smoothly. But just to be clear: when we at Yitch talk about MOMS, we are not just referring to our personal lives, but rather to the coordinating software systems, which enable production companies to better integrate different installations with each other, and also to compensate for any knowledge loss caused by operators reaching their retirement age.

What is MOMS?

"A MOM-system supports manufacturing companies in controlling and monitoring operational activities, based on master data and operational inputs."

In manufacturing companies, the bulk of the activities actually occur in the production itself, with the goal of converting one or more raw materials into an end product. As soon as an order comes in, a complex set of actions is set in motion, carried out by many different roles, in order to realize the order in question. It is precisely in this complex choreography that a MOM system can offer support.

A MOM-system (of which MES is a part) is situated between the PLC and SCADA levels on the one hand, and an ERP-system on the other. In this capacity, MOMS focuses on:

• Production;
• Maintenance;
• Inventory / internal logistics;
• Quality.

Aging workforce as a motive for MOMS

An aging population is one of the main reasons why companies are choosing for MOMS, a Manufacturing Operations Management System. MOMS allows the (often considerable) dependency on the knowledge of experienced operators to be absorbed by software, anticipating the imminent loss of those more experienced operators.

"When an operator, with a solid 20 to 30 years of experience, goes on a trip, gets sick or retires, there is no doubt this will have an impact on the workplace."

After all, when an operator, with a solid 20 to 30 years of experience, goes on a trip, gets sick or retires, it is absolutely no exception that it will cause a fall-back, and this will be noticed without a doubt on the production floor. A MOM system, however, will make it possible to secure much of the accumulated know-how coming from the brains of such operators.

Procedures such as the start-up or changeover of a production line can easily be stored in a MOMS. As such, a MOM system can help the other people in production, based on the collected data resulting from the experience of more experienced operators.

The main challenge to deploy a MOMS or MES

The main challenge in deploying a MOMS to cope with aging is to be able to extract the information, collected in the heads of operators, and then translate it into the software system. But once you've reached that point as a company, you're set for years to come.

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