MES Consulting Services
As an MES Solution Partner, Seabrook provides support services for advanced manufacturing execution systems.
Seabrook Technology Group achieved Smart Expert Partner recognition from Siemens Digital Industries Software with validated expertise in Siemens Opcenter Execution, Medical Device & Diagnostics (formerly Camstar).
Deployment Services
To begin your deployment process, it is vital that you take a detailed look at your current status. In order to determine your first steps, you must be acutely aware of your current professional situation. The better you understand the direction and content of the journey (the “road map”), the smother the trip will be.
Implementation Support
Application Maintenance Services (AMS) provides support for ‘as is’ configuration of an MES solution. Typically positioned as Level 2 support, AMS expands the coverage of standard product support that is offered by an MES software vendor.
Integration
As a highly integrated solution, the Siemens Opcenter Execution Manufacturing software can track, monitor and manage just about every manufacturing process, system, operation and function – inside a single facility or multiple facilities – to provide manufacturers with critical and detailed information to effectively and efficiently operate their business.
MES Implementation Assessment
Seabrook MES Implementation Assessment is used to analyze and define anticipated efforts, resources needed, associated costs, and project duration. Although only an estimate, it can be used as a tool for budgetary purposes project plan input.
Upgrades
For years, Seabrook Technology Group has successfully executed a variety of Camstar and Siemens Opcenter Execution projects. As we have completed a large number of upgrades, we’ve developed a process that has yielded rewarding results for our clients!
Global Deployment Strategy
Readiness Assessment
To begin your deployment process, it is vital that you take a detailed look at your current status. In order to determine your first steps, you must be acutely aware of your current professional situation. The better you understand the direction and content of the journey (the “road map”), the smother the trip will be. The best method to understand where you are is to measure yourself against your competition and current industry standards. You will want to:
- Compare your performance metrics against industry standards
- Identify strong business areas as well as those opportunities for improvement
- Highlight best practices for input into your road map
- Use historical averages of reported benefits to quantify the impact to your business
- Utilize the output from above to substantiate the business case
- Build a vision and road map as part of your cost-benefit analysis
- Successful implementation processes (“Where are we?” and “What do we need?”)
- Performance benefits of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES)
- Best practices review to add input into your road map
Deployment Cycles
Establishing a suitable integration strategy for all sites is key for manufacturers seeking to enhance visibility improve operational efficiency while reducing production cycle times. In general, most organizations deploy Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) by following a classic project life cycle:
1. planning,
2. design,
3. configuration,
4. testing,
5. deployment,
6. post-live maintenance.
Global Solution Testing & Validation Strategy
When evolving from a paper-based manufacturing system to a digital version, it is critical not to blindly map from one medium to the other. Inherent inefficiencies in the process that could result, whether your organization uses a paper or an electronic system. Thus, a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) implementation offers an opportunity for process improvement and optimization by:
1. converting all paper-based records to electronic records,
2. reducing human error,
3. increasing data accuracy, and
4. reducing the cycle time for batch manufacturing.
MES Manufacturing Maturity Model
The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a methodology used to develop and refine an organization’s software development process. For MES, this involves structured levels that describe how well the behaviors, practices and processes of a manufacturing organization can reliably and sustainably produce required products on time, with the highest quality, using well-maintained equipment. The higher the CMM maturity level, the more efficient the organization, the fewer errors and mistakes made, and the fewer systemic problems in manufacturing operations. The maturity model helps organizations to determine resource and staff allocation to increase productivity and efficiency.
Integration
Integration
As a highly integrated solution, Siemens Opcenter Execution Medical Device & Diagnostics (formerly Camstar) software can track, monitor and manage just about every manufacturing process, system, operation and function – inside a single facility or multiple facilities – to provide manufacturers with critical and detailed information to effectively and efficiently operate their business. Seabrook Technology Group has successfully integrated this solution with several software systems to optimize data management across manufacturing organizations.
To gain maximum functionality, Siemens Opcenter Execution should be integrated with other key business IT systems, including enterprise resource planning (ERP), product lifecycle management (PLM), quality management systems (QMS), and supply chain management (SCM) to enable companies to administer all facets of their operations. With Siemens’ use of standard data structure formats, endless possibilities exist for systems integrations. Seabrook has worked with the most common systems, such as SAP, QAD, and JD Edwards, and has also integrated a wide variety of custom solutions using synchronous and asynchronous methods.
Upgrades
Unique Upgrades
Every upgrade is UNIQUE: Let us help you find what best works for YOU.
- Solutions vary in customization level
- Upgrade & maintenance procedures differ to best suit need
- Possible systems integrations vary widely
Through our experience, we have found that every upgrade is unique. Our clients utilize Siemens Opcenter Execution Medical Device & Diagnostics (formerly Camstar) in a variety of ways. Some solutions are highly customized while others are not. As Seabrook Technology Group has developed these client relationships, we’ve discovered a variety of operating procedures used to upgrade and maintain systems. We take great pride in clearly understanding how our clients operate, so that we can provide the most effective partnership possible. Because of Siemens’ use of standard data structure formats, there are endless possibilities for systems integrations. We have worked with the most common systems, such as SAP, QAD, and JD Edwards, and have also integrated many additional custom solutions using synchronous and asynchronous methods.
Regulatory Guidelines
Don’t Just “Roll the Dice.” Following regulatory guidelines is a MUST.
- Initial requirements must be verified against new/changed features
- Test scripts must be verified against new features/User Interface (UI) changes
Critical Timelines
Timelines are CRITICAL to production.
- Required code freezes increase business risk
- Legacy systems must be retired quickly
- Production cut-overs must be done with limited business impact
- Roll-out issues must be addressed immediately
Timelines are CRITICAL, because of the impact to production. Depending on the upgraded version, some pages will be completely new, requiring manual customization. For some upgrades, new hardware may be provisioned and old hardware retired. If the upgrade is too lengthy, unnecessary infrastructure costs will occur. Every time a system change is made, production is impacted. We at Seabrook firmly believe that it is absolutely vital to communicate and confirm all aspects of the implementation process with our clients. As a partner, we want to see your team successfully implement these upgrades to the production floor.
Seabrook focuses on supporting the medical device industry. We understand that validation efforts are a large portion of the overall work involved in the upgrade process. Due to new features and changes in Siemens Opcenter Execution, initial requirements need to be verified. Changes in the interface can also mean that test scripts need to be updated. Clients are often overwhelmed with validation, but we execute a risked-based approach that greatly reduces the level of effort to effectively validate a system.
Implementation Support
Implementation Support
Application Maintenance Services (AMS) provides support for ‘as is’ configuration of an MES solution. Typically positioned as Level 2 support, AMS expands the coverage of standard product support that is offered by an MES software vendor. Expanded coverage includes: 1. diagnosing and fixing issues caused by specific process configurations and custom components, 2. proactive monitoring, consulting and tuning of the MES application, interfaces and database.
Implementation Assessment
Best-In-Class Manufacturing Solution
Seabrook MES Implementation Assessment is used to analyze and define anticipated efforts, resources needed, associated costs, and project duration. Although only an estimate, it can be used as a tool for budgetary purposes project plan input.
As a part of implementation assessment, it is strongly recommended that a solution architect level engineer (and sometimes others – depending on specific needs or challenges) visit the site and perform a detailed analysis. This analysis is vital in the creation of a realistic estimate of implementation requirements, efforts, and anticipated costs. The MES Implementation Assessment provides guidance in defining the business and technical goals that the solution requires.
- determining key business and technical goals, for which a solution is required
- implementing direction and vision
- analyzing existing infrastructure and systems to better understand the task ahead
Our MES Implementation Service identifies what needs to be accomplished to ensure that your organization MES ready!