In 2012 Epicor acquired Solarsoft Business Systems. Initially, most of the hype around the acquisition was for Solarsoft’s Tropos process manufacturing ERP software and CMS automotive ERP for tier one and tier two automotive suppliers. But somewhat lost in that acquisition was Mattec (now Epicor Mattec MES), a manufacturing execution system (MES). But why is this important to you as a manufacturer?

Mattec was founded in 1983 for the purpose of creating a real-time shop floor monitoring system, primarily for the plastics industry. The first products from Mattec were designed primarily for the injection molding industry. In the years since, the company expanded its product offerings to include systems for all types of manufacturing, including blow molding, extrusion, blown film applications, and related plastics processes. In addition, the system now supports printing, metal stamping, packaging, assembly, and other secondary operations. Epicor Mattec MES software remains focused on shop floor systems for industrial applications.

Why is this important to you?

First off, Epicor is investing in Epicor Mattec MES. They’ve moved Mattec MES onto their ICE platform, the same platform used for Epicor ERP. They’ve also integrated Mattec MES with Epicor ERP providing a very robust shop floor application for Epicor ERP users.

Epicor Mattec MES helps you improve quality, reduce scrap, and boost productivity. The Epicor Mattec MES software automatically monitors machines and analyzes production and performance data 24×7 providing everyone in the plant and throughout the business an opportunity to take action to improve manufacturing performance.
The Epicor Mattec MES software collects data directly from equipment and operators on the shop floor in real time, eliminating inaccurate and time-consuming manual data collection. With information in your hands “right now” you become proactive, so you anticipate and solve production problems before they happen. Real-time insight helps you pinpoint critical issues, reduce waste, and improve quality and customer service.

Epicor Mattec’s established customer base has over 1,000 separate plantwide systems throughout the world. Systems are currently installed in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, United States, Wales, and elsewhere. Sales and service for international accounts are provided by a number of leading agencies throughout the world.

MES software provides OEE, or overall equipment effectiveness with direct integration with machinery and equipment to optimize your capital equipment investment. But Epicor Mattec MES is much more. It collects production data automatically providing touch-screen technology for operators to add depth and dimension to the automatic production data so you get a much clearer picture of the what, why and when of downtime, cycle time, quality, and scrap.

Epicor Mattec MES software has real-time alerts, notifications and other communications, so people have information when it matters the most—immediately. That way, they can take action to correct a problem or improve performance on-the-spot. From on-the-fly production schedule changes, to daily operations meetings, to management dashboards and reports, this manufacturing execution system is easy-to-use and ideal for one-click drill down insight and reporting. Most importantly, it’s system agnostic so you can link it with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to connect your top floor to your shop floor.

There is no one-size-fits-all and you have to do some research to find the best ERP solution for you. Read more here.