Manufacturing Execution System
Also known as: MES, shop-floor execution system.
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) orchestrates and records what happens on the shop floor: which work order is on which machine, who performed which step, what materials were consumed, and whether the resulting product passed quality.
In depth
MES sits between the ERP (what to build) and the shop floor (how it is built). It tracks work orders through each operation, captures genealogy (which lot/serial went into which finished good), enforces quality gates, and feeds back real-time status to planners and operators. Traditional MES suites are heavy, IT-led projects; modern platforms like Azumuta deliver MES capabilities alongside Connected Worker features (digital work instructions, skill matrix, audits) in one product so manufacturers can stand up execution-level visibility without a separate multi-year program.
See also
Azumuta resources
This entry is part of the Azumuta manufacturing glossary. Last reviewed: 2026-04-19.