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MachineMetrics Intelligent MES

Overview​

MachineMetrics Intelligent MES connects your ERP directly to the shop floor, enabling real-time job tracking, automated program matching, and accurate labor ticket submission — all from the operator's ShopPulse operator dashboard interface.

MES is enabled on a per-machine basis, giving you control over which machines have MES enabled and when. You can configure everything — resource mappings, job tracking preferences, account-level settings — before MES is active on any machine. Each machine goes live on MES independently, on your schedule.

When MES is enabled on a machine, jobs are sourced from your ERP's work order operations rather than created manually in MachineMetrics. Labor tickets track work as it happens and are closed out to your ERP when the operator submits them. Burden hours are automatically calculated and attributed to the correct jobs — eliminating manual time tracking and duplicate data entry.

MES features require the MES Package. An IT Admin (or higher) can activate the MES Package from Settings → Company, or contact your Solutions Delivery Manager (SDM) for assistance.

Note: This article describes the ShopPulse-managed workflow. If your account is configured for ERP-Driven mode, MachineMetrics reflects your ERP state in read-only mode — operators do not manage jobs or submit labor tickets from ShopPulse. See How ERP Driven Works on MES-Enabled Machines.

Feature Availability​

RequirementDetails
ModuleMES Package (includes Dispatch Schedule and ERP Data Studio)
ERP IntegrationRequired. Active integration with a supported ERP. Contact your SDM to confirm compatibility.
Access LevelConfiguration requires Manager, Executive, or IT Admin access. MES Package activation, Clock Out Flow, and Skip Setup Parts require IT Admin or higher. Operators interact with MES features in ShopPulse — no special access level required.

Key Capabilities​

Automated Production Monitoring (APM)​

Auto Production Monitoring continuously monitors which program is running on a machine and matches it to the correct ERP work order operation. When a program changes, APM evaluates match confidence and presents the result to the operator: a high-confidence Matched result, a lower-confidence Suggested result that asks the operator to verify the job when they submit their labor, or No Match Found when APM cannot identify the work. This eliminates the need for operators to manually identify which job is running — especially valuable on palletized machines running multiple concurrent jobs.

APM matches at the part operation level. Because several open work orders can share one part operation, a single program can legitimately serve one job and then the next in sequence.

Labor Ticket Tracking​

Work on a MES-enabled machine is tracked with labor tickets, each recording the operator, activity mode, burden hours, and part counts. Submitting a ticket closes it out to your ERP with its hours and counts. When the ticket first reaches the ERP depends on how the machine selects jobs: where the operator selects the job, starting it opens the ERP labor ticket straight away; where the program selects the job, the ticket stays in MachineMetrics until it is submitted. Jobs flow in from your ERP; labor flows back out — keeping both systems in sync.

Setup and Production Modes​

A MES-enabled machine is in one of two modes at any time: Setup or Production. The operator moves the machine between them, and the mode is what MachineMetrics reports to your ERP as the activity on each labor ticket.

Setup is where jobs get prepared. Automatic program matching pauses while a machine is in Setup, because the operator — not the running program — is deciding what is being worked on.

How a job leaves setup depends on the machine. Where the machine runs one job at a time, submitting the completed setup ticket moves it straight into production on that job. Where the machine carries several jobs concurrently, the job is queued as Ready for Production and production begins when the operator enters Production mode.

ShopPulse Job Queue​

ShopPulse is the operator-facing interface for MES-enabled machines. On machines that carry multiple concurrent jobs, the Total Jobs tab displays a real-time job queue showing every job on the machine, its current state, and the work accrued against it. Operators open a job's Production run overview from the queue to verify matches, correct mismatches, switch activities, split or merge tickets, pull a job off the machine, and submit labor when work is done.

Dispatch Schedule​

A scheduling view showing each machine's upcoming work order operations, sourced from the ERP. Supervisors and managers use it to schedule, re-sequence, and manage shop floor work. It serves as the source of available jobs when operators select work from ShopPulse.

First Article Inspection (FAI)​

FAI adds a quality inspection step when a job leaves setup, on machines that run one job at a time. When an operator submits their setup labor ticket as Complete, they can send the first piece for inspection. A QA inspector reviews it at a dedicated inspection station and either approves — which commits the setup work and releases the job into production — or rejects it with a reason, sending the operator back to setup to correct the issue and resubmit.

Shift Handover​

Shift Handover adds a structured end-of-shift handoff workflow. When an operator clocks out, they can review their shift analytics, add notes about machine conditions or issues, and submit an AI-generated summary for the incoming operator. The incoming operator sees this summary alongside their assigned work when they sign in.

How It Works​

MES creates a continuous loop between your ERP, your machines, and ShopPulse:

  1. Supervisors schedule work on the Dispatch Schedule. Supervisors and managers pull released work order operations from the ERP and schedule them for their assigned machines.
  2. Operators set jobs up. In Setup mode the operator selects the job they are setting up, and it starts accruing setup labor immediately. On a machine where the operator selects the job, that also opens the labor ticket in your ERP.
  3. Setup finishes. Submitting a setup ticket as Complete closes that setup labor out to the ERP. On a machine that runs one job at a time, that submission moves the machine into production on the same job. On a machine that carries several jobs, the job is queued as Ready for Production and production starts when the operator enters Production mode.
  4. APM identifies which job is running. When a program starts in Production mode, APM compares program data against the machine's open work order operations, assigns a state — Matched, Suggested, or No Match Found — and opens a labor ticket for the run.
  5. Work is tracked in real time. Burden hours and part counts accrue automatically. Operators can switch activities, reassign a job, split or merge tickets, and monitor pace as they work — all without touching the ERP.
  6. Labor tickets are submitted to the ERP. Submitting closes the ticket out in your ERP. Submission timing is flexible: periodically through a run, at job completion, or at the end of a shift. A production job submitted as Incomplete keeps going on a fresh ticket; one submitted as Complete leaves the queue. Setup submissions behave differently — see How to Use ShopPulse on MES-Enabled Machines.

Configuration Overview​

MES setup is designed to be deliberate and non-disruptive. You can fully configure account-level and per-machine settings before MES is active on any machine, and each machine goes live on MES independently when ready.

  • MES Package activation — an IT Admin (or higher) can activate the MES Package from Settings → Company, or your SDM can activate it on your behalf. Surfaces the MES Settings page and enables prerequisite account settings behind the scenes. No machine behavior changes at this point.
  • Account-level and per-machine configuration — configured on the MES Settings page. Map each machine to its ERP resources, set job management modes, and configure account-wide preferences. All of this can be completed before MES is active on any machine.
  • Per-machine MES enablement — when a machine is configured and ready, enable MES on it. Each machine goes live independently, on your schedule.

For a complete walkthrough of the setup process, see MES Settings and Configuring a Machine's Production Settings.

Need Help?​

Contact your Solutions Delivery Manager or email support@machinemetrics.com.