Getting Started with MES: Administrator Guide
Overview
MachineMetrics Intelligent MES bridges the gap between your ERP and your shop floor. When enabled on a machine, jobs flow directly from your ERP, programs are matched to jobs automatically, and your operators can track work in real time—all while labor data feeds back to your ERP without manual intervention.
MES also supports accounts without a live ERP integration. On these no-ERP / MES-only accounts, work orders are imported via CSV/file rather than sourced directly from an ERP. Labor tickets open and close in MachineMetrics only — there is no write-back to an external system. ERP-connected is the standard and most common path; the no-ERP CSV-import path is an alternative that must be configured with your SDM.
MES is enabled on a per-machine basis. You don't need to switch your entire fleet at once. The setup process is designed so you can configure everything ahead of time — map resources, set job tracking preferences, and prepare each machine — all before MES is active on any of them. When a machine is ready, you flip the MES toggle to activate it. Each machine goes live on MES independently, on your schedule.
This guide walks you through the complete setup process—from understanding what MES does and why it matters, all the way through configuring every machine on your floor.
Who Should Use This Guide
This guide is for account administrators who need to enable and configure MES across their MachineMetrics account. You'll need Manager, Executive, or IT Admin access depending on which settings you're configuring. MES Package activation, Clock Out Flow, and Skip Setup Parts require IT Admin or higher.
What You'll Need
Before you start, confirm that:
- MES Package is activated on your account (an IT Admin or higher can activate this from Settings → Company, or your SDM can activate it on your behalf)
- Your ERP is connected to MachineMetrics (supported systems: JobBOSS, JobBOSS2, Infor VISUAL, Infor SyteLine, Infor XA, Epicor Kinetic, Epicor 10) — this is the standard path. Accounts without a live ERP integration import work orders via CSV/file and labor tickets close in MachineMetrics only (contact your SDM to confirm this path is configured for your account)
- You have the right access level (Manager, Executive, or IT Admin for most settings; IT Admin or higher for MES Package activation, Clock Out Flow, and Skip Setup Parts)
- Contact your SDM if you need to confirm your ERP integration or check whether your connector type is Uniform or Flexible
Part 1: Understanding MES
What MES Does
MES automates the connection between your ERP and your shop floor. Here's the flow:
- Jobs are sourced from your ERP → Supervisors and managers schedule work order operations on the Dispatch Schedule for their assigned machines
- Operators set jobs up → In Setup mode the operator selects what they're setting up; setup labor begins accruing. On an operator-selected machine, this also opens the labor ticket in your ERP
- Setup completes → Submitting setup as Complete sends the labor to the ERP. On a single-job machine that submission moves the machine into production on the same job; on a multi-job machine the job is queued as Ready for Production
- Programs are matched to jobs → In Production mode, Auto Production Monitoring (APM) watches which program is running and identifies the job
- Work is tracked in real time → Burden hours and part counts accumulate automatically, in MachineMetrics
- Labor tickets are submitted to the ERP → When operators submit, the ticket is closed out in your ERP with all details (hours, parts, job assignment)
Where the ERP Write Happens
When a labor ticket reaches your ERP depends on how the machine selects jobs:
- Jobs selected by Operator — starting a job opens its labor ticket in your ERP straight away, and submitting closes it. The ERP sees the work as in progress while the operator is running it.
- Jobs selected by Program — the ticket stays in MachineMetrics until the operator submits it, at which point it is opened and closed in your ERP in a single transaction.
Either way, submission is the point of no return, and that has two consequences worth internalizing as an administrator:
- Unsubmitted work is fully correctable on the shop floor. Operators can fix a wrong job assignment themselves, without an ERP administrator, right up to the moment they submit. Most of the "we need someone to fix this in the ERP" traffic that older workflows generated simply doesn't arise.
- A submitted ticket is closed. After that, corrections are ERP-side. So the guidance to operators is to review before submitting, not to be careful about matching.
Why MES Matters
Without MES, labor data either doesn't reach your ERP or requires manual entry after the shift. With MES enabled:
- Real-time accuracy: Job assignments and burden hours are recorded as work happens, not entered days later
- Reduced manual entry: APM matches jobs to programs automatically—operators verify, not create
- Complete data: Your ERP has labor, parts, and job data immediately for accurate costing and scheduling
- Shop floor visibility: Your operations team sees live job status and machine utilization in Dispatch Schedule
How MES Enablement Works
MES is enabled per machine. Machines without MES enabled continue using their current workflow (Part Operations, no labor tickets, no ERP submission). Enabling MES on a machine switches it to the ERP-integrated workflow.
The setup process is designed so you can prepare everything before enabling MES on any machine:
- Configure your setup — Map resources, choose job tracking modes, and configure account-level settings. All of this can be done before enabling MES on any machine.
- Enable MES machine by machine — When a machine's configuration is ready and you've coordinated with operators, flip the MES toggle. That machine goes live on MES; all other machines are unaffected.
- Expand at your own pace — Enable additional machines as your team gains confidence. There's no deadline or requirement to enable MES on all machines at once.
The toggle is also reversible — you can disable MES on a machine if needed (with implications for in-progress work; see Part 5, Step 6).
Part 2: Key Concepts
Before you start configuring, familiarize yourself with these terms. You'll see them throughout MES:
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Labor Ticket | A record that tracks labor hours, parts, job assignment, and activity mode (Setup or Production). Tracked in MachineMetrics and closed out in your ERP when the operator submits it. When it opens in the ERP depends on how the machine selects jobs — see Where the ERP Write Happens. |
| Draft Ticket | An unsubmitted labor ticket whose job nobody has attested to — on a program-selected machine, created when a program is matched. Fully editable, including the job. Can be submitted. |
| Confirmed (unsubmitted) Ticket | A labor ticket whose job has been attested to by an operator. Still unsubmitted, and still fully editable. Can be submitted. |
| Closed (submitted) Ticket | A labor ticket that has been submitted and closed in your ERP. Read-only in MachineMetrics — corrections happen ERP-side. |
| Work Order Operation | A single operation within an ERP work order. The basic unit of work that MES tracks and assigns to machines. |
| Part Operation | A part plus an operation. APM matches at this level, and multiple open work order operations can share a single part operation. |
| Production Run | A continuous period of machine activity assigned to a single job. Tracks burden hours, parts, and activity mode. |
| Burden Hours | The time a job occupies a machine. Automatically calculated based on how long the program runs. Accrues on unsubmitted tickets regardless of state. |
| Activity Mode | Setup or Production. An operator-controlled, machine-level state. The mode is what MachineMetrics reports to the ERP as a ticket's activity. |
| Job States | The state shown on an operator's job card: In Setup, Ready for Production (multi-job machines), Matched, Suggested, No Match Found, Confirmed, Paused, or Blocked. |
| Resource Mapping | The link between a MachineMetrics machine and an ERP resource. Controls which jobs appear in Dispatch Schedule and which resource labor is recorded against. |
| Dispatch Schedule | A view of all scheduled work order operations from your ERP, filtered by the resources you've mapped to your machines. |
| MES Package | An account-level entitlement that makes MES available to configure. MES is then enabled per machine. Requires IT Admin or higher to activate. |
| Auto Production Monitoring (APM) | The system that identifies which job is running based on program data. Active in Production mode; paused in Setup mode. |
Part 3: Prerequisites
MES requires a few things to be in place before you can enable it. The good news: most of it is automatic.
Activating the MES Package
An IT Admin (or higher) activates the MES Package directly from Settings → Company: "Enable MES". Your SDM can also do this on your behalf if needed.
When activated:
- Prerequisite settings are enabled behind the scenes
- The MES Settings page becomes available in your Settings menu
Confirm activation is complete before proceeding.
What You Confirm
After the MES Package is activated:
- Navigate to Settings in the main navigation menu
- Look for MES Settings — if you see it, MES Package is activated
- Confirm your ERP is actively connected (you should see machines and job data flowing)
If you don't see MES Settings, confirm the MES Package has been activated (Settings → Company: "Enable MES"). If the setting is not visible, contact your SDM — your account may not have the MES Package entitlement.
Part 4: The MES Settings Page
The MES Settings page is your central hub for configuring MES across all machines. This is where you'll spend most of your time.
How to Access It
- Click Settings in the main navigation
- Select MES Settings from the left menu
- You'll see a machine list showing all machines in your account with their current MES configuration
What You'll See
The machine list displays columns for each configuration option:
- Machine Name — Your machine identifier
- MES — Toggle to enable/disable MES
- Manage jobs in — ShopPulse or ERP Driven
- Jobs selected by — Operator, Program, or N/A (locked when ERP Driven)
- Record labor as — ERP resource for labor attribution
- Schedule jobs as — ERP resource(s) for filtering jobs
- FAI — Toggle to enable/disable First Article Inspection per machine (requires MES enabled, Manage jobs in = ShopPulse, and Jobs selected by = Operator)
- Handover — Toggle to enable/disable Shift Handover per machine (requires MES enabled, Manage jobs in = ShopPulse, and the account-level Clock Out Flow setting)
Below the machine list, you'll find the Account-Level Settings section with checkboxes for system-wide behavior.
Why This Page Matters
Instead of configuring each machine individually, you can:
- See all machines and their MES status at a glance
- Bulk-configure resource mappings across all machines
- Adjust account-level settings that apply everywhere
- Enable/disable MES one machine at a time with confidence
Part 5: Step-by-Step Setup
Follow these steps in order. Steps 1–4 are preparation steps — they prepare your machines for MES without changing anything operators see. Only Step 6 (Enable MES) actually switches a machine to the MES workflow.
Step 1: Map Your ERP Resources
Resource mapping is the foundation. It tells MES which ERP resource labor should be recorded against, and which resources' jobs should appear on each machine.
Why This Matters
Without resource mapping, MES doesn't know which jobs belong on which machines, and it can't tell your ERP who did the work. These mappings are required before MES can be enabled on any machine — but you can complete them all now without affecting current operations. This is the most important staging step.
How to Set "Record labor as"
"Record labor as" is the single ERP resource that all labor on this machine is attributed to. It can be an individual resource (e.g., "Machine 5") or a resource group (e.g., "Milling Stations").
- On the MES Settings page, find the machine
- In the Record labor as column, click to open the dropdown
- Select an individual resource or a resource group
- Save
Key point: Only one resource per machine. All labor tickets from this machine will be recorded against this resource in your ERP.
How to Set "Schedule jobs as"
"Schedule jobs as" controls which jobs appear in the Dispatch Schedule for this machine. It can be an individual resource or multiple resources. For example, a milling machine might be scheduled under both "Milling Stations" and "CNC Machines".
- On the MES Settings page, find the machine
- In the Schedule jobs as column, click to open the field
- Add one or more ERP resources (individual or groups)
- Save
Key point: You can select multiple resources here. Jobs scheduled for any of these resources will appear on this machine.
Many-to-One Mapping is Supported
Multiple machines can map labor to the same ERP resource. For example, if you have 10 manual stations and one resource called "Manual Stations", all 10 machines can record labor under that resource.
Bulk Configuration
You don't need to enable MES on any machine yet — and that's by design. Complete all resource mappings across your fleet first. This configuration step has zero impact on your operators or current workflows.
Step 2: Configure Account-Level Settings
Account-level settings apply to all MES-enabled machines in your account. Configure these now — they only take effect on machines that have MES enabled, so setting them ahead of time has no impact on machines without MES enabled.
Clock Out Flow
What it does: Enables a structured Clock In / Clock Out user interface in ShopPulse, making it clear when operators start and stop work.
- Default: Off
- Access required: IT Admin or higher
Use this if: Your shop requires formal clock-in/clock-out for labor compliance or shift tracking.
Note: Clock Out Flow is a hard prerequisite for Shift Handover. If you plan to enable Shift Handover on any machine, Clock Out Flow must be enabled first. The Shift Handover toggle in MES Settings will be disabled until Clock Out Flow is on.
Skip Setup Parts
What it does: During Setup activity mode, parts are not tracked (you're setting up, not producing). This avoids cluttering setup labor with incidental part usage.
- Default: Off
- Access required: IT Admin or higher
Use this if: Your operators track parts during setup and you want to exclude those from the labor ticket.
Using this with First Article Inspection? The inspection prompt is driven by the parts reported when the setup ticket is submitted, so these two settings interact. Confirm the behavior with your SDM before enabling both on the same machine.
Allow Operators to Override Job Start & End Times
What it does: Operators can adjust the timestamp when a job started or ended (e.g., "I actually started at 2:05, not 2:00").
- Default: Off
- Access required: Manager, Executive, or IT Admin
Use this if: Your operators need flexibility to correct timing after the fact (useful for paper-based backups or shift handoffs).
Step 3: Configure Each Machine
Now that resources are mapped and account settings are configured, you'll set up each machine's intended behavior. These settings can all be configured before enabling MES — they take effect when you enable MES in Step 6.
For each machine, you'll configure:
- Manage jobs in — Where operators select and manage jobs
- Jobs selected by — How jobs are identified, and whether the machine carries one job or several
Manage jobs in
This setting controls where jobs are managed—in ShopPulse (by operators) or in your ERP.
- ShopPulse: Operators manage jobs in MachineMetrics. They see available jobs and can switch between them.
- ERP Driven: Jobs are managed entirely in your ERP. MachineMetrics becomes read-only for job assignment.
Default: ShopPulse (most shops choose this)
Note: On Uniform Connector accounts, machines without MES enabled use a MES/ERP ID field to map to an ERP resource, rather than the standard resource mapping system used by MES-enabled machines.
Jobs selected by (ShopPulse Only)
This setting controls how the active job is identified, and it also determines whether the machine runs one job at a time or several concurrently. It only appears if "Manage jobs in" is set to ShopPulse.
- Operator: The operator selects jobs from the Dispatch Schedule, and the machine runs one job at a time. This is the only configuration that supports First Article Inspection.
- Program: APM identifies the job from the running program, and the machine can carry multiple concurrent jobs — the right choice for palletized machines and any other multi-job workflow. Program may be unavailable if the machine is incompatible with program-based job selection (e.g., it does not produce program data) — this is a machine-level limitation reflected in the UX.
Default: Operator (safest for initial setup)
A Note on Setup and Production
Setup and Production are machine modes that the operator controls from ShopPulse: they enter Setup to prepare jobs, and enter Production to run them. A job newly identified by APM while the machine is in Production mode is production work.
The two directions are not symmetric, which is worth knowing when operators ask:
- Entering Production requires open setup labor to be submitted first — setup creates labor that has to land somewhere.
- Entering Setup is unrestricted. The running production ticket stops cleanly but stays open and unsubmitted, and its job parks as Paused. This is intentional: the person setting a machine up is often not the person who owns the production labor, and forcing them to submit someone else's ticket would misattribute it.
Step 4: Understanding the Configuration Paths
Your choices in Steps 1–3 create different configurations. Here's a quick reference for what each path does:
| MES Enabled? | Manage jobs in | Jobs selected by | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off | ShopPulse | Operator | MES not enabled. No labor tickets, no ERP submission. |
| Off | ShopPulse | Program | Program-driven tracking with APM. No labor tickets. Useful for visibility before committing to MES. |
| On | ShopPulse | Operator | Full MES, one job at a time. Operator picks jobs from Dispatch Schedule. Labor tickets submitted to ERP. Supports First Article Inspection. |
| On | ShopPulse | Program | Full MES with automatic job matching and multiple concurrent jobs. Most common. |
| On | ERP Driven | ERP | ERP-managed MES. Jobs and labor handled entirely in ERP, MachineMetrics is read-only. |
Choose the row that matches your plan, then configure accordingly.
Step 5: Understand Your Connector Type
Your ERP integration is either Uniform or Flexible. This affects how your configuration works. Ask your SDM which type you have—it determines what options are available to you. Both connector types support the same configure-then-enable approach — the difference is where certain settings live.
Uniform Connectors
Most current ERP integrations are Uniform. They support both ShopPulse and ERP-Driven modes at the account level.
How it works:
- There's an account-level Global Job Management Method setting in MES Settings (ShopPulse or ERP Driven) that sets the strategic direction for the account
- Each machine's MES toggle determines whether MES features (ERP-sourced jobs, labor tickets) are enabled on that machine
- Together, these two settings constrain the available "Manage Jobs In" and "Jobs Selected By" options for each machine
Configuration pattern: Set the Global Job Management Method to your intended direction (e.g., ERP Driven), then enable MES on individual machines as they're ready. Machines without MES enabled are unaffected by the global setting.
Flexible Connectors
Epicor Kinetic is a Flexible Connector. There's no account-level toggle.
How it works:
- Each machine's configuration is completely independent
- A single account can have some machines ERP-driven and others ShopPulse-managed simultaneously
- No global switch—full flexibility per machine
Configuration pattern: Configure and enable each machine independently. You have full control over each machine's job tracking method with no account-level constraints.
Step 6: Enable MES on Each Machine
You've configured your setup — resources are mapped, account settings are configured, and each machine's behavior is set. Now it's time to enable MES on your machines. This is the step where the switch actually happens.
Before You Enable
- Confirm your staging is complete — both resource mappings are set (Record labor as + Schedule jobs as) and the machine's job tracking preferences are configured. MES cannot be enabled without the resource mappings.
- Coordinate with operators. Enabling MES will stop any active jobs and sign out active operators on that machine. Plan around shift changes or maintenance windows.
How to Enable MES
Option A: From MES Settings Page
- On the MES Settings page, find the machine
- Click the MES toggle to turn it On
- A confirmation dialog appears with a warning:
- "Enabling MES will sign out any active operators on this machine and stop any running jobs"
- This is expected behavior
- Click Confirm
- MES is now enabled on the machine
Option B: From Machine Edit Page
- Navigate to Machines in the main menu
- Select the machine
- Click the settings icon → Production & Operations tab
- Scroll to the MES toggle and turn it On
- Confirm the warning
What Happens After You Enable MES
- The machine now sources jobs from your ERP Dispatch Schedule
- Operators manage jobs and labor tickets in ShopPulse. On machines using program-based job selection they also get the multi-job queue tab, and APM starts identifying jobs in Production mode
- Labor tracking is now required—all work must be assigned to a labor ticket before submission
- The machine is ready for operators to use
Disabling MES
The MES toggle is reversible — you can disable MES on a machine if needed:
- Submit all in-flight labor tickets first. Any unsubmitted tickets will be orphaned if you disable MES without completing them.
- Toggle MES to Off
- A confirmation dialog appears with the same warning (active sessions will stop)
- Confirm
The machine returns to the non-MES workflow. Other MES-enabled machines are unaffected.
Part 6: Configuring Auto Production Monitoring (APM)
APM is the engine that automatically identifies which job is running based on program data. If you've set "Jobs selected by" to Program on any machine, configure APM settings.
Machine-Level APM Settings
These settings apply to a single machine. Access them here:
- Machines in main menu
- Select the machine
- Settings icon → Production & Operations tab
- Scroll to the APM Configuration section (visible only if "Jobs selected by" is set to Program or if MES is disabled but Program matching is enabled)
Data Items
APM uses program data items (names, parameters) to match programs to jobs. By default, the system intelligently selects the best data items for your machine.
When to override:
- You notice APM matching on programs it shouldn't (e.g., matching a warmup program to a production job)
- You want to limit matching to specific data items for safety or precision
- Some data items are expired or no longer valid (usually after a machine remap)
How to adjust:
- Scroll to Data Items
- You'll see a list of available items with checkboxes
- Uncheck items you don't want to use, or select specific ones
- Save
Pro tip: Leave this at defaults initially. If accuracy is good, don't change it.
Ignored Programs
Programs you want to exclude from APM matching. No production run is created for ignored programs—they're treated as background activity.
Examples:
- Warmup programs (e.g., "9900", "PROBE", "TEST")
- Maintenance programs
- Demo or test programs
How to add:
- Scroll to Ignored Programs
- Enter a program name or regex pattern
- Click Add
- Repeat for each program to ignore
Ignore 9XXX Programs
A quick toggle to auto-exclude all 9000-series programs (commonly used for warmup, probing, or utilities).
Recommendation: Enable if your shop uses 9000-series as utilities or non-production activity.
Create run when operation changes
This setting only appears when MES is off. It controls whether a new production run is created each time the running operation changes.
When MES is on, labor tickets manage the run lifecycle—this setting is not used.
What APM Matches Against
APM matches at the part operation level, not the work order level. Because multiple open work order operations can share one part operation, a single program can legitimately serve one job and then the next in sequence.
This is worth understanding because it explains two things operators will ask about:
- Why a perfect part-number match can still come back as Suggested. If several open work orders share the part operation, APM can narrow the field but not decide, so it asks the operator to verify at submission time.
- Why completing a job doesn't stop the machine's program from finding work. When one job for a part operation completes and another is still open, the same running program moves to the next one.
If no open job remains for the running program's part operation, the run becomes an Unknown Job — tracked with its own labor ticket so the time and parts are preserved until an operator identifies it.
Part 7: The Machine Edit Page
Everything you configure on the MES Settings page can also be configured individually on each machine's edit page. Use this for fine-tuning after bulk configuration.
How to Access Machine Settings
- Navigate to Machines in main menu
- Click on the machine name
- Click the settings icon (gear)
- Select Production & Operations tab
What You'll Find
The same settings as the MES Settings page:
- MES toggle
- Manage jobs in (ShopPulse or ERP Driven)
- Jobs selected by (Operator, Program, or N/A)
- Record labor as (ERP resource)
- Schedule jobs as (ERP resources)
Plus APM-specific settings:
- Data Items
- Ignored Programs
- Ignore 9XXX Programs
- Create run when operation changes (MES off only)
And, when MES is enabled and "Manage jobs in" is set to ShopPulse, an Optional Features section:
- Enable first article inspection — Adds a quality inspection step when a job leaves setup. Requires "Jobs selected by" = Operator. See First Article Inspection.
- Enable shift handover — Adds a structured end-of-shift handoff workflow with analytics summary, note-taking, and AI-generated handover notes for the incoming operator. Requires account-level Clock Out Flow. See Shift Handover.
These toggles are also available as columns on the MES Settings Machines tab for bulk management across all machines.
When to Use This Page
- Fine-tune one machine without affecting others
- Adjust APM settings for a specific machine after monitoring accuracy
- Enable or disable MES on a single machine
- Check a machine's exact configuration
Part 8: Understanding the Operator Experience (Admin Context)
As an admin, you don't need to know every step of the operator workflow, but understanding what operators see helps you configure correctly and troubleshoot issues.
Setup and Production Modes
Operators move the machine between two modes. In Setup mode they select the jobs they're preparing and APM matching is paused; in Production mode APM identifies jobs from the running program.
Submitting a setup ticket as Complete behaves differently by configuration. On a single-job machine (Jobs selected by = Operator) that submission is the transition: the machine moves into production and a new production ticket opens on the same job. On a multi-job machine (Jobs selected by = Program) the job is queued as Ready for Production and production begins only when the operator enters Production mode.
Submitting setup as Incomplete behaves the same either way: the job parks as Paused, stays on the machine, and mints no successor ticket; the operator resumes it later.
Job States
| State | Meaning | Operator Action |
|---|---|---|
| In Setup | The operator is setting this job up. | Do the setup, submit the setup ticket. |
| Ready for Production | Setup submitted; job queued. Multi-job machines only. | None — starts on entering Production mode. |
| Matched | APM identified the job with high confidence. | None. Work it and submit. |
| Suggested | APM found a likely job but confidence is lower. | Verify at submission time, via the Confirm match dialog. |
| No Match Found | APM couldn't identify the program. Tracked as an Unknown Job. | Identify the job, or discard the run if it wasn't production work. |
| Confirmed | Someone attested to the job. | Finish and submit. |
| Paused | Interrupted — machine entered Setup, or setup was submitted Incomplete. | Resume, or let production resume it. |
| Blocked | The ERP closed the job while open labor tickets remained. | Delete those tickets, or move them to another job. |
There Is No Operator "Confirm" Action
This is the single biggest change from older MES workflows, and it's worth being clear about with your operators.
Confirmation is a state, not a button. A job becomes Confirmed as a side effect of the operator doing something that asserts it's the right job — submitting labor against it, or picking it as the destination of a reassignment, a split, or an Unknown Job resolution.
The only explicit prompt is on a Suggested match: when the operator starts a submission, a Confirm match dialog shows the job and the running program so they can verify or choose differently. Matched jobs submit with no dialog.
Ticket Lifecycle
- Ticket opens when a program is matched, or when the operator starts a job. On an operator-selected machine it opens in your ERP at the same time; on a program-selected machine it stays in MachineMetrics until submission
- Operator works — burden hours accumulate, parts are recorded
- Operator corrects anything that's wrong — job, activity, splits, merges. No ERP administrator needed
- Operator submits as Complete or Incomplete — the ticket is closed out in your ERP and becomes read-only in MachineMetrics
Note that a single job can hold several unsubmitted tickets at once, after a split or a program restart. Don't assume one ticket per job.
What Operators Can and Cannot Fix Themselves
| Situation | Who fixes it |
|---|---|
| Wrong job on an unsubmitted ticket | The operator — reassign before submitting |
| Time or parts spanning two jobs | The operator — split the run or ticket |
| A run fragmented across several tickets | The operator — merge the tickets |
| Wrong activity on an unsubmitted ticket | The operator |
| An unidentified program's labor | The operator — identify the job at any point afterward |
| Anything on a submitted ticket | An ERP administrator, in the ERP |
The practical upshot: escalation to an ERP administrator should be rare, and only for already-submitted work.
Bulk Submission Is Not Atomic
When an operator submits several jobs at once, they get one submission form per job and each one commits when submitted. If they stop partway, everything already submitted stays submitted. There is no batch rollback. Worth knowing when an operator reports a partially-submitted queue.
Part 9: Tips & Best Practices
Learn from accounts that have successfully deployed MES.
Configure First, Then Enable Gradually
The most successful rollouts follow a configure-then-enable approach:
- Configure all machines first — Map all resources, configure job tracking preferences, and set account-level settings across your entire fleet. None of this changes what operators see.
- Enable a small pilot group — Pick 2–3 representative machines (different types/operators if possible) and enable MES on them.
- Monitor for 1–2 weeks — Watch for APM accuracy, operator confusion, or data issues on your pilot machines.
- Adjust and expand — Tune APM settings (Ignored Programs, Data Items) based on what you see, then enable additional machines.
Why: Configuring everything first means you're only making one change per machine (flipping the MES toggle), which makes troubleshooting straightforward. And because each machine goes live on MES independently, issues on one machine don't affect the rest of your fleet.
Train on the Submission Boundary, Not on Matching
Older MES workflows required careful upfront matching because confirming wrote to the ERP. That's no longer true. The habit worth building with operators is reviewing the submission form, since submitting is the only irreversible step. Everything before it is free to correct.
Time Enablement Around Shift Changes
Enabling or disabling MES stops active jobs and signs out operators. Enable MES during:
- End of shift (before operators leave)
- Early morning before first job
- Lunch break
- Planned maintenance window
Avoid enabling mid-production.
Leave Data Items at Defaults
The system intelligently selects data items for APM matching. Only override if:
- You notice incorrect matches after monitoring for a week
- Data items are expired (machine was remapped)
- You want to restrict matching to specific safe items for safety reasons
Use Ignored Programs to Filter Noise
If you see warmup, probe, or test programs triggering APM matches, add them to Ignored Programs:
- Exact match (e.g., "PROBE", "WARMUP")
- Regex pattern (e.g., "^WARMUP.*" to match anything starting with WARMUP)
This keeps your labor data clean.
Leverage "Ignore 9XXX Programs"
If your shop uses 9000-series programs for utilities (warmup, probe, test), enable this toggle. One click, cleaner data.
Expect Unknown Jobs, and Make Sure They Get Resolved
An unmatched program doesn't lose data — it produces an Unknown Job with its own labor ticket, which persists until an operator identifies it. That's a safety net, not a problem. But those tickets can't reach your ERP until someone identifies the job, so build a habit of clearing them within the shift. A rising count of unresolved Unknown Jobs on one machine usually means its APM configuration needs attention.
Choose "Jobs selected by" Around How the Machine Actually Runs
A machine that carries several jobs at once needs Program. A machine that runs one job at a time can use Operator — and only Operator supports First Article Inspection, so if FAI matters for a machine, that decision is made for you.
Part 10: FAQs & Troubleshooting
Why don't I see the MES Settings page?
The MES Package hasn't been activated on your account. An IT Admin (or higher) can activate it from Settings → Company: "Enable MES." If you don't see that setting, your account may not have the MES Package entitlement — contact your SDM.
Why can't I enable MES on a machine?
Both resource mappings must be set first. Check:
- Record labor as: Is an ERP resource selected?
- Schedule jobs as: Is at least one ERP resource selected?
If both are set and you still can't enable MES, refresh the page or contact support.
Why is "Jobs selected by" grayed out or not visible?
"Jobs selected by" only appears when "Manage jobs in" is set to ShopPulse. If you've set "Manage jobs in" to ERP Driven, this option is locked and hidden (ERP Driven has no operator job selection). Additionally, if the machine is incompatible with program-based job selection (e.g., it does not produce program data), the Program option may be unavailable — this is a machine-level limitation reflected in the UX, not an account-level setting.
Why can't I enable First Article Inspection on a machine?
FAI requires MES enabled, "Manage jobs in" = ShopPulse, and "Jobs selected by" = Operator. It is not supported on program-selected machines that run multiple concurrent jobs.
What happens when I enable MES on a machine?
Enabling MES on a machine:
- Signs out any operators actively using that machine
- Stops any running jobs
- Begins sourcing jobs from your ERP Dispatch Schedule
- Makes labor tracking required for all work
This is a per-machine action — other machines are unaffected. This is why you should enable MES during shift breaks or end of shift.
What happens when I disable MES?
Disabling MES reverts the machine to the non-MES workflow: active jobs stop, operators are signed out. Before disabling, make sure all in-flight labor tickets are submitted. Disabling MES without submitting tickets orphans them—they won't reach your ERP. Other MES-enabled machines are unaffected.
Why are some Data Items grayed out or marked as expired?
Data items become invalid when:
- A machine is remapped to a different model
- The machine's program library has changed significantly
- The data item's source program is no longer in use
Remove expired items and select valid ones, or leave "Data Items" at default and let the system relearn.
An operator says they assigned the wrong job. Do they need me to fix it in the ERP?
Only if the ticket has already been submitted. Unsubmitted tickets — including confirmed ones — can be reassigned by the operator directly, without an ERP administrator. Submitted tickets are closed in your ERP, read-only in MachineMetrics, and have to be corrected in the ERP.
Are some settings locked? Why?
If you have a Uniform Connector, the account-level Global Job Management Method and each machine's MES toggle together determine what configuration options are available. Some settings may be constrained based on these selections. Contact your SDM for details.
What if a machine is showing all jobs, not filtered by resource?
Check the Schedule jobs as setting for that machine. If it's empty or set to resources that don't match your ERP, no jobs will filter correctly. Set it to the correct ERP resource(s).
Can I have multiple machines record labor under the same ERP resource?
Yes. Many accounts do this. All labor from multiple MachineMetrics machines can roll up to a single "resource group" in your ERP (e.g., "Milling Stations").
What if APM keeps matching the wrong jobs?
Monitor the job states for a week or two. Then:
- Check if certain programs are consistently mis-matched
- Add those programs to Ignored Programs if they're not actually production (warmup, test, etc.)
- Review Data Items—if certain items are driving bad matches, uncheck them
- If a machine was recently remapped, remove expired data items and let the system relearn
If problems persist, contact your SDM—they can help tune APM for your specific shop conditions.
Can I use MES without an ERP integration?
Yes. On accounts without a live ERP integration, work orders are imported via CSV/file rather than sourced directly from an ERP. Labor tickets open and close in MachineMetrics only — there is no write-back to an external system. There is also no automatic end-of-shift sign-out while MES is active; operators submit their labor tickets to sign out. Contact your SDM to confirm this path is configured for your account.
Related Articles
- MES Settings
- Configuring a Machine's Production Settings
- Auto Production Monitoring (APM)
- How to Use ShopPulse on MES-Enabled Machines
- Getting Started with MES in ShopPulse: Operator Guide
- First Article Inspection
- Shift Handover
Need Help?
If you run into issues or have questions not covered here:
- Contact your Solutions Delivery Manager — They know your account and can help with configuration questions, connector details, or troubleshooting
- Email support@machinemetrics.com — Our support team is here for technical issues or product questions
We're here to help you get the most out of MES.