Mestec

Mestec, a UK-based company headquartered in Berkshire, provides a cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System (MES) designed to enhance factory performance. The company was started by Jeremy Harford, a former professional water skier who later moved into the IT sector and founded Zygology Systems, a distributor for barcoding products, before establishing Mestec. His journey began with the acquisition of Acquisition Solutions, which counted the major aerospace and defence contractor Thales Group as a customer. This move was predicated on the insight that manufacturing data management would inevitably become digitized. Recently, Mestec was acquired by Eyelit, a US-based company, which has facilitated expansion into North America and led to significant growth in sales and personnel.

The firm operates on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, generating revenue through all-inclusive subscription fees. This model covers software licenses, maintenance, support, hosting, and implementation services, eliminating the need for clients to make large upfront capital investments. Mestec serves a diverse range of manufacturing sectors, including aerospace and defence, automotive, electronics, food and beverage, and medical devices. Its client roster includes prominent names like Siemens, Thales, and Sheffield Forgemasters. The system is particularly beneficial for environments with complex production processes and stringent compliance requirements.

Mestec's core offering is a fully-managed digital process management system that aims to replace paper-based operations and manual data collection. It provides real-time visibility into factory floor operations, helping to optimize labor productivity, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), quality, and compliance. The platform integrates with a client's existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to streamline the entire manufacturing lifecycle, from process definition and planning to execution and performance analysis. Key features include advanced planning and scheduling, asset performance management, quality control, real-time manufacturing KPIs, inventory management, and labor management. By connecting to both modern and legacy equipment using Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, the system captures data from both automated and manual processes to provide actionable insights.

Keywords: Manufacturing Execution System, MES, SaaS, factory performance, labor productivity, overall equipment effectiveness, OEE, quality and compliance, advanced planning and scheduling, APS, aerospace manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, electronics manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, Industry 4.0, smart factory, real-time data capture, ERP integration, IIoT, paperless manufacturing, production optimization