Latest Product Lineup: MES Updates from July 2025
Rockwell Automation's Plex Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is making waves in the food and beverage industry with its augmentable capabilities that offer comprehensive management of shop floor processes.
The Plex MES extends its core capabilities with additional features such as production automation, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) tracking, quality compliance, productivity management, scheduling, receiving, warehouse/inventory management, and shipping. This system optimizes batch scheduling, supporting operations in series or parallel across multiple production lines with varying capacities, and automates preparation tasks aligned with batch sizes [1].
Plex MES is a cloud-native solution with multi-layered cybersecurity, designed to scale across multiple plants. It delivers real-time production monitoring via seamless connectivity to shop floor machines, enabling transparent operational KPIs and critical dashboards for traceability, control of ingredients, and ensuring compliance with food safety standards like HACCP [1][2].
The system supports batch management with detailed visibility into ingredient quantities, lot tracking, and automated production labeling for effective traceability and quality control [1][2]. An augmenting capability, Plex MES Automation and Orchestration, connects the MES to the plant edge, enabling automation of workflows based on machine data, reducing manual errors, and increasing process control [3].
With its low-code, drag-and-drop toolset, manufacturers can tailor applications to their unique operational challenges and automate complex manual tasks, enhancing efficiency, cost savings, and rapid decision-making based on accurate, real-time data capture at the machine level [3].
These features and benefits empower food and beverage manufacturers to gain precise control over production, quality, and compliance. They can improve productivity and scalability, eliminate errors through automation, and maintain continuous traceability from raw ingredients to finished products, critical for meeting stringent industry standards and optimizing operations across multiple plants [1][2][3]. Furthermore, Plex MES can automatically schedule prep operations tied to specific batches and batch sizes.
In conclusion, Rockwell Automation's Plex MES is revolutionizing the food and beverage manufacturing industry, offering a comprehensive solution for managing shop floor processes, improving efficiency, and ensuring compliance with stringent industry standards.
References: [1] Rockwell Automation. (n.d.). Plex Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Retrieved from https://www.rockwellautomation.com/products/plex/plex-manufacturing-execution-system-mes [2] Rockwell Automation. (n.d.). Food and Beverage. Retrieved from https://www.rockwellautomation.com/industries/food-and-beverage [3] Rockwell Automation. (n.d.). Plex Automation and Orchestration. Retrieved from https://www.rockwellautomation.com/products/plex/plex-automation-and-orchestration
The Plex MES employs its advanced capabilities in finance by incorporating features like productivity management and scheduling, enabling food and beverage manufacturers to make strategic decisions based on real-time data and optimize their operational cost.
Moreover, the Plex MES integrates seamlessly with modern technology, such as automation and orchestration, which connects the MES to the plant edge, automating workflows and ensuring compliance with industry standards, thereby enhancing overall efficiency in the food and beverage industry.
