GE Digital has announced the general availability of Plant Applications 8.0, industry’s first multi-modal Manufacturing Execution System (MES). Plant Applications 8.0 helps manufacturers leverage real-time production data to optimize operations and is the first enterprise scale MES that supports discrete, process and multi-modal manufacturing. Plant Applications 8.0 is built for easy adoption, is simple to configure, and can be scaled to cover multiple sites globally, helping manufacturers to maximize overall equipment effectiveness, improve production scheduling and drive improvements in product quality.
“The ability to measure the value of aligning manufacturing KPIs – such as OEE – greatly enhances the justification for software investments,” said Craig Resnick, Vice President, ARC Advisory Group. “By giving manufacturers a comprehensive view of closed-loop processes across scheduling, execution and performance management, GE Digital’s Plant Applications 8.0 enables real-time KPIs such as OEE to be measured, providing the clear evidence of software ROI in a very short period of time.”
“Our goal with this unique software is to provide manufacturers with a flexible solution that delivers value no matter what form operations take,” said Joe Gerstl, Director of Product Management for GE Digital’s manufacturing offerings. “Plant Applications 8.0 is built to be easier to use, faster to adapt, and scalable across multiple manufacturing sites and types.”
Plant Applications 8.0 is designed for easy adoption across the enterprise thanks to its seamless interconnectors to manufacturers’ existing ERP systems and other software. The software is built for usability, making sure that everyone, from the plant floor to the C-suite, has the proper insights to make the best decisions at the right time.
Plant Applications 8.0 is also flexible. By making new containerized solutions and User Interface (UI) source code available to customers and integrators, manufacturers can adapt to changes in demand faster than ever before by adapting the software in-house, increasing speed to value and reducing production downtime.
Manufacturers with multiple plants and factories at enterprise scale will find additional value. Plant Applications 8.0 also provides foundational capabilities for GE Digital’s Predix Manufacturing Data Cloud (MDC). With Predix MDC, manufacturers can consolidate and transform manufacturing data in the cloud for secure, multi-site enterprise analytics. Leveraging the same MES across process, discrete and multi-modal manufacturing sites can uncover additional productivity and quality benefits across the enterprise and help manufacturers realize the most from their software investment.