Proficy Smart Factory MES

I use GE Proficy Smart Factory MES in complex industrial architectures to perform production order sequencing, genealogy, traceability of materials and batches, and primarily the calculation of operational efficiency. My focus is to consume data coming from shop-floor controllers to understand exactly where performance losses are and which raw materials make up the final product.

I use GE Proficy Smart Factory MES to collect data from GE iFIX SCADA and Proficy Historian. The MES consumes this data from the historian and the supervisory system, transforming the raw process variables into calculations.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is currently deployed on-premises. My architecture connects the shop floor directly to the execution layer. Field equipment and PLCs communicate through industrial protocols such as Modbus, DNP3, and IEC 61850 directly with GE iFIX SCADA and Proficy Historian. Proficy MES continuously consumes this database from the historian and supervisory system, transforming raw process variables, such as piece counts and motor status, into structured calculations for quality, traceability, and OEE.

The best feature of GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for me is the ability to integrate with my plant's current SCADA, which is GE iFIX.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES helps to completely eliminate manual entries on paper clipboards. Previously, I depended on the operator's memory or notes at the end of the shift to know the reason for a stoppage. Today, the system captures micro-stoppages and failures directly from the machines, allowing management to make decisions based on real and accurate data in real time.

The most positive impact of GE Proficy Smart Factory MES was the immediate gain in accuracy in measuring OEE. By integrating the systems, I discovered that my real efficiency was different from what was reported manually. In practical results, I was able to reduce unaccounted downtime by about 12% in the first few months. Additionally, setup times decreased drastically because the maintenance engineering team began to have more reliable data to address the true root causes of failures.

Based on the data and traceability from GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, tickets and work orders are opened for the maintenance team to act on. Integration is easier, and the history is easier to access.

What needs improvement in GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is the development of interaction screens for the operator, which needs to be modernized. The traditional interface consumes a lot of graphic and server resources, and building new screens takes time. A more robust and simple transition to pure HTML5 dashboards would greatly facilitate the work of those at the front line operating.

I have been using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for a little over one year.

I consider GE Proficy Smart Factory MES to be stable in my operation. I assess stability as a solid four out of five. Once the plant model is configured and the SQL database is properly sized, the system runs continuously and smoothly. Instabilities occur only if there are network bottlenecks or lack of maintenance on the databases.

I think GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is complicated for replication, but I consider that it can be scalable if properly sized.

I have never needed to contact support for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, but they are always helpful with all GE products.

Before GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, everything was on a clipboard and completed manually.

The implementation process for integration with SCADA is quite complicated. Developing operator client screens for Proficy MES is quite rigid. The classic interface is somewhat outdated and, although there is an effort to migrate to the web, developing customized screens for operators on the shop floor is still laborious. The system also consumes many server resources and requires very strict SQL database management to avoid losing performance over time.

The return on investment for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES was perceived through the direct increase in machine availability. By being able to identify hidden stoppages that were previously not recorded by operators, I was able to justify predictive maintenance that avoided larger breakdowns. The reduction in downtime quickly covered the tool's implementation costs.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES delivers on what it promises at the manufacturing execution layer with extreme reliability. I give this product a rating of eight out of ten because of the robustness of the industrial processing. However, it loses two points due to the technical learning curve for high customizations and for being a heavier system in terms of IT infrastructure than more recent cloud-based architecture solutions.

I recommend GE Proficy Smart Factory MES to people who already have the GE ecosystem or who have high-criticality manufacturing processes that require uninterrupted traceability. I only advise ensuring that the IT and database teams participate actively in the project from day one, because the health of GE Proficy Smart Factory MES will depend on the server infrastructure.

My main use case for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is that we implemented this in one of the factories two to three years ago as smart manufacturing to calculate the OEE and other KPIs.

We have many use cases for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES because we use it for day-to-day activity. It is not only limited to OEE, as we also manage quality, performance, operations, and end-to-end traceability. Everything is included in this particular MES.

The best features GE Proficy Smart Factory MES offers include its Plant Application, with three main features that calculate performance, availability, and quality. What stands out the most to me is the quality part, which is very important for any manufacturing plant.

The quality feature of GE Proficy Smart Factory MES stands out to me because quality is crucial. For instance, it helps us determine how many parts we have produced correctly the first time without needing rework, which is vital to gauge the efficiency of our plant.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES has positively impacted my organization in many ways. For example, what we used to accomplish in a day as production has increased quite a bit, and our performance and quality of products have also improved, leading to a noticeable increase in OEE, though I prefer not to reveal the exact percentage of improvement.

The improvements in OEE and quality from GE Proficy Smart Factory MES have changed our daily operations and decision-making. Previously we faced many downtimes without a strategy to rectify them quickly, but now we can foresee potential downtimes and act quickly with our maintenance team, resulting in less machine downtime and increased availability, which allows us to produce more.

In terms of how GE Proficy Smart Factory MES can be improved, I believe one key area is the connectivity on the shop floor. We need local connectors that can connect directly to the machines such as CNCs to facilitate direct data acquisition.

I have been using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for the last five years.

I rate GE Proficy Smart Factory MES a seven out of ten.

I choose a seven out of ten for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES because it has many capabilities, but there is room for improvement, which is why I leave three points available for enhancements.

Regarding GE Proficy Smart Factory MES's AI capabilities, I think its governance and security are very strong, as it provides a very secure solution with two to three layers of security, so we do not need to worry. It has good cloud and on-premises features.

I consider the accuracy and reliability of output from GE Proficy Smart Factory MES to be 90 percent.

My advice to others looking into using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is that if you are considering discrete manufacturing, you should definitely go with GE Proficy, as it is well-suited for that purpose.

I have additional thoughts about GE Proficy Smart Factory MES. It is a good solution for discrete manufacturing, and it is a well-established product, so anyone thinking of implementing an MES should definitely consider this option. My overall review rating for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is seven out of ten.

I typically work with many types of PLC, but I focus more on GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, so I can connect to GFanuc PLC and then upgrade to RX3i from LM90.

I usually take the alarm trigger from the sensor and then gather data from the sensor regarding pressure values and temperature values. I create trends using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES so I can identify the root cause of my issues. This has been very helpful for me.

The features I appreciate most in GE Proficy Smart Factory MES are the ability to create trends when I troubleshoot during my daily work.

I can also edit the program in GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, and before I download it to the PLC, I can test it first to ensure my program is working correctly.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES has been very useful in my daily work because it is user-friendly. I can also go online and change the IP address easily, which is simpler compared to other solutions.

Troubleshooting with GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is easier than other options.

I think you could add more password protection inside GE Proficy Smart Factory MES. I mean, if someone who is not from your organization or a service engineer attempts to upload it, it cannot be uploaded unless the user who is authorized uploads it.

There are still a few bugs, and anyone can upload easily without a password.

I have used GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for five years.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is very stable based on my experience.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES can grow with my needs.

I have not used the support team from GE Proficy Smart Factory MES.

Since I joined my company, we have already used several PLC options, and some of them include GE Proficy Smart Factory MES.

I do not have information about the return on investment, but I am just a user and receive the program and license from the IT department.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is deployed in public cloud in my organization.

I received the license for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES from my company. Every year, my company releases notes to renew my license.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is what we use for simple programming, and I can access it very easily.

I would recommend GE Proficy Smart Factory MES to others if they want simple software with a simple application that is easy to understand.

As long as the program is password-protected and cannot be uploaded by everyone, I think GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is secure.

Everything appears to be already perfect in GE Proficy Smart Factory MES.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is better for my organization.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is very accurate for output.

The hardware of GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is very strong, and the software is very easy and useful for me. I would give this product a rating of nine out of ten.

My main use case for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is for recipes and batch executions.

When using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for recipes and batch executions, it depends on the customer process, but in reality, they get the orders, they get the scheduling, and then it goes into the manufacturing system where we can push it around depending on what needs to be done first or if it's a small order or big order.

Additionally, I do quality checks with GE Proficy Smart Factory MES. They go back and take labs and then enter them in for each batch.

The best features GE Proficy Smart Factory MES offers include the integration to Microsoft, enterprisewide development, and the IoT where I can get that information relatively easily without having to put expensive instruments out there.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES has positively impacted my organization by helping clients a lot. I am a system integrator.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES helps solve pains such as reporting for mandated government agencies that require their reporting, and traceability with batching and with the quality on the side doing that. It has made the paper trail more electronic and more accessible.

With GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, it has affected daily operations by making it a lot easier for them. It takes a little bit of load off of their paperwork, but it also allows the customer to really see what is going on and see where they can make some improvements.

As for how GE Proficy Smart Factory MES can be improved, I cannot speak to that at the moment with how I have implemented it on the field.

What I wish was easier or better with GE Proficy Smart Factory MES are some custom extensions in regards to third-party code that integrates into it, making it more of a faceplate and something easier to populate with a single tag number.

I have been using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for a while now, and it depends on the customer that I have been with.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is stable, depending on the right operating system being configured correctly.

In terms of scalability, GE Proficy Smart Factory MES scales especially well because when I build the templates, it is only in one or two little areas, and then I scale it out to different areas and everything scales pretty well.

The customer support for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is good.

I would rate the customer support for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES an eight on a scale of one to ten.

Whether I previously used a different solution depends on the client, but the last two clients I had that were big projects already had iFIX.

Before choosing GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, my clients did not evaluate other options or use a previous product.

I have not seen a return on investment with GE Proficy Smart Factory MES because I do not have the numbers since I am an integrator.

As for my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, I did not have to charge for that, so I was the integrator.

Regarding GE Proficy Smart Factory MES's AI capabilities, I think its governance and security is good, but that just depends on how you implement it onto the OT network. The tools are there, and I hope everybody uses them to keep it secure.

Regarding the accuracy and reliability of GE Proficy Smart Factory MES's AI capabilities, right now, my customers have not implemented the AI part, but I have delved into it myself, and I think it is going to turn out pretty well.

My advice for others looking into using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is to just know your entire scope of what you want to do to allow you to budget for your capital project. I would rate this product a nine on a scale of one to ten.

My main use case for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is to analyze, monitor, track, and maintain downtime and power consumption. I use GE Proficy Smart Factory MES on a regular basis as a Plant Application administrator and Plant Client administrator for my day-to-day health checkup of production level reports, including how tags flow from one end to another.

For downtime monitoring, when production level is down, I have to monitor the exact start time and end time to understand if the power consumption indicates that production was slow or stopped. We receive a report documenting what exactly might be happening at that time. For power consumption, when batches start running, the tag frequency increases, prompting me to check the trigger tag from the PlantApp model, along with the configured model to see how it works. We also check production and downtime events from the PlantApp model.

Regarding my main use case, I face challenges when the Plant Apps models don't match the tag values with OPC Quick Client, which requires me to check and trigger with Historian Proficy, enabling or disabling and checking the data flow to ensure labels are printing correctly from GE Proficy Smart Factory MES. Specifically, in a Plant Application where I check from the stretch wrapper or the unit's placement in the configured models to obtain the source address and verify in the OPC Quick Client.

The best features GE Proficy Smart Factory MES offers include being time-efficient and providing clean software that allows me to utilize my time conveniently and in a hierarchical manner, seeing very clearly how everything is configured with ease of configuration. GE Proficy Smart Factory MES provides the capability to analyze operations related to pulp machines, tissue paper machines, converting lines, and paper machine lines, allowing us to analyze trends effectively and accurately calculate start times, end times, and events.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES positively impacts my organization by providing a tool for real-time production that utilizes our time in various ways, enabling us to gather all data on one page. This prompts organizational interest in future projects because we learn from shop floor to end reporting and analysis of data.

In terms of specific metrics, I can mention cost reduction since getting all data on one page allows us to need fewer resources, contributing to the company's fast growth and improving efficiency and monitoring.

I would like to see improvements in GE Proficy Smart Factory MES, specifically automation done on back-end SQL for helpful buffer file reduction and cache account management.

Regarding needed improvements, when creating cases for incidents, I want to ensure we receive quick monitoring and responses because it affects our service level agreements.

I have been using GE Proficy Smart Factory MES for three years.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES is stable.

GE Proficy Smart Factory MES handles growth and expansion well.

Customer support for GE Proficy Smart Factory MES gives quick results sometimes, but there are delays at times, so I would appreciate quicker responses from their end.

I previously worked with OSI PI and Plant Information, and transitioned to GE Proficy Smart Factory MES because I wanted to explore more within MES.

I did not evaluate other options before choosing GE Proficy Smart Factory MES. I was using OSI PI and found GE Proficy Smart Factory MES to be a much better tool for understanding event frames, user access, roles in the plant, and how the line and unit work.

I see a return on investment, particularly in time-saving, which is crucial.

The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is managed solely by the company.