ERP: running the business.
Enterprise resource planning software manages the business side of manufacturing: customer orders, purchasing, inventory at the business level, planning, costing and finance. It answers questions such as what should we make, what do we need to buy, and what did it cost. ERP systems are typically the system of record for orders and accounting.
MES: running the work on the floor.
A manufacturing execution system focuses on what happens on the shop floor while work is underway: which jobs are running, which instructions apply, what has been produced, what was scrapped, and what happened at each step. It answers questions such as what is running right now, which lot went into this product, and why did this line stop.
QMS: managing the quality system.
A quality management system is the set of processes a company uses to manage quality. QMS software supports that system, often covering controlled documents, training and competence records, audits, nonconformances, corrective actions and supplier quality. It answers questions such as is this the approved procedure, who has been trained on it, and what did we do about that defect.
Some organizations use the term QMS for the entire system of procedures and records, not only the software. That is a fair use of the word, and it is why a QMS can exist on paper without any software at all.
How they overlap.
The boundaries blur in practice. An ERP may carry basic quality or production modules. An MES often includes quality data collection and work instructions. A QMS tool may track training or nonconformances that an MES also touches. Vendors place the lines differently, so judge a product by the specific workflows it supports rather than its category label.
| Question you are trying to answer | Typical home |
|---|---|
| What do we need to buy and what did it cost? | ERP |
| Which job is running, and what was produced? | MES |
| Which lot went into this product? | MES (with ERP master data) |
| Is this the current approved procedure? | QMS (document control), often delivered at the point of use through an MES |
| Has this person been trained on the change? | QMS (training records), sometimes inside an MES |
| What did we do about this nonconformance? | QMS, with quality data from the MES |
Deciding where to start.
Start with the problem that hurts most and the records someone will ask for first. If you cannot find the current instruction or prove training, you have a document and training problem, and a controlled document and training workflow addresses it directly. If you cannot see what is happening on the line, you have an execution-data problem. If you cannot plan materials or cost orders, you have an ERP problem. Many plants have all three, and that is exactly why a sequence matters more than a single purchase.
Where STRATUM MES fits today.
STRATUM MES is a modular system for small and mid-size manufacturers. The modules presented today, Document Control and Training, sit in the QMS area of the picture above. ERP, MRP and Production capabilities remain under development, and paid subscriptions are not open yet. If you need an ERP or production execution tool this quarter, STRATUM is not yet the answer; if your most urgent need is controlled documents and training records, it is built for that first step.
What’s live and what’s comingDocument control and training for ISO 9001 shops