Set up a lightweight MES in just a few days thanks to no-code

The Need: Securing Materials in Production

In a chemical environment, a material error is not a simple non-conformity.

It is a quality risk, sometimes a safety risk, and always a high cost.

In this context, it is necessary to:

• Verify that the correct components are used according to the Bill of Materials (BOM)
• Prevent production from starting if the wrong product is scanned
• Accurately monitor theoretical vs. actual consumption
• Provide the operator with a simple, clear, and quick-to-use tool

Not an ERP.

Not an ultra-complex Industry 4.0 MES.

👉 A lightweight, field-oriented MES.

Implementation with Vision MES (no-code)

With VISION, Visionsoft’s no-code platform, the application is built in just a few iterations, directly with the business teams.

Thanks to no-code configured screens and prompts to accelerate certain settings, we can quickly implement the complete shop floor workflow.

1️⃣ Display of material consumption at the start of the shop floor

Before even starting, the operator sees:

• The work order
• The planned materials
• The theoretical quantities from the BOM

👉 They know exactly what they need to use, without having to look up a paper sheet or a PDF.

2️⃣ Mandatory Material Scanning Before Starting

Production cannot begin without verification.

The operator must scan each material (barcode/QR code) before starting.

The system automatically verifies:

• That the scanned material is indeed part of the bill of materials
• That it is the correct part number
• That the batch is valid, if necessary

⛔ Wrong product?

➡️ Immediate alert on screen

➡️ Startup blocked

We move from uncertain human verification to systematic digital security.

3️⃣ Automatic Verification Against the BOM

Behind the operator’s screen, VISION compares in real time:

Scanned Product vs. Expected Product in the Bill of Materials

If there is a discrepancy:

• Clear message for the operator
• Option to alert a supervisor
• Anomaly traceability

Result:

✔️ Fewer material errors

✔️ Less scrap

✔️ Greater compliance

4️⃣ Scan of Actual Consumption at the End of the Workshop

At the end of production, the operator records the actual consumption:

• Scan of containers used
• Automatic entry or retrieval of quantities
• Direct association with the manufacturing order

This results in:

📊 Theoretical vs. Actual

📦 Batch traceability

🧮 History of consumption deviations

All without subsequent administrative re-entry.

5️⃣ Tracking of completion times

Each workshop or production step includes:

• Start time
• End time
• Automatically calculated duration

This data allows us to:

• Measure actual times per operation
• Identify deviations from standard times
• Feed simple and concrete performance indicators

Once again: directly entered by the field, without any complexities.

Why No-Code Changed Everything

It doesn’t start with an 80-page specification document.

It starts with the need: “We want the operator to scan their materials and we want to block the process if it’s not the right one.”

In just a few clicks in VISION Studio and thanks to the Vision MES platform:

• Import products and bills of materials from the ERP
• Customize manufacturing order/operation fields
• Add documentation
• Customize operator screens
• Automatic control rules
• Traceability of scans and times

👉 The business teams saw the tool evolve before their eyes

👉 Adjustments were made live

👉 The MES adapted to the shop floor, not the other way around

A pragmatic MES, focused on the essentials

This type of lightweight MES already delivers significant value:

✅ Securing materials
✅ Reducing human error
✅ Traceability
✅ Consumption tracking
✅ Visibility on production times
✅ Easy adoption by operators

No lengthy project, no heavy custom development, and above all, no constant dependence on IT.

💡The real lesson

You don’t always need a “giant” MES. Let’s not even talk about price…

Sometimes, a few well-thought-out building blocks, quickly constructed with no-code, are enough to transform the reliability of a workshop.

And that’s often how a true Industry 4.0 approach begins:

small, concrete, useful… and used.