4. Conclusion

The first MESA projects (and hence the term MES) date back to the early 1990s. Knowledge of this field, which was very hazy in the early years, has progressed considerably. The question is no longer whether MES is worthwhile, but how best to implement it.

As in many areas of information technology, "software package" development is an almost inescapable phenomenon (no one would consider "customized" development of their accounting today, even if this was the rule in the early days of information technology). ISA-95 has made a considerable contribution to laying the foundations for the development of integrated MES software packages that can guarantee manufacturers sufficiently broad functional coverage and a potential response to their future needs.

On a more technological level, Web solutions and distributed service architectures make it...