Implementing a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) can give manufacturers better visibility into production, inventory, quality, labor, machines, and overall shop floor performance.
But implementing the technology is only part of the equation.
If the people using the MES every day don’t understand it, trust it, or see how it makes their jobs easier, even a well-designed system can struggle to deliver its full value.
That’s why MES training shouldn’t be treated as a final step before go-live. Training and user adoption need to be considered throughout the implementation process.
For manufacturers, the cost of inadequate MES training isn’t limited to frustrated employees. Poor adoption can lead to inaccurate production data, workarounds, inconsistent processes, underused functionality, and ultimately a lower return on the investment you’ve made in your MES.
Why MES Training Is Different From Typical Software Training
MES isn’t software that employees occasionally open to complete an administrative task.
It’s part of how production gets executed.
Operators may use MES to report production, record labor, move inventory, complete quality checks, review work instructions, report downtime, or see what job they need to work on next.
Supervisors may rely on the same system to monitor WIP, understand production status, identify bottlenecks, and make decisions during a shift.
Management may use the information collected through MES to evaluate performance and understand what’s happening across the operation.
That means successful MES training can’t simply explain where to click.
Employees also need to understand:
- What they’re responsible for entering
- When transactions should occur
- Why accurate data matters
- How their actions affect downstream processes
- What to do when something doesn’t go according to plan
- Where to go when they need help
The goal isn’t simply to teach employees how to use software.
It’s to help them understand how MES fits into the way manufacturing gets done.
What Happens When Employees Aren’t Properly Trained on MES?
The effects of inadequate training can spread far beyond the individual employee struggling with the system.
1. Employees Create Workarounds
When a new process feels confusing or unnecessarily difficult, people naturally look for another way to get the job done.
That can mean returning to:
- Paper travelers
- Personal spreadsheets
- Handwritten notes
- Verbal updates
- Processes that existed before MES
Now the manufacturer has invested in a system intended to centralize shop floor information, but some of that information is still being managed outside the system.
The result can be multiple versions of the truth.
2. Shop Floor Data Becomes Less Reliable
MES depends on accurate information being captured as production occurs.
If an operator doesn’t understand when to start or stop an operation, report a quantity, move material, record scrap, or complete another transaction, the resulting data may not accurately represent what happened on the shop floor.
That matters because the information collected through MES can affect:
- Production reporting
- Inventory
- Labor
- Scheduling
- WIP
- Quality
- Job costing
- ERP transactions
- Performance metrics
Better visibility starts with better data. And better data starts with people understanding how and why information should be captured.
Accurate shop floor data capture is also critical to keeping ERP information current and giving manufacturing leaders reliable production information.
3. Supervisors Lose Confidence in the System
One of the biggest benefits of MES is having better visibility into what’s happening during production.
But if the information in the system isn’t reliable, supervisors may stop trusting it.
Instead of looking at MES to understand production status, they go back to asking operators, walking the floor, checking spreadsheets, or maintaining separate reports.
At that point, the manufacturer isn’t just dealing with a training problem.
It’s dealing with an adoption problem.
4. Manufacturers Pay for Functionality They Don’t Use
A modern MES can support much more than basic production reporting.
Depending on the system, manufacturers may have capabilities for inventory, scheduling, quality, machine integration, analytics, alerts, KPIs, and other shop floor processes.
But functionality only creates value when people use it effectively.
If employees only understand the most basic parts of the system, manufacturers may never realize the full value of the technology they’ve implemented.
Understanding the different ways manufacturers use MES on the shop floor can also help teams identify functionality that could solve problems beyond basic production reporting.
5. Resistance to MES Can Grow
Change is difficult in any organization, but the shop floor presents unique challenges.
Operators may have performed the same process for years or even decades. A new MES can change how they receive information, report production, track labor, interact with inventory, or complete everyday tasks.
If employees receive limited training and then struggle after go-live, frustration can quickly become resistance.
Instead of seeing MES as something designed to help them, they may see it as another task management has added to their workload.
That’s why adoption needs to begin before go-live.
Operator Adoption Starts Before Training
One of the biggest misconceptions about MES adoption is that it begins when employees enter the training room.
It starts much earlier.
The people who actually perform the work can provide valuable insight during an MES implementation.
They know where current processes create frustration. They know which steps are unnecessarily complicated. They know where information gets lost. They know which workarounds have developed over time.
Including shop floor users in the implementation process can help manufacturers design workflows that reflect how production actually operates.
It can also answer an important question employees will inevitably have:
“How is this going to make my job better?”
If the new process adds unnecessary clicks, slows operators down, or doesn’t account for the realities of the shop floor, training alone isn’t going to solve the problem.
What Does Effective MES Training Look Like?
There isn’t one training program that works for every employee.
An operator, supervisor, plant manager, IT professional, and executive interact with MES differently.
Training should reflect those differences.
Train Employees for Their Role
Operators should receive focused training on the tasks they perform regularly.
Supervisors need to understand not only transactions but also how to monitor production, identify issues, and use the information MES provides.
Administrators and IT teams may require deeper knowledge of configuration, troubleshooting, integrations, and system management.
Employees don’t need to learn every feature simply because it exists.
They need to become confident in the parts of the system that help them do their jobs.
Use Real Manufacturing Scenarios
Generic software demonstrations have limited value once employees return to production.
MES training should reflect situations employees actually encounter.
For example:
What happens if the quantity is wrong?
What do I do when material isn’t available?
How do I report scrap?
What happens if a machine goes down?
What if I started the wrong operation?
Where do I find the next job?
Training around real-world scenarios helps employees understand not only the ideal workflow but also what to do when manufacturing doesn’t go according to plan—which it rarely does.
Explain the “Why”
Employees are more likely to adopt a process when they understand its purpose.
Instead of simply telling an operator to complete a transaction, explain what happens with that information.
Maybe it updates inventory.
Maybe it tells scheduling that an operation is complete.
Maybe it gives a supervisor visibility into WIP.
Maybe it feeds information back into ERP.
When employees understand how their actions affect the larger manufacturing process, MES becomes more than another screen they have to use.
MES Training Doesn’t End at Go-Live
Go-live shouldn’t mark the end of training.
Employees will have questions once they begin using MES in real production scenarios. New employees will need onboarding. Processes will change. Additional MES functionality may be introduced over time.
Manufacturers should have a plan for continued education and support.
That might include:
- Refresher training
- Training documentation
- Short role-specific guides
- Internal MES champions
- New employee onboarding
- Additional training when new functionality is introduced
- A clear process for employees to ask questions or report issues
Continued training helps prevent bad habits and workarounds from becoming permanent processes.
The People Implementing Your MES Matter Too
MES implementation isn’t just an IT project.
It affects the people running production every day.
That’s why there’s value in working with an implementation team that understands both the technology and the realities of manufacturing.
An experienced MES implementation team should be able to ask questions beyond system configuration:
How do operators perform this process today?
Where does information currently get lost?
What happens when production doesn’t follow the expected workflow?
Which employees need access to this information?
What will make the new process easier than the old one?
What could prevent operators from adopting it?
Those conversations can uncover issues before they become training or adoption problems.
How Do You Know MES Adoption Is Struggling?
Poor adoption isn’t always obvious immediately after implementation.
Watch for signs such as:
- Employees continue maintaining spreadsheets outside MES.
- Paper processes reappear after go-live.
- Supervisors frequently question whether system data is accurate.
- Transactions are consistently completed late.
- Employees rely on one “MES expert” for routine tasks.
- Certain features are rarely or never used.
- Operators complain that the system makes their jobs more difficult.
- Management still needs to manually compile production information.
- Employees have developed unofficial workarounds.
These aren’t necessarily signs that MES itself has failed.
They may indicate that a workflow needs to be adjusted, employees need additional training, or the organization needs to revisit how the system is being used.
Successful MES Implementation Is About More Than Software
A manufacturer can select the right MES, configure it correctly, integrate it with ERP, and still struggle to achieve the expected results if employees don’t adopt it.
The technology matters.
But so do the people using it.
Successful MES implementations combine the right technology with processes that make sense on the shop floor, training tailored to each user’s role, and continued support after go-live.
When operators understand how MES helps them do their jobs—and when supervisors can trust the information it provides—the system becomes part of how manufacturing runs rather than another piece of software employees are required to use.
At ISE, our approach to MES implementation is shaped by more than 40 years of working with manufacturers. Our team works with manufacturers to understand their processes, implement technology around the realities of the shop floor, and help employees build the knowledge they need to use it successfully.
Learn more about ISE’s MES implementation approach.
Or explore MV2 MES to see how ISE connects ERP planning with real-time shop floor execution.