Training our MES consultants: start with the factory

Practise on a real MES

In the MES Lab, Siemens Opcenter Execution Pharma is connected to an ERP, a SCADA developed for the lab and simulated equipment.

Consultants can distinguish order preparation, guided MES execution and equipment behaviour. The environment supports work on individual interfaces, followed by examination of their dependencies within a manufacturing scenario.

The first exercises cover the basic actions of a production area: identifying equipment, checking its cleaning status, weighing and consuming materials, and declaring production. Beginners focus on steps, data and checks before moving to pharmaceutical scenarios. The programme then covers creating an order in the ERP, executing it in the MES, performing in-process checks and reviewing the record.

The journey of an order through the lab

The diagram shows an example architecture we have set up for internal training.

This architecture can be adapted to training needs. We can adjust the tools, interfaces and simulated equipment, then select scenarios for the participants and skills being developed: designing a recipe, following an order, testing an exchange or understanding an exception. The scope is defined before each training programme.

The lab runs in environments dedicated to training, independently of client environments. Each learner has an individual account. The environment can be restored to a known state between sessions. Learners also practise electronic signatures and audit trails in the MES.

Follow a manufacturing order to the vessel

Vessel manufacturing provides a practical thread connecting these responsibilities. Depending on the exercise scope, work focuses on ERP preparation, MES execution or equipment exchanges.

• Prepare the data: find the item, lots and containers expected by the MES, then check that the imported order has been accepted. Transmitting data and integrating it are distinct steps.
• Reserve the resource: the MES associates the vessel with an order and an operation code. In this scenario, it identifies the equipment recipe. Process setpoints remain defined at equipment level.
• Execute manufacturing: water addition, material addition, adjustment to the target quantity, agitation and transfer. Some transitions depend on a process condition, others on an authorisation or operator declaration.
• Monitor and reconcile information: The SCADA shows the process state. The MES reads the information defined for the operation. The consultant checks that the observed state, order and equipment all refer to the same work.
• Build the record: attach the required data and results to the correct operation. The technical end of a cycle is distinct from completion of an MES step. Any outstanding checks or declarations need to be identified.

Distinguish an interface incident from a process refusal

An occupied vessel may reject a reservation while communication is working correctly. Conversely, information visible in the SCADA may be missing from the MES record. Diagnosis needs to separate equipment behaviour, data transport and use of that data by the MES.

The debrief follows the request and its response: which system issued it, which received it, what condition was evaluated and what reason is available? Consultants learn to find the relevant evidence before proposing a recipe or interface change.

What consultants practise

The value of the environment lies in explaining and verifying a design choice. The debrief examines the consultant’s reasoning and the information they could take back to a project team.

• Describe the responsibilities of ERP, MES, supervision and equipment.
• Define an exchange: data source, format, unit, direction, trigger and expected response.
• Connect a recipe step to the operator’s work and process conditions.
• Prepare test cases, including a refusal, inconsistent information or recovery.
• Explain which evidence belongs in the record and which events require review.

The role of 3D and client training

The workshop representation helps locate vessels, workstations and flows. It makes changes in process state visible. Simulation logic remains with the simulated equipment. This support complements learning Opcenter Execution Pharma and gaining experience on site.

Internal training prepares our consultants. Training a client’s teams starts with their deployed system, roles and procedures. Exercises and the assessment of learning are defined with the client. A simulation alone cannot establish readiness to work independently on an assignment.

The manufacturing workshop

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