How ERP and MES work together

Agree on system ownership

Document which system owns order status, material codes, quantities and quality disposition. Resolve conflicting meanings before mapping the interface.

Define a complete exchange

For each message, specify the trigger, payload, validation, acknowledgement and retry rule. Decide whether delayed information is acceptable and how users are informed when it is stale.

Reconcile before expanding

Start with a bounded order flow and compare totals at both ends. Test cancellations, partial production and duplicate events. Expand the integration after users can explain and resolve exceptions.

Put this into practice

• Map an order from creation to completion.
• Test cancellation, duplicates and partial quantities.
• Reconcile accepted and rejected transactions at both ends.