FAQ

A MOM system acts as an extension of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES). While the MES system focuses primarily on digitizing and optimizing the production processes on the shop floor, the MOM system goes beyond this and digitizes not only the production floor, but also areas such as goods receipt, inventory management, maintenance, optimization, task management and other relevant sections within the manufacturing company.

A key benefit of the MOM system is its ability to connect and relate data from these different areas, giving management a comprehensive 360-degree view of the entire company.

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is designed to manage your company’s financial processes, including customer information, deliveries, invoicing and other aspects. While the ERP system digitizes these comprehensive business processes, the MOM system extends its focus far beyond, addressing the entire process from goods receipt to shipping.

A MOM system and ERP system can be easily integrated, enabling a unified and coherent information structure. This integration allows management to gain a holistic understanding and make informed decisions covering both production and business areas.

Read more about the different systems here

The main advantage of a MOM system is that data from the entire factory is centralized and related in one system, resulting in the following benefits:

Real-time insights: The MOM system provides instant insights from all corners of the factory. This enables quick decisions that improve the efficiency, sustainability and intelligence of production processes.

Higher quality and fewer errors: A MOM system can create checkpoints that are critical for product quality, efficiency and compliance with standards. This means that you meet the product’s quality standards and risk fewer production errors.

Detailed traceability: Through traceability from raw material to finished product and all processes in between, you can accurately identify and track defects in case of recalls or audits, all the way back to location, time, etc.

Improved root cause analysis: Identifying causes such as machine failures or quality degradation is significantly accelerated, enabling faster and more accurate response.

Automated processes: The MOM system automates tedious routine tasks, freeing up operators for more stimulating and value-adding tasks.

Agile business: The MOM system is tailored to handle constantly evolving production environments. This makes it extremely flexible, adaptable and scalable. Integrating with existing production environments is simple, while preparing the business for future technologies and needs.

In addition, the fact that manufacturing companies only have to deal with one system is a huge advantage. This means limited training, maintenance and communication with software providers.

Watch the video where we describe the benefits of AROLINK®

The ERP system and the MOM system are designed for two different purposes. The ERP system is designed to handle broad business processes and administrative management, while the MOM system specializes in optimizing and managing the production environment, including goods receipt and warehousing, with a focus on real-time control and flexibility.

A MOM system is dynamic and flexible. The operational control offered by the MOM system enables fast, real-time production optimization.

This allows businesses to accurately identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes immediately.

While many manufacturing companies have already implemented an ERP system to handle broad business processes and financial management, it’s important to note that an ERP system is transaction-based, which is a strength in business processes.

However, this transaction-based approach can make the ERP system heavy and less flexible if you try to use it in a production context.

The ERP system and MOM system can be integrated, ensuring that relevant information flows smoothly between business processes and production areas, creating cohesive and intelligent management.

The implementation of a MOM system adds a valuable layer of flexibility and responsiveness to the production process, which is essential for dealing with the dynamic and changing nature of the manufacturing environment.

Read more about the different systems here

AROLINK® is built on a solid foundation that makes it both easy to add new features to the system and easy to implement in all types of manufacturing companies.

When a customer requests an additional extension or feature in the software, the solutions become available to all our customers.

AROLINK® differs in two key ways:

1. AROLINK® collects and relates data from the entire manufacturing company in one place. In practical terms, this means that the manufacturing company only needs to deal with and maintain one system. But what makes AROLINK® unique is that this interconnectedness of data allows for a holistic view and informed decision-making. See other benefits of collecting data in AROLINK® in the fold-out below.

2. In addition, AROLINK® is highly flexible and adaptable. This means we can meet the unique needs of every customer. We have a deep understanding of factory operations, and we can identify and understand our customers’ specific needs and challenges. We are dedicated to offering quick changes so that our system can adapt continuously and efficiently handle new needs that may arise in the production process.

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Yes, AROLINK® is designed with a focus on high scalability and flexibility. This means it can easily adapt to new production changes, changes in legislation or new customer requirements. Because of this scalability, the MOM system can effectively meet the changing needs of the business and remain robust in a dynamic production environment.

In addition, you can continuously add modules or expand functionality as your needs grow.

The process begins with a thorough pre-analysis where we map existing systems, information flow and workflows.

In collaboration with the customer, we draw up a detailed plan for how the project will progress, including possible division into sub-projects. We configure AROLINK® and make necessary customizations as needed.

This is followed by user training to ensure everyone involved is familiar with the system.

Finally, we put AROLINK® into operation. This happens without shutting down production. It can run as usual.

Yes, AROLINK® is fully compatible with existing hardware and systems in manufacturing companies. Our system facilitates seamless integration with SCADA systems, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) devices, other software, printers, robots, sensors and the manufacturing company’s ERP system.

This ensures an optimal connection between AROLINK® and other key technologies in the production environment, resulting in an efficient and well-coordinated operation.

AROLINK® is designed with a focus on ease of use. Each user in the manufacturing company will only have access to the features that are relevant to their workspace. This means that training each employee does not require extensive knowledge of the entire system. Instead, they are given responsibility for their specific area of data collection in AROLINK®.

We conduct a comprehensive training of a super user through a project process. This includes building the superuser’s skills in configuration and customizations in AROLINK®.

The super user gains the necessary skills to train other employees in the manufacturing company. If necessary, we can also be responsible for this part of the training.

Read more about training and service agreement here

The timeframe to realize your investment depends on several factors, including the cost of raw materials, the frequency of fines and recalls, how energy-intensive processes are, and the occurrence of machine failures and production bottlenecks.

With AROLINK®, you get a comprehensive overview of the production process, allowing you to significantly reduce waste and identify the causes of machine failures, inefficiencies and bottlenecks before they develop into financially burdensome problems.

Our customers have reported significant financial gains by optimizing and automating operations. By identifying issues before they become costly and with pallet-level traceability for recalls, there have been significant savings.

A more efficient and automated operation not only results in cost reductions, but also in an improved bottom line and a stronger position in the market over time. It’s important to evaluate these factors and implement solutions accordingly to maximize the financial benefit of your investment.

No, we understand that implementing a new and comprehensive factory management system can seem challenging, especially if you already have existing, separate software solutions or if you’re relatively new to the journey of digitalization.

That’s why we’ve made the process simple for you, so you can easily customize the system to your specific needs and budget.

When you choose AROLINK®, you initially purchase the AROLINK® Platform, which provides the basic digitalization of your manufacturing business.

Then you can seamlessly add modules as needed to extend functionality by adding extra features and data collection. This allows you to tailor the system precisely to your company’s requirements and growing needs, making the process smooth and scalable.

Read more about the Platform and Modules here

Successful implementation and use of AROLINK® requires a dedicated employee from the customer’s side who is trained as a super user of the system.

We have a very good experience with the customer choosing an employee at the production company who is already familiar with the production. Often it’s an employee who wants to develop and gain more skills in IT and technology.

We provide thorough training.

The super user becomes a central part of the implementation and we always achieve strong collaboration with them.

In addition, it requires insight into production, among other things, if we are to customize AROLINK® to the customer’s needs.

Therefore, the customer must set aside the necessary time to deliver these insights – both in the pre-analysis and implementation phase.

All registrations made in AROLINK® are interrelated. This enables comprehensive product tracking, where you can follow a raw material from start to finish or a finished product back to its original raw materials. This includes the ability to access all collected data related to the processes involved.

AROLINK® is highly flexible and can be adapted to exactly the desired process or workflow. If challenges arise that can’t be solved with the existing AROLINK® functionality, we’ll make sure to make adjustments. This can include adding new features or extending existing functionality to meet the customer’s specific needs.

AROLINK® helps minimize the number of errors in production. When raw materials are added to a given production, AROLINK® automatically identifies the product in question, enabling warnings if an incorrect raw material is attempted.

Furthermore, AROLINK® ensures that any deviations identified through checkpoints or other mechanisms are reported in real-time to the relevant people. This allows for immediate corrective actions to ensure errors and deviations are handled in a timely manner.

We have strived to make the use of AROLINK® simple and intuitive in day-to-day operations. The system is designed so that each user only has access to the specific part they are responsible for. Specifically, this means that users only need to be trained on a small part of the system, reducing the risk of errors.

In addition to this ease of use, AROLINK® offers several benefits to the individual operator:

• Fewer errors: AROLINK® supports the operator in making informed decisions and can also notify the user if there is a risk of errors in critical processes.
• Automate routine tasks: AROLINK® can automate repetitive and tedious tasks, freeing operators from manual labor and giving them more time for more valuable and technological tasks.
• Improved efficiency: AROLINK® optimizes production processes through real-time control and data collection, helping operators perform their tasks more efficiently and accurately.
• Better working environment: AROLINK® helps create a safer and more comfortable working environment by automating critical or monotonous tasks and reducing the risk of errors.
• Better communication: AROLINK® facilitates communication between operators and other parts of the business by ensuring relevant data is shared and available in real-time.
• Contribution to data quality: Each operator plays a crucial role in ensuring data quality for the manufacturing company, which can be motivating as the data they handle is vital to the company’s operations.

Overall, AROLINK® creates a more efficient and automated workflow, which not only improves operators’ quality of work life, but also their overall performance.

Read more about operator benefits here

One of the greatest strengths of AROLINK® is that it supports management in making the best decisions for the bottom line and competitiveness. A side benefit is that management also gains factual insights that can make production much more sustainable and intelligent.

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on manufacturing companies, with legislation, documentation requirements and customer demands pushing production management to digitize. At the same time, maintaining a competitive position depends on the ability to maintain quality and competitive prices, which requires more efficient operations and increased yields.

The implementation of AROLINK® brings a number of key benefits for management, including

• Full overview and decision-making: AROLINK® provides a comprehensive and real-time view of the entire production environment, giving management a solid basis for decision-making. Real-time data and analytics support fast and informed decisions.
• Efficient operational optimization and resource management: By optimizing production processes, AROLINK® contributes to a more efficient use of resources, reducing waste, increasing sustainability and improving overall operational economy.
• Documentation requirements and reporting: AROLINK® fulfills documentation requirements by recording and documenting all production activities. This eases the reporting process and ensures compliance with regulatory and customer requirements.
• Traceability and quality management: With detailed traceability from raw materials to finished goods, AROLINK® meets quality management requirements and helps minimize errors and avoid quality issues.