Until recently, paper manufacturers seeking to automate operations management tasks have had to choose between an integrated MES (typically large, costly, and highly customized ) and the implementation of multiple point solutions (resulting in multiple databases and HMI's, use of different mill models, and insurmountable integration tasks - MES to ER, MES to Process Control, and between MES point solutions). The cost of integration experienced by many paper mills today can easily exceed three to four times the cost of the hardware and software investment. The staff and capital requirements of these availabel choices have limited the application of MES in the paper industry to large, multiple paper machine operations with significant internal IT resources. Regardless of such commitments, a survey of paper industry management confirms great dissatisfaction with performance of their information technology investments.
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