Modular MES as the engine for production efficiency

Moerman NV: specialist in professional floor squeegees

Moerman NV is a Belgian manufacturer of high-quality cleaning tools that, thanks to a strong focus on innovation and ergonomic design, meets the needs of professional cleaners worldwide. With efficient and well-considered product development processes, Moerman delivers durable and user-friendly solutions for the cleaning sector.

The challenge

Moerman NV operates in a flexible production environment that requires quick switching between different products and series. This high degree of variation makes it challenging to quickly get a clear overview of production efficiency.

Before the MES platform was implemented, production was largely recorded manually and on paper. The information collected was reliable, but processing and consolidating it was time-consuming. As a result, insights such as work order progress, machine performance, and downtime were not immediately available for analysis or steering.

The OEE calculation was also based on this manual data. Although this calculation was accurate and reliable, it required a great deal of time and effort, making it unsuitable for real-time monitoring or fast decision-making.

On the shop floor itself, everything likewise ran on paper. As a result, operators had limited direct feedback on the status of work orders and machine performance, making it harder to adjust quickly during the process.

The result was a stable production environment with reliable data, but with slow availability of information and limited possibilities for real-time control.

Note: the screenshots shown use illustrative demo data and do not represent actual production data from Moerman.

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This resulted in:

• No real-time insight into machine performance and production efficiency
• Manual, paper-based recording of production data
• No live tracking of work orders
• Limited transparency and control on the shop floor

Approach: start small, learn, scale up

Moerman and Aionix deliberately chose a phased approach rather than a one-time rollout across the entire factory. A modular MES platform lends itself perfectly to the Kaizen principle: continuous improvement based on what works on the shop floor, not on assumptions in a project plan.

The deliberate choice to start small has three effects. It limits the risk of a large-scale MES rollout. It lets the team discover the new way of working in practice before it runs across the entire factory. And it ensures that every machine added in phase 4 benefits from what has already been learned on machine line 1 and machine line 2. That is why the timeline above is not just a schedule. It is also a method.

Our solution

We built and implemented a modular MES platform that connects production, machines, operators, and management in one real-time environment. The system combines a supervisor platform for central monitoring with a shopfloor interface for operator support, and is directly connected to the machines and the ERP system.

On the platform this runs as the OEE, Work orders and Production monitoring modules, together on the same data layer.

It also includes an analytics module offering insight into production and downtime, as well as AI functionalities that automatically generate analyses and answer questions about production through a chatbot.

The platform consists of five modules that work together but can be rolled out independently:

Because each module can operate on its own, Moerman is free to choose a different sequence for each subsequent machine. A machine that already logs local PLC data can start at the supervisor layer, while a line with complex quality controls can instead start with the shopfloor interface. Here, modular is not just an architectural term. It is a rollout strategy.

OEE & real-time machine data

The platform is directly connected to the machines, so production data is collected fully automatically and in real time. Infeed and outfeed are continuously recorded, allowing performance to be measured objectively without any manual input.

Based on this data, OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is calculated in real time, including availability, performance, and quality. In addition, insight is provided into waste and downtime, making inefficiencies quickly visible so they can be tackled in a targeted way.

Shopfloor interface (“The operator assistant”)

On the shop floor, we support operators with an intuitive touchscreen. This interface provides real-time insight into the status and progress of work orders.

Operators can easily:

• track production progress
• digitally record quality checks
• report technical issues or malfunctions

This results in greater engagement, faster communication, and direct feedback during the production process.

Supervisor platform

The supervisor platform gives managers and team leaders a complete, real-time overview of production. All important information comes together in one central environment.

From here, they can:

• track work orders
• consult machine histories
• manage technical faults
• analyze quality checks

This ensures maximum transparency and data-driven decision-making on the shop floor and beyond.

Real-time notifications via WhatsApp

In the event of technical or quality issues, WhatsApp notifications are automatically sent to the right people, such as technicians or the quality manager. This makes issues immediately visible and allows for quick intervention, helping to limit downtime and resolve problems as early as possible.

Analytics & AI

The AI functionality is used to automatically generate analyses based on all production data, such as trends, downtime, and deviations. In addition, the AI also acts as an assistant: users can ask questions about what is happening on the shop floor (e.g. downtime, production, or performance) and quickly receive a clear answer.

ERP integration & work order flow

Work orders are automatically imported from the ERP system into the MES platform and sent directly to the machines. This creates a fully digital, streamlined production flow without manual intermediate steps.

Every work order is tracked in real time, from start-up to completion, ensuring that planning and execution are perfectly aligned. This reduces errors, increases speed, and ensures reliable production tracking.

Results on the pilot machines

The platform is live on machine line 1 and machine line 2. Here is what has changed on the shop floor compared to the situation before implementation: