In a busy factory, missing a delivery or upsetting a customer can cost you big. That’s why your MES (Manufacturing Execution System) should help you catch problems early—before they cause delays.

But not all MES tools do that well. Some systems just collect data but don’t give real-time signals that something is going wrong. Others let small issues slide until they snowball into big problems.

Here are 5 warning signs your MES might not be doing its job—and what you should expect instead. Use this checklist to catch weak spots in your system before they hurt your schedule, your team, or your customer satisfaction.

1. You're Often Short on Parts at the End of the Job

Nothing is worse than realizing you’re 40 parts short just as a job is wrapping up. At that point, you’re stuck. Either you run an extra shift to catch up or delay the shipment—neither is good for your bottom line.

This usually happens because the MES isn’t keeping you informed throughout the job. If your software only shows part counts after the fact—or requires manual checks—you’re reacting too late.

What good MES software should do:

• Show a live count of how many parts have been produced
• Compare actual production with the planned goal in real time
• Alert you early if you're falling behind, so you can take action before it becomes urgent

Example: A metal stamping plant installed live dashboards at each press. Supervisors could instantly see if a shift was behind pace. As a result, part shortages dropped by 80% over the next quarter.

2. You Only Find Broken Machines When Someone Stumbles on Them

Unexpected breakdowns are bad—but not knowing about them until someone happens to notice? That’s worse.

In many factories, operators still rely on radios, manual check-ins, or calling supervisors over to report a machine issue. That delay between failure and response adds unnecessary downtime.

What a modern MES should do:

• Send real-time alerts when a machine stops or malfunctions
• Automatically update machine status across displays or dashboards
• Help maintenance teams jump in sooner with accurate info

Example: At a packaging plant, maintenance response time dropped from 18 minutes to 4 minutes after the MES was connected to basic sensors that triggered automatic alerts.

3. You’re Not Sure Why a Job Took Longer Than It Should Have

If a job runs late and no one knows the reason, it’s likely to happen again. Without data on what slowed things down, teams are left pointing fingers—or worse, guessing.

This not only affects the current order but can snowball into missed deliveries across the week.

What better MES software should provide:

• A simple way for operators to log delays (e.g., material not ready, tool change, inspection hold)
• Timestamps and notes on when and why slowdowns occurred
• Job summary reports that highlight the main sources of delay

Example: An electronics assembly line started requiring operators to select a delay reason on a touchscreen during pauses. Over two months, they discovered that 25% of delays were due to waiting on inspection. By adjusting inspection staffing, they cut average job time by 12%.

4. You Don’t Know Why Downtime Keeps Happening

It’s one thing to fix a broken machine. It’s another to know why it keeps breaking in the first place.

If your MES only tracks “machine stopped” without letting you categorize why, then you’re stuck firefighting instead of improving.

What a capable MES should do:

• Let operators or systems tag downtime events with specific causes (e.g., motor jam, feeder error)
• Allow analysis by job, shift, machine, or product type
• Help spot trends and trigger root cause investigations

Example: A plastics manufacturer saw frequent downtime on one press but couldn’t figure out why. After tracking downtime causes with their MES, they found it was always the same feeder jamming during a product changeover. They replaced the feeder with a better design, and uptime improved by 20%.

5. Setup Times Are Always a Rough Guess

Setup time is often underestimated—and yet it plays a big role in your ability to start the next job on time. If the usual answer is, “It takes about an hour,” then your team is likely either overbooking or underutilizing the line.

Better MES systems should:

• Automatically track how long each setup actually takes
• Compare actual vs. expected setup time
• Alert teams when setup is dragging longer than planned

Example: A machining plant tracked setup times using barcodes scanned at the start and end of each changeover. They found that jobs with similar setups had wildly different times depending on the shift. This led to a training update that brought all teams closer to the 45-minute standard—and cut changeover delays in half.

MES capabilities to manage and enable remote factory operations and if you are curious to know how MES enables remote factory operations, check out our recent blog. The blog covers capabilities and best practices that ensure smooth operation and fuller utilization of MES solution. 

Conclusion

Your MES software should act like an extra set of eyes—catching problems early, keeping teams informed, and helping you deliver on time.

If you’re still facing surprise part shortages, unexplained delays, or repeated downtime, it might be time to look at how your current system is supporting (or holding back) your operations.

The best MES systems don’t just collect data—they help you run a smoother, more predictable factory.

Explore the top-rated MES tools in the i4Verse MES Solutions category to find software that helps you stay ahead of problems—not chase after them.