Edward Dickson, CEO is making significant strides in the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) space by offering a comprehensive and efficient solution that prioritizes real-time coordination and control, complete traceability and robust reporting. With over 25 years of experience, the company has successfully developed and widely deployed a dynamic active control approach to manufacturing.
In its early days, MES was seen as a tool to coordinate, control, and report on the manufacturing processes. However, according to Edward Dickson, CEO of Ujigami, the industry’s view of MES has devolved to simple data collection and monitoring.
“But we have retained our focus on coordination and active real-time control, ensuring that the Ujigami software is not just collecting data, but actively managing and improving the processes as they occur,” explains Dickson.
Ujigami’s unique approach is built on its ability to handle real-time data processing and rules based decision making with minimal latency. Unlike most other MES solutions that respond to data inputs in seconds, Ujigami’s system works in milliseconds, making it capable of controlling processes at a speed that drives tangible productivity gains. This real-time capability allows Ujigami to take on functionality typically programmed in PLCs. Ujigami’s MES solution can be configured (no programming required) to replace the logic embedded within PLCs, simplifying machine control and eliminating unnecessary complexities while improving machine speed, efficiency and uptime.
Ujigami’s active controls are easily configured by a technical employee with no knowledge of programming. Ujigami builds on the familiar tools of process flow diagrams, control plans and work instructions.
“If someone can create a work instruction, they can configure Ujigami. But instead of being a static document that few people reference, Ujigami takes active control of the manufacture of every part to ensure it is produced to specification” states Dickson. “Ujigami is like having your best supervisor continuously working directly with every machine and operator to ensure all tasks and processes are completed to specification. And if a problem arises, Ujigami automatically invokes containment and corrective actions.”
We have retained our focus on coordination and active real-time control, ensuring that the Ujigami software is not just collecting data, but actively managing and improving the processes as they occur.
In addition, Ujigami’s contextual graphical work instructions are displayed to operators and setup personnel at the correct time that the information is required. Because Ujigami can be easily connected to every device and operation, and has intimate control of the manufacturing process, Ujigami is able to provide detailed traceability and extensive reporting.
In addition to its real-time control and coordination features, Ujigami offers a robust suite of browser-based reporting tools. These include customizable scoreboards and dashboards, which display critical metrics like parts per hour and cycle time, giving employees immediate feedback on their performance. This helps drive Continuous Improvement by allowing users to see how they’re doing in real time. Furthermore, Ujigami’s reporting capabilities extend beyond basic metrics to include comprehensive OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) calculations and real-time metrics such as Mean Time between Failure and Mean Time To Repair. These insights help organizations identify performance opportunities and areas of excellence, allowing them to celebrate successes and focus on solving critical problems. And Ujigami’s direct connection to ERP systems enables those systems to perform more effectively as well.
In a market where speed, accuracy, and real-time insights are critical, Ujigami stands out as a game-changer in the MES space. Its system provides the tools needed to control and coordinate production and a deep reservoir of data that can be leveraged for continuous performance improvements. With its commitment to real-time control and insightful reporting, Ujigami is helping manufacturers stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive industry.
Choosing Intelligence Layers That Unify Smart Manufacturing
Factory modernization has entered a difficult phase for manufacturing executives. Many plants already contain advanced robotics, programmable logic controllers, automated storage systems and machine-level analytics, yet production environments still struggle with disconnected workflows and inconsistent decision-making. The problem rarely stems from a lack of automation. It emerges when systems built across different decades, vendors and architectures fail to communicate in ways that support coordinated manufacturing performance.
Procurement teams evaluating smart manufacturing platforms are now under pressure to look beyond isolated software functionality. A machine may perform efficiently on its own while the surrounding production environment remains fragmented. Data latency between systems, manual intervention during process exceptions and dependence on specialized labor continue to limit throughput gains that automation investments were expected to deliver. Manufacturing leaders also face a growing constraint tied to workforce availability. Skilled operators, controls engineers and maintenance personnel remain difficult to recruit at scale, particularly across North American manufacturing environments expanding domestic production capacity.
This environment has changed how executives assess manufacturing intelligence software. Connectivity flexibility has become far more important than adherence to a single communications standard. Many facilities operate equipment from multiple generations and suppliers, making large-scale replacement financially impractical. Buyers increasingly favor platforms capable of integrating legacy machinery, robotics and enterprise systems without forcing costly infrastructure resets. Systems that depend heavily on standardized ecosystems often introduce long deployment timelines and added engineering overhead when mixed-vendor environments are involved.
Real-time decision capability has also become central to purchasing discussions. Manufacturing software can no longer function only as a monitoring layer. Plants require systems that interpret incoming production conditions and coordinate responses dynamically across equipment, workflows and material movement. Production interruptions tied to bottlenecks, quality deviations or changing scheduling priorities require immediate adjustments rather than supervisory review cycles. Software platforms that simply aggregate information without influencing production behavior leave substantial efficiency gains unrealized.
Implementation complexity has become another dividing line among providers. Automation programs frequently stall because individual machines, robots and transport systems require extensive custom coordination logic. Buyers increasingly value architectures that reduce the programming burden placed on individual devices while centralizing orchestration at the manufacturing-system level. Simplified deployment structures shorten launch schedules and lower integration costs while giving facilities greater flexibility to scale automation gradually across production environments.
Ujigami stands out in this market because its approach addresses the integration and coordination problems that continue to slow smart manufacturing adoption. The company’s platform functions as a manufacturing intelligence layer capable of connecting disparate machines, devices and software environments without requiring uniform communication standards. Its ability to communicate natively across mixed equipment environments gives manufacturers a path toward modernization without replacing existing infrastructure.
The platform also extends beyond connectivity into manufacturing decision management. Ujigami coordinates automation, robotics, material flow and process adjustments in real time so production systems operate as part of a unified manufacturing environment rather than isolated automation cells. Its architecture reduces programming demands on individual machines and supports faster deployment across complex facilities. For executives evaluating smart manufacturing investments, Ujigami represents a strong choice for organizations prioritizing interoperability, scalable automation and centralized manufacturing intelligence within mixed-equipment production environments.
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Manufacturing Execution Systems Info
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) helps coordinate activity between machines, operators, work instructions and business systems. It gives production teams a structured way to manage what is being made, how work is performed and whether each step follows required specifications. Beyond visibility, the category can support live decisions, quality checks, process enforcement and exception response, which matters when manufacturers need fewer manual updates and faster control over changing shop-floor conditions. The goal is to make execution more consistent from order release through completed production.
Ujigami shows how a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) can move beyond passive data capture. Its platform emphasizes real-time coordination, active control, traceability and reporting, backed by more than 25 years of experience with an active control approach to manufacturing. It can process rules-based decisions in milliseconds, and technical employees can configure controls without programming by using familiar tools such as process flow diagrams, control plans and work instructions. The software also supports contextual graphical work instructions for operators and setup personnel.
A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) should help teams act while production is underway, not only after results are reviewed. Important capabilities include fast data processing, machine coordination, operator guidance, rule-based decisions, exception handling and structured corrective action. Real-time manufacturing control becomes more useful when the software can influence process behavior immediately, keep work aligned with specifications and reduce delays created by handoffs between people, equipment and separate systems. This is especially important when production changes quickly or quality decisions cannot wait.
Traceability allows manufacturers to understand what happened during production, when it happened and which conditions affected the outcome. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) can connect operations, devices, work steps and production records so quality reviews become more precise. Strong traceability also supports containment when problems appear, because teams can narrow the issue, identify affected work and respond before defects or incomplete actions spread further through the process. It also gives improvement teams cleaner evidence for recurring issues.
Reporting turns production activity into usable performance insight. A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) may provide dashboards, scoreboards and browser-based reports that show cycle time, parts per hour, equipment performance and other operating signals. These tools help employees see results as they occur, while managers can compare trends, identify bottlenecks, review improvement priorities and focus operational decisions on measurable constraints rather than assumptions or delayed end-of-shift summaries. Better reporting also strengthens continuous improvement because progress can be tracked against clear operating measures.
Manufacturers should look for a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) that fits existing operations, connects with equipment and enterprise systems and supports practical control of production flow. Useful evaluation factors include configuration effort, latency, reporting depth, traceability, operator usability and the ability to reduce complexity around machine logic. The strongest platforms help plants coordinate work consistently while giving teams enough visibility to improve uptime, speed, quality and process discipline.
