What is an MES? Why is Amper redefining it (and what does that mean)?

If you’re in manufacturing, you’ve probably heard the term MES thrown around—often followed by a hefty price tag and a months- or years-long implementation timeline. But what actually is an MES? Do you really need one? And why is Amper "redefining" it?

Let’s get into it!

What is a traditional MES?

An MES (Manufacturing Execution System) is software that connects your shop floor to your top floor. At its core, it’s supposed to help you track production, manage jobs, and collect data—so you can improve output, stay on schedule, and make smarter decisions.

That’s the promise.

But the reality? Most MES platforms are:

• Complicated to implement
• Too rigid to use
• Designed more for IT than for floor teams

They’re heavy systems that try to do everything—but end up slowing everyone down.

So… do you actually need an MES?

Yes—and no.

You don’t need a traditional MES.

But you do need a way to:

• Track what’s happening on your floor in real time
• Spot problems before they cost you
• Manage jobs, labor, and performance with less guesswork
• Improve margins without adding more overhead

In short, you need a way to connect your entire operations—without adding another layer of complexity.

That’s where Amper comes in.

Why Amper is redefining the MES

We talk to manufacturers every day. And we kept hearing the same thing:

“We bought an MES. We barely use it.”
“Our team hates it—it’s too complicated.”
“We don’t have time to set it up, let alone train everyone.”
“We need something simpler, faster, and easier.”

So we took everything frustrating about the traditional MES—and threw it out.

Amper is the new standard of MES:

• Easy to connect your plant quickly and securely
• Designed for your teams and operators
• Built to help you track, plan, execute, and improve operations
• Intended to complement your ERP

In other words, it’s an MES that actually helps you get stuff done.

What redefining the MES really means

We’re not here to make incremental improvements to legacy systems. We’re here to change the expectation for what an MES should be.

Because modern manufacturers don’t need more complexity: They need real-time visibility, faster decisions, and tools their team actually wants to use.

So instead of a bloated system that tries to solve everything and solves nothing, we’ve focused on the essentials:

→ Track everything happening on your floor
→ Plan smarter with real-time job and labor visibility
→ Execute with simple tools that keep teams in sync and moving
→ Improve with insights that drive real, measurable gains

That’s what matters. That’s what we built.

The bottom line?

You don’t need another over-engineered system.
You need a better way to run your plant.

And that’s why we redefined the MES.

See how it works →