Meta System Selects Critical Manufacturing MES for New SMT Plant

PORTO, Portugal – Critical Manufacturing, a pioneer in future-ready, multisite manufacturing execution systems (MES), announced that Meta System will build a new electronics facility for e-mobility production, managed through Critical Manufacturing MES. The new plant is part of a Meta System initiative to apply advanced digital technologies to meet the growing demand for its products.

Meta System SpA was established in 1973 in Reggio Emilia, Italy. It specializes in the research, development and manufacture of electronic power-conversion systems for the e-mobility sector for use in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). It supplies devices such as on-board battery chargers, DC/DC converters and combi systems for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers.

The company is renowned for its quality products and continuous innovation, and Meta System’s IT & Digital Transformation Manager Alessandro Salami sees factory MES as fundamental to maintaining its high operating standards: “We were looking for a partner who had knowledge of the processes of the electronics-automotive industry in its DNA and at the same time offered an advanced digital solution. Given the technological revolutions taking place and the speed that must characterize a modern company in adopting them, we needed a partner who was agile in gathering technological opportunities and making them easily available to its customers.”

The Greenfield Challenge

In addition, starting with the need for a greenfield plant, it was necessary to define an implementation roadmap that would support Meta System in growth both in terms of line numbers and in terms of functionality to be added progressively.

The selection process lasted several months, where several market-leading vendors were compared and delved into the methodologies and technologies adopted in several sessions. Salami explains: “Critical Manufacturing also offered the opportunity for a reference visit to a company that was already their customer. What impressed us most was how quickly that customer adopted the solution, and to feel that they own the implementation.

SMT In-Depth Knowledge

Critical Manufacturing expertise was also a decisive factor, as Salami highlights: “Certainly in-depth knowledge of SMT and electronic assembly processes, as well as an extensive library of out-of-box integrations processes made Critical Manufacturing the winning partner in our selection. We are convinced that the chosen solution will enable us to grow rapidly and to successfully meet the challenges that the new plant will offer us in an environment of very high innovation, total automation of factory processes and challenging takt times”.

Michaela Wagner, Sales Manager for SMT Europe at Critical Manufacturing, comments on the benefits of using a modular architecture: “By integrating an MES into a greenfield project, we have not just provided a system, we are setting together with Meta System the foundation for not only meeting today’s demands, but exceeding tomorrow’s expectations. And then, because we support open integration standards, they can add or change functionality easily, as their business operations change. We look forward to working with them.”

Phase one of the installation will be running in 2024 in Slovakia and Meta System will have a system capable of supporting steady growth for the future.