Routing defines the path of a product through manufacturing – which work steps are performed in which sequence. Operations are the individual executable steps within this routing: setup, milling, assembly, inspection, packaging.
In the MES, both together form the digital representation of the real production process. Without correctly maintained routings, no MES can calculate OEE, ensure traceability or perform order control.
In modern manufacturing environments, routing is not a static document but a dynamic control model. Depending on product variant, customer order, line or machine type, different routings become active. The MES decides which routing is valid and guides the order step by step through production – as the foundation for order control, WIP tracking, quality inspections, traceability and OEE calculation.
An operation is the smallest controllable production step in the MES. It can contain target machine or line, target time, parameter set or recipe, inspection rules, material consumption and approvals. Operations make the production process machine-readable – only through them do digital work instructions, workflow automation and complete process documentation become possible.
In high-mix production, routing allows different products to use the same resources but in different sequences or with different inspections. The MES automatically selects the correct routing based on bill of materials, order and customer requirements.
Since every operation is documented in the MES, a complete process history is created per product or batch – the direct foundation for device history records, batch records, recall analysis and regulatory evidence. Cloud-native MES architectures enable centrally versioned routings used across multiple plants – new lines or sites build on existing structures without starting from scratch.
What is the difference between routing and work plan? Routing describes the logical sequence of steps – where a product runs. The work plan is the executable concretization with times, resources and parameters – exactly how it is produced. In practice both terms are often used interchangeably; in the MES context the distinction matters for clean data modeling.
Can routings differ for product variants? Yes – and this is one of the central values of MES-supported routing. Product variants can share identical base steps but have different inspection operations, parameter sets or approval steps. The MES automatically activates the correct variant without manual intervention.
What happens if an operation is not completed? In the MES an incomplete operation blocks progress to the next step – depending on configuration the order cannot proceed until the operation is fully documented and approved. This is the mechanism that ensures inspections cannot be skipped.