As manufacturers continue investing in MES, the talent challenge is becoming just as important as the technology itself.
An MES transformation can create very different workforce requirements across design, implementation, go live and BAU. That means the question is not simply whether to hire contractors or permanent employees, but when each type of talent makes the most sense.
Different skills at different stages
The talent required at the beginning is unlikely to be the same after implementation.
Early stages may require Solution Architects, MES Consultants, Manufacturing Systems Engineers and Project Managers to define the programme and design the future environment.
As implementation progresses, demand can shift towards Developers, Integration Engineers, Automation specialists, Functional Consultants, Data specialists and testing resources. This is when contract hires ramp up to support the additional requirements.
Around go live, organisations may need additional support across training, change, operational readiness and user adoption.
Once the system is established, the requirement often moves towards a smaller BAU team focused on platform ownership, support, optimisation, data and continuous improvement.
Why use contractors during implementation
A contractor may have wider scope on MES implementations due to moving around companies. That experience can shorten the learning curve and give internal teams access to knowledge they may not currently have.
Contractors can also provide additional capacity when demand increases without creating permanent headcount that may no longer be required once the programme finishes.
This can be particularly useful for large or multi-site rollouts, where specialist resources may be needed for individual deployment phases rather than indefinitely.
When to hire permanent staff
Permanent employees bring organisational knowledge, continuity and long term ownership. They understand the manufacturing operation, the wider business and how the MES needs to support future objectives.
Those relationships become particularly important after go live, when the organisation needs people who can manage the platform, support users and identify opportunities for improvement.
Permanent hiring therefore makes the most sense where a capability is expected to remain part of the organisation’s future operating model.
For example, manufacturers may choose to retain permanent expertise across MES architecture, manufacturing systems, data, platform ownership or continuous improvement.
BAU hiring needs to be planned separately
One area that can be overlooked is the difference between hiring for the programme and hiring for BAU.
The team required to implement an MES is not necessarily the team required to run and develop it afterwards.
A manufacturer might need several MES Consultants, Integration Engineers and Developers during implementation, but only a smaller permanent team once the system is established.
The timing of these hires matters.
Waiting until go live to recruit the BAU team can create a difficult handover, particularly when contractors and implementation partners are already preparing to leave.
Bringing permanent BAU employees into the programme during the later stages gives them time to build platform knowledge, understand the decisions that have been made and learn directly from the specialists delivering the transformation.
Talent strategy
The talent strategy will also depend on the MES platform and wider technology environment.
Manufacturers working with platforms such as Rockwell FactoryTalk, Siemens Opcenter or AVEVA may initially need external specialists with proven experience in those environments.
At the same time, MES rarely operates in isolation. Integration with ERP, PLM, automation, quality systems and wider data platforms means organisations may need a mixture of MES, integration, automation and data expertise.
Some of these capabilities may be required for a specific implementation. Others are likely to remain strategically important in BAU.
Understanding that distinction is key to deciding what should be hired permanently, what should become part of the BAU team and what can be brought in on contract.
For many manufacturers, the most effective workforce strategy is therefore one that changes with the programme, moving from implementation capacity towards long term BAU capability as the transformation progresses.
At The Engage Partnership, we support businesses building manufacturing technology and digital transformation teams across MES, ERP, automation, data, software and programme delivery.
If you are planning an MES transformation and want to understand where contract, permanent or BAU talent could support your programme, get in touch.
0117 450 7700
info@theengagepartnership.com