ToolTrack MES

When we decided to move our manufacturing processes from Contract Manufacturers to our captive facility we needed an MES to obtain visibility of the activity on the production floor. We assemble opto-electronic components using semiconductor assembly tools. Yield and throughput is critical as is material trace-ability and serialization. I was familiar with some of the larger commercially available MES and EPR systems but from prior experience was aware of the software maintenance these systems required. I came across Itrack and was pleasantly surprised by the minimal support requirements, ease of set-up and ease of maintenance and ease of adaptability to our processes. We have been using Itrack for 3+ years are are continuing to implement additional functionality as our business requirements change.

We are using this for document control. We're able to maintain historical copies, route changes for approval, and assure only the current version is readily available. Notifications can be set up tailored to people's roles and responsibilities. It's no Agile document control system, but gets the job done and has a very easy learning curve.

I've used multiple MES Platforms for microelectronics manufacturing and R&D applications as an Engineer. I've also evaluated several for purchase. ToolTrack takes the cake for being good at all of it - even over the ones costing orders of magnitude more. Has the rare duality of being flexible enough for R&D tracking/processing, yet still user-friendly on the manufacturing floor. Scalability is another strong point - for a startup or small business, ToolTrack serves as a capable and cost-friendly system which can easily scale as your company grows. I've found MES entry to be difficult for a startup or small company - if you buy a system you can afford early, it likely won't scale as the company grows, and switching MES's is never fun. But a large-scale MES too early is too expensive, cumbersome and inflexible. Wait too long to get an MES, and you've likely kludged a home-grown 'system'. Finally, the support is fantastic - the folks at I-Track have years of experience in high volume manufacturing and R&D environments, and are eager to help solve your problems. And they are pleasant (even fun!) to work with.