Integrating Work Orders with ERP and MES in Aerospace Operations

When ERP, MES, and the shopfloor tell different stories

Many aerospace operations leaders already have an ERP, sometimes an MES, and a mix of custom tools. On paper, this stack should support end to end control of work orders. In practice, every system holds a different version of the truth.

The ERP knows which orders exist and what the customer expects. The MES, if present, knows which operations should run and at which resources. The shopfloor knows what is actually happening, often through paper packets and spreadsheets that never make it back into any system. Quality and supplier data live elsewhere again.

Work orders lose their value the moment your planning systems and your execution reality stop matching each other.

You see this gap in late surprises. An order that looks “on track” in ERP turns out to be stuck at inspection. A line that appears fully loaded in MES is actually idle because material has not arrived. A rushed engineering change gets implemented on the floor long before any formal update is recorded.

Why full replacements rarely solve the integration problem

When this misalignment becomes painful, the reflex is to look at new systems. Replace the MES. Replace the ERP. Replace both with a new integrated platform. This can work in smaller environments, but for most aerospace manufacturers the cost, risk, and time are significant.

Core reasons include:

• ERP and core transactional data are deeply tied to contracts, finance, and reporting.
• Existing MES implementations often contain years of custom logic, built for legacy products and equipment.
• Suppliers and partners may be integrated to the current stack in ways that are expensive to rebuild.
• Large scale replacements divert attention from day to day operational improvement.

Even when replacements succeed, they do not remove the need for a clear operational layer that technicians and supervisors can use directly. The question remains how to keep work order management coherent across planning and execution without rebuilding everything from scratch.

The role of a unified operations layer

A more practical approach is to introduce a unified operations layer that connects to ERP and MES rather than trying to replace them. This layer focuses on the execution view of work orders: routing, status, digital work instructions, quality checks, and supplier coordination.

In this model:

• ERP remains the system of record for customer orders, part masters, and financial transactions.
• MES, where it exists, continues to handle detailed scheduling or machine integration.
• The operations layer becomes the place where technicians, supervisors, and engineers manage real work and status.

Work orders flow from ERP into the operations layer with all necessary context. Execution updates, inspection results, and completion data flow back. The team on the floor interacts primarily with the operations layer and its digital work instructions, while planners and program managers trust that ERP reflects reality with reasonable latency.

Key integration points for aerospace work orders

To make this approach effective, integrations need to be specific and disciplined, not broad and abstract. For aerospace work orders, several integration points matter most.

• Work order creation: ERP releases work orders with part numbers, quantities, due dates, and basic routing. Connect981 receives these orders and enriches them with execution level routing, instructions, and quality requirements.
• Status updates: As operations move from assigned to in progress to complete, the operations layer updates ERP status fields and, where appropriate, MES dispatching information.
• Material consumption and traceability: Material issues, lot numbers, and serial number associations captured in the operations layer are fed back to ERP for inventory and traceability records.
• Quality holds and nonconformances: Holds triggered from nonconformance management adjust availability and scheduling in ERP and MES.
• Completion and ship readiness: Once all routing steps, inspections, and documentation are complete in Connect981, the work order is flagged as complete for downstream shipment and billing processes.

These concrete touchpoints keep the data model simple while ensuring that every system sees the part of the story it needs.

How Connect981 bridges ERP, MES, and the shopfloor

Connect981 is designed from the start to sit as this unified operations layer. It does not ask you to throw away existing ERP or MES investments. Instead, it provides a focused, aerospace aware environment where execution happens in a structured, traceable way.

Typical integrations include:

• Inbound APIs from ERP for work order release, part master data, and customer identifiers.
• Outbound status and completion updates to keep ERP and MES aligned with shopfloor reality.
• Bi directional traceability information so that serial numbers, lot numbers, and inspection results are visible in both Connect981 and ERP.
• Supplier and MRO specific flows where external work orders are coordinated through the same platform, as covered in supplier work order coordination.

Because Connect981 uses zero and low code workflows, manufacturing and IT teams can adapt these integrations over time as routing, documentation, and supplier needs evolve.

Improving visibility without overwhelming teams

Once work order data flows consistently between systems, the next challenge is presentation. It is easy to create dashboards that no one uses. The goal is not more charts. It is to provide the right visibility at the right level.

In practice, that means:

• Supervisors see live queues of work orders at each cell, with clear status and blockers.
• Quality teams see which orders are held for inspection or nonconformance and why.
• Program managers see aggregate progress against key builds and milestones.
• Supply chain teams see which orders are waiting on supplier parts or external processing.

Connect981 focuses on these operational views. It uses the same work order data that ERP and MES rely on but organizes it around the decisions each role needs to make. This reduces ad hoc spreadsheet reporting and manual status collection.

Incremental integration, real impact

You do not need to integrate every field on day one. Aerospace teams see real value by starting with a small set of high leverage connections. For example:

• Move from manual status entry in ERP to automated updates from Connect981.
• Shift from paper travelers to digital work instructions that write back completion and inspection data.
• Use Connect981 as the single place to manage work order management while keeping planning and finance in ERP.

As these foundations solidify, more advanced integrations such as predictive analytics and capacity planning become meaningful. They are built on a base of consistent, connected work order data rather than assumptions.

For aerospace manufacturers and MRO organizations that want better alignment between planning and execution without another disruptive system replacement, Connect981 offers a practical path. Request a demo to see how a unified operations layer can make your ERP and MES investments work harder by keeping work orders connected to reality.

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