The pulp and paper industry faces constant pressure to optimize efficiency, reduce waste, and maintain quality while adapting to an evolving market. Mills operate in one of the most complex manufacturing environments: machines run continuously, grade changes must happen at high speed, and downtime can cost up to $150,000 per hour (Paper360°). On top of that, aging infrastructure, shifting workforce demographics, and growing sustainability demands add new challenges.

So how can mills stay competitive in this environment?

A Manufacturing Execution System (MES) designed specifically for the pulp and paper industry has become a critical tool in addressing these challenges. Unlike generic MES platforms, a purpose-built solution is designed for the unique needs of paper production - connecting enterprise planning systems (ERP) with real-time shop-floor operations. It provides the visibility, automation, and control that mills need to run efficiently and profitably.

Why MES Matters for Pulp and Paper

Many mills today still rely on spreadsheets, manual records, or older in-house systems. These approaches often make it difficult to capture timely and accurate production data. Operators spend extra hours on paperwork; managers have limited insight into inventory, production status, or quality metrics; and quality issues are frequently discovered only after off-grade product has already been made.

A pulp and paper MES changes that dynamic. It bridges the gap between systems and operations, delivering real-time visibility into production, inventory, and quality. Automated workflows replace manual tasks, while built-in traceability links every roll, sheet, or bale back to its source materials and process conditions. By providing this foundation of accurate, timely data, mills can respond faster to market changes, maintain consistent quality, and reduce waste.

Built for Industry Challenges

Not all MES systems are created equal. Pulp and paper production has unique requirements that go beyond the capabilities of generic software. A purpose-built MES includes functionality such as trim optimization, where advanced algorithms calculate the most efficient way to cut parent rolls, reducing trim waste and increasing the amount of sellable product. Even modest improvements in trim yield can deliver significant cost savings over time.

Another critical capability is advanced labeling and tracking. Accurate product labeling is essential for inventory management, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. Industry-focused MES platforms can automatically generate customer-specific labels, integrate with barcode or RFID technology for real-time tracking, and support multiple languages for global shipments—all directly connected to live production data.

Flexibility is also key. Markets increasingly demand custom products and shorter delivery timelines. Make-to-order capabilities allow mills to meet special customer specifications without disrupting standard production runs. Combined with continuous quality monitoring and traceability, these features give mills the ability to reduce off-grade production, comply with regulatory requirements, and deliver exactly what customers expect.

When Is MES the Right Step?

There is no single milestone that prompts a mill to adopt MES, but common scenarios include replacing legacy in-house systems that can’t meet modern security or analytics needs, unifying operations after mergers and acquisitions, or scaling up beyond spreadsheets and paper-based workflows.

In each of these cases, the challenge is the same: managing complex production environments without the real-time information and control that modern operations demand. When visibility gaps start to impact performance or compliance, an MES becomes not just useful but essential.

From Efficiency to Profitability

A pulp and paper MES does more than streamline shop-floor activities. It integrates and improves the entire production lifecycle. By connecting planning and scheduling with real-time execution, mills can optimize machine usage and reduce changeover time. Automated processes standardize best practices and reduce manual errors. Integration with ERP, logistics, and warehouse systems helps align inventory and supply chain activities with production schedules, leading to smoother material flow and more reliable deliveries.

There are also broader business benefits. Automated compliance reporting simplifies audits and supports sustainability initiatives by providing accurate, verifiable environmental data. With unplanned downtime costs that can range from $80,000 to $150,000 per hour (Paper360°), the risk mitigation alone makes a strong case for MES. The ultimate outcome is a foundation for continuous improvement - better decisions based on better data.

Selecting the Right Partner

Choosing an MES is not just about software; it’s about selecting a partner that understands the pulp and paper industry. Providers with deep industry experience can deliver proven best practices out of the box, reducing implementation risks and accelerating value. When evaluating options, consider how fully integrated the solution is, what kind of 24/7 support is offered, and whether the provider has a track record with mills similar to yours.

Implementation is often smoother than mills expect. With a phased approach—covering assessment and planning, system configuration, integration with existing ERP and quality systems, operator training, and ongoing optimization—mills can deploy MES with minimal disruption. Many have transitioned in under a year when working with experienced industry teams.

Where to Learn More

Implementing MES is a journey, and education is the best place to start. We’ve published a number of resources to help pulp and paper manufacturers explore best practices, case studies, and real-world results:

• Pulp and Paper MES: What To Look For - And Why It Matters
• Who Needs Pulp and Paper MES?
• Case Study: Thunder Bay Rapidly Implements MES Following Acquisition

You can explore these and other articles on the MAJIQ blog, where we regularly share insights to help mills navigate digital transformation.

Final Thoughts

As the pulp and paper industry continues to evolve, MES has shifted from a “nice-to-have” to a strategic necessity. The right, industry-specific solution improves efficiency, supports sustainability goals, and strengthens profitability.

Whether you are exploring MES for the first time or planning to replace a legacy system, working with a partner who understands the unique challenges of pulp and paper can make all the difference. Learn more about MES best practices and how MAJIQ supports mills worldwide at majiq.com. You can also visit the Elixir MES product page to see how a purpose-built solution can transform your operations.

The pulp and paper industry is navigating a period of profound transition. Consolidation among global producers, demographic shifts in the workforce, and ongoing ERP migrations are reshaping how mills approach operations. At the center of these changes is a fundamental question: what role should Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) play in the next decade of pulp and paper?

This fall, MAJIQ will utilize its annual Elixir MAJIQ Users Conference (EMUG) to unveil a new MES platform specifically designed to address these challenges. While the details of the platform will be revealed at the event, the underlying principles driving its development provide a valuable lens into how MES is evolving—and why the industry needs to think differently about it.

Why End-to-End MES Isn’t Always the Answer

For years, MES platforms have often been positioned as “end-to-end” solutions, covering everything from order entry through invoicing. While these comprehensive systems remain valuable in many contexts, they are not always the best fit for large-scale paper manufacturers, particularly those already running enterprise ERP systems.

Large ERP systems excel in functions such as order entry, warehousing, and shipping. However, when it comes to manufacturing execution and quality, these horizontal ERP solutions tend to fall short. They lack the deep, industry-specific knowledge required to manage critical pulp and paper processes—things like basis weight control, grade transitions, and winder operations that directly impact yield, safety, and quality.

This is where an industry-specific MES solution becomes essential. Instead of attempting to be all things to all industries, a small-footprint MES purpose-built for pulp and paper provides the missing layer of intelligence between ERP and the shop floor.

Why Large Producers Are Seeking Small-Footprint MES

This shift is especially pronounced among large producers running. These companies increasingly want MES solutions that:

• Focus specifically on the manufacturing middle layer: from winder through wrapper, and eventually extending into pulp, sheeting, and coating.

• Provide built-in understanding of pulp and paper processes that generic ERP modules cannot deliver.

• Seamlessly integrate with other enterprise systems, ensuring that mill operations and ERP stay aligned without costly customizations.

Rather than trying to replace ERP or compete with it, small-footprint MES solutions complement ERP by managing the production realities that horizontal systems often miss. This allows ERP to remain the system of record for orders and warehouses, while MES ensures that manufacturing is executed with the precision only an industry-specific solution can provide.

Integration as the Differentiator

The importance of ERP–MES integration cannot be overstated. For many mills, the most time-consuming and expensive part of any IT project is ensuring that systems “talk” to each other effectively.

A well-designed, industry-specific MES brings immediate advantages here. It already understands pulp and paper concepts like basis weight or reel tracking, so integration with ERP becomes faster, cleaner, and more reliable. With global producers now facing mandatory migrations to major systems, these efficiencies are becoming critical.

In short, integration is not just about connectivity—it’s about speaking the same industrial language on both sides of the interface.

The Workforce Factor

Technology pressures are only half the story. The other half is human.

As experienced operators retire, mills are increasingly staffed by employees with just a few years of production experience. The old reliance on decades of tacit, operator-held knowledge is no longer sustainable.

This is why usability and training have become central to MES design. Modern, small-footprint MES solutions focus on:

• Intuitive, modern interfaces that mirror consumer technology expectations.

• Configurable layouts aligned to actual operator workflows.

• Embedded best practices that help newer employees make better decisions, faster.

The MES, in other words, is no longer just a tool for recording production—it’s a mechanism for knowledge transfer and operational continuity.

Shedding Legacy Bloat

Another evolution lies in how MES is built. Legacy systems often carried forward every feature from previous generations, creating complexity that mills no longer want or need.

By shadowing operators and gathering real-world feedback, modern MES developers are taking a different approach: carrying forward only what is essential, leaving behind what no longer adds value. The result is a lean, efficient system that is easier to maintain and better aligned with the realities of today’s mills.

This “less is more” approach reflects a new philosophy in industrial software: focus on what matters most, and do it extremely well.

Beyond the Interface: Expanding Capabilities

While ease of use is critical, the next generation of MES is also expanding how mills can leverage data:

• Process Information Integration – Combining production data with machine condition information, so mills can analyze performance in a single environment.

• AI Vision for Safety & Quality – Using camera-based AI to detect smoke, PPE compliance, or water hazards—providing proactive safety alerts without the need for proprietary hardware.

These advancements underscore how MES is evolving beyond a system of record - it is becoming a hub for operational intelligence.

Balancing Continuity and Change

Importantly, this shift does not make larger, comprehensive systems like Elixir obsolete. For mills that require full end-to-end MES, Elixir remains a proven and trusted solution.

What is changing is the recognition that large producers running ERP don’t always need MES to cover everything. Instead, they need MES to specialize where ERP cannot: the manufacturing middle layer.

By delivering industry-specific intelligence while integrating seamlessly with ERP, small-footprint MES solutions provide the best of both worlds.

What It Means for the Industry

The forthcoming product launch at EMUG is significant not just for MAJIQ, but for the pulp and paper industry as a whole. It reflects:

1. Acknowledgment of ERP’s limits in handling manufacturing execution in pulp and paper.
2. A tailored approach that understands rolls, bales, sheeting, coating, and industry-specific quality metrics.
3. The rise of complementary solutions that strengthen, rather than replace, ERP in mill environments.
4. Preparation for the future workforce, with systems designed for usability as much as power.

These are long-term shifts that will define how mills approach technology investment for years to come.

EMUG 2025: A Window Into the Future

Attendees at the Elixir MAJIQ Users Conference (EMUG) on October 6–9 will be the first to see MAJIQ’s new platform in action. However, beyond the unveiling, the event will delve into broader questions about how to future-proof pulp and paper operations in a rapidly changing world.

With more than 45 sessions across IT, operations, and leadership - and a theme centered on bridging generations - the conference promises both education and insight into where MES and ERP coexist most effectively.

The launch of MAJIQ’s new platform is one answer to the ERP–MES balance question. The broader conversation it sparks may be even more important.

Registration for EMUG 2025 is now open at www.majiq.com/events/emug.

I am so old I can remember when there were no options for MES, in fact I don't think the terminology "MES" had been coined yet. In those days, we relied on highly experienced "production planners" to do just the most critical part of the work MES software does today. Often, these people were educated as mathematicians for the problems to be solved were entertainment to them. I kept asking why we didn't do these functions with a computer and kept getting the answer back that computers could not yet beat humans.

No more. Now MES software exists and papermakers no longer have to worry if the production planners calls in sick.

The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) Market is projected to grow from USD 15,050 million in 2024 to USD 32,261 million by 2032, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%. 

The manufacturing industry is evolving rapidly with Industry 4.0, and one of the most impactful technologies driving this transformation is the digital twin.

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) have long been the backbone of smart manufacturing by orchestrating production workflows through predefined logic and configurations. But what if these systems could think, learn and adapt autonomously?