Pico MES
By Pico MES
Typical Implementation Process for Pico MES Software
Identify key process areas for digitalization (e.g., work instructions, device integration).
The system integrates with existing tools and workstations, using USB or Ethernet with low IT involvement.
Configure initial plant floor layout, user roles, and assign production stations via intuitive, no-code dashboards.
Assign digital instructions to production stations and operators.
Optionally, connect to ERP/MRP systems or analytics/BI tools via open APIs.
Conduct end-user and supervisor training (onsite or virtual), ensuring rapid adoption.
Analyze productivity and quality data within days or weeks of launch.
Pico MES is designed with substantial flexibility to adapt to specific business and factory needs, especially for small and mid-sized manufacturers. Here are the main data points illustrating where and how it can be customized:
Modular, Feature-Based Deployment: Pico MES uses a modular architecture, so you can deploy just the features you require—such as digital work instructions, traceability, or error-proofing—without needing to install the entire suite at once. This lowers complexity and makes it easy to phase in digital transformation across departments or sites.
Custom Digital Work Instructions: Create highly tailored, step-by-step digital work instructions, enhanced with images, videos, tables, and operator notes. These can be adjusted and version-controlled for each process or product, ensuring operators always see information relevant to their current build.
Process Variants: Pico MES supports “process variants,” allowing you to set up a template for a process with unlimited variations (such as for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing). Each variant can modify specific steps, measurements, instructions, or graphics as needed, while staying linked to the master process for easier management and updates.
Custom Dashboards and Reporting: Dashboards, analytics, and reporting tools are customizable, so you can define which metrics, performance indicators, or statuses are tracked and displayed in real-time for supervisors, managers, or other roles.
User Role and Permissions Customization: Assign custom user roles with tailored access to certain features, dashboards, or instructions. This supports secure, role-based operations for different factory stakeholders.
Device and Tool Integration: The platform offers plug-and-play, no-code integration with over 200 factory tools and devices—from barcode scanners and torque tools to sensors and tablets. Additional integrations with ERP/MRP, BI tools, and more are enabled via open REST API and connectors.
Workflow Management and Logic: Users can configure workflows for approval processes, quality checks, data collection, and responses to events (like completed steps, errors, or alerts). Change control can be enforced to require reviews before deploying workflow edits.
Custom Alerts and Notifications: Trigger notifications, alerts, or exceptions based on custom rules—such as failures, missed steps, or machine data thresholds—to drive real-time intervention and error-proofing.
Multi-Site and Layout Customization: Set up custom plant floor layouts, assign production stations, and deploy Pico MES across multiple departments or factory sites, adapting the scope to fit growth needs.
Custom Data Collection and Traceability: Define specific data fields, measurements, or trace points according to your quality, regulatory, or customer requirements. Part, job, and operator traceability can be set up to unique business rules and reporting needs.
Integration with Legacy and Modern Systems: Seamlessly connect Pico MES to key business systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Odoo, and others), breaking down data silos and customizing how data is shared across your tech stack for operational continuity.
Training and Support Offered by Pico MES
Guided and Self-Service Onboarding: Pico MES is designed for quick adoption, providing new users with a guided onboarding process that typically begins immediately after deployment. Step-by-step configuration wizards and intuitive, no-code dashboards help users set up digital work instructions, production stations, and device integrations with minimal IT involvement.
On-Demand Training Resources: The platform features in-app tutorials, documentation, and video guides that allow users to learn at their own pace. These resources cover all key functions—work instruction creation, traceability, dashboard customization, and integration setup.
Role-Based and Modular Training: Training is tailored by role: operators, supervisors, quality managers, and engineers each get learning materials and support specific to their jobs. Modular training sessions make it easy for teams to ramp up quickly on only the features they need.
Live Support and Customer Success
Pico MES offers live customer support channels, often described as highly responsive and “collaborative.” New users have access to onboarding specialists who provide one-on-one or group training (virtually or onsite, as needed), assist with initial setup, and answer questions throughout early implementation.
The customer success team is available for hands-on troubleshooting, customizations, and workflow adaptation, helping users achieve results during the critical first days and weeks on the platform.
Continuous Support and Help Desk: Ongoing support is delivered through a dedicated helpdesk, email, chat, and (in some plans) phone support. Users can reach out for immediate help with configuration, integration, or any technical questions. The Pico MES team is known for rapid ticket response and proactive outreach to ensure factories stay productive.
Peer Community and Knowledge Sharing: Users benefit from webinars, peer discussion forums, and regular product update webinars that highlight new features or best practices, supporting continuous learning and improvement.
Pico MES implements a set of security measures to protect manufacturing data and ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of its systems:
1. Data Encryption (In Transit and At Rest)
Uses advanced encryption standards for securing data in transit, including TLS 1.3 with SHA-256 cipher suites and ECDSA (curve secp384r1), alongside a shared TLS-Auth key for secure communications over its VPN.
Data stored on cloud backups is encrypted and managed by SOC2-compliant partners for additional protection.
2. Network & System Security
Employs a secure, shorewalled VPN, vetted by independent cybersecurity experts, to connect the central Pico server to factory sites, reducing exposure to potential network attacks.
Implements defense-in-depth measures with network traffic analysis (NTA), web application firewalls (WAF), and host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) to monitor, block, and respond to malicious activities and abnormal behaviors.
Regular vulnerability assessments and adherence to industry best practices, such as the OWASP Top Ten, are conducted before any new online service is launched.
3. Access Controls & Data Segmentation
Strict controls on access to servers and hubs, with permissions only for authorized Pico MES employees, based on operational need and security policy.
For shop floor integrations, Pico MES requests specific access credentials and will only interact with customer-approved machine data tags. All other data is protected and not accessed without explicit consent.
4. Security Audits & Compliance
Pico MES undergoes regular audits by third parties for SOC2 Type II compliance, ensuring rigorous controls for data security and operational transparency. Audit summaries or reports are available upon request.
Cloud backup and data hosting partners are also SOC2 compliant, further validating their security posture.
5. User Permission & Data Lifecycle Management
Users maintain control over application permissions, and can update, restrict, or delete access at any time through the system management interface.
Adopts strict data classification and lifecycle management policies — all user data is categorized by sensitivity and protected accordingly throughout collection, storage, transmission, use, and deletion phases. Data is retained only as long as necessary for legitimate operational or legal reasons.
6. Physical, Technical, and Administrative Safeguards
Physical and administrative security measures vary based on the type of data and operational context, protecting both online and offline data.
7. Incident Response & Monitoring
Continuous monitoring for threats and alerts for suspicious activities or unauthorized access attempts, ensuring rapid incident response and continuous improvement to security protocols.
8. Employee and End-User Safety
Pico MES manages software updates in a way designed to minimize disruption and reduce the operational burden on its customers. Here are the key aspects of their update and management process:
1. Fully Managed Updates
Pico MES customers do not need to handle software updates themselves. The Pico MES team manages the server for you; once the hardware is set up and connected to your secure network, all software maintenance—including updates—is handled by Pico MES support staff. This applies to both on-premise and cloud deployments.
2. Automatic and Seamless Process
Updates are delivered automatically and are designed to be seamless, so that customers benefit from the latest features, security patches, and improvements without manual intervention or downtime.
3. Change Management With Instant Deployment
For end-users managing digital work instructions, Pico MES features a process variant system to streamline updating assembly instructions across templates. When a change is made to a process template, all linked variants are updated instantly, allowing engineering teams to efficiently deploy workflow changes throughout the factory without repetitive or manual updates. This approach ensures that updates—especially to work instructions and process controls—are both easy and non-disruptive.
4. Security and Support
Pico MES maintains SOC 2 compliance, ensuring their update process aligns with modern data security and privacy standards, and support is available during setup and throughout the update process.
5. Customer Communication
Pico MES’s policy on data ownership and portability gives customers meaningful control over their data, with clear terms set out in their service agreements:
Data Ownership
Customer Ownership: As stated in Pico MES’s Free User Service Terms and Conditions, all data that customers enter or generate within the Pico MES platform (“Customer Data”) remains the property of the customer. Customers retain all rights, title, and interest in their data, including any intellectual property rights. Pico MES has no rights in this data except those required to provide the agreed services and to use anonymized, aggregated data for lawful purposes (such as feature improvements or analytics).
No Transfer of IP: Using the Pico MES service does not transfer ownership of the platform or any of its intellectual property to the customer; it simply grants a limited license to use the software for the duration of the service agreement.
Data Portability
Access Upon Termination: When a customer’s service agreement ends, Pico MES will (if the agreement is not ended for a breach by the customer) allow the customer temporary access to the service for up to 30 days. During this period, the customer can download their data in commonly used, structured, and machine-readable formats for transfer to another system. After this period, access to the data is removed, and customers are required to destroy any confidential information from Pico MES.
Data Retention and Deletion: Pico MES retains customer data only for as long as there is a legitimate business need or as required by law. Upon termination, users may request deletion of their data, and Pico MES will comply with data destruction requests, subject to any legal obligations that require data retention.
Terms and conditions for contract renewal and cancellation for Pico MES software, based on available information:
Automatic Renewal: After the initial contract term (referred to as the "Order Term"), the contract automatically renews for additional one-year periods unless a party gives written notice of its intent not to renew at least 30 days before the end of the current term.
Price Changes: Pico MES reserves the right to change fees and introduce new ones for any renewal term, providing at least 60 days' prior written notice to customers before the current term ends.
Written Notice for Non-Renewal: Either party can prevent automatic renewal by giving written notice at least 30 days before the end of the current term.
Termination for Cause: Either party may terminate the agreement for cause, such as a breach of contract, as defined in the agreement.
End-of-Term Provisions: Upon expiration or termination:
All amounts owed are due and payable.
All licenses granted end immediately.
Customers must discontinue software use and return or erase all documentation.
For 30 days after contract end, Pico MES will provide limited access for customers to retrieve their data, unless otherwise instructed to delete it sooner.
Data Retrieval: Customers have a 30-day window post-termination to retrieve their data from the software.
Subject to Customer Agreement: Terms of Service may vary based on the specifics of the Customer Agreement or order form entered into at the time of purchase. Where there is a conflict between site terms and your Customer Agreement, the latter takes precedence.
Pico MES software meets several key compliance standards essential for manufacturing and data security:
SOC 2 Compliance: Pico MES adheres to the SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2) standard, which is focused on ensuring secure management of data to protect the privacy and interests of an organization’s clients. This includes controls around security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy.
ITAR Compliance: The software also complies with ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations), meaning it is designed to handle sensitive information subject to U.S. export control laws. This is crucial for manufacturers working with the defense and aerospace sectors.
