MES Demo Questions: What to Ask So the Demo Shows the Truth

Key takeaways

• Send the vendor your questions and one real shift of data before the demo.
• Ask them to log a stop live, not show a finished dashboard.
• Ask for the OEE math on your own numbers.
• Ask to see the operator screen, and how many taps a reason takes.
• Ask what happens after the demo: pilot scope, baseline, decision date.

The short answer: the best MES demo questions make the vendor show, not tell. Ask them to log a stop live, run your own shift through the math, and show the operator screen in use.

This list is for plant teams sitting in MES or light MES demos. Fabrico, a computer vision enabled Manufacturing Performance Platform, runs its demos around these same questions. Use them with every vendor so you compare like with like.

How should you prepare for an MES demo?

1. Send one real shift. Counts, stops and rejects from one line, from paper if that is all you have.
2. Send the questions below two days before. A good vendor will prepare.
3. Bring the right people. A supervisor, an operator or team leader, a maintenance lead and someone from IT.
4. Agree the agenda. Your questions first, their slides last.

Questions about stop logging

• "Show me a stop being logged right now. Where does the start time come from?"
• "How do you tell an own stop from starved or blocked time?"
• "What happens to a 40 second stop? Where does it land in OEE?"
• "How does the operator add a reason, and what if they skip it?"
• "Can a machine with no PLC be connected?"
• "Show me the stop list for the last hour. Can I filter it by machine and reason?"

Ask each question while the screen is in front of you. A vendor who answers with a slide instead of the live system is telling you something.

The micro stop question matters. No standard sets the cutoff between a minor stop and downtime; the plant decides. The answer should be a setting you control. Our guide to micro stops explains why.

Questions about the OEE number

• "Run our shift through your system. What OEE do you get?"
• "Where do you set rated speed, and can it change per product?"
• "What counts as planned production time, and who can change it?"
• "Show me Availability, Performance and Quality for that shift."
• "Can I see the raw events behind the OEE figure?"

Questions for the operator and supervisor

• "Hand the screen to our operator. Can they log a reason without help?"
• "What does the supervisor see at the end of the shift, without building a report?"
• "How does the next shift see what happened on the last one?"
• "Does this measure the process or the person?"

Let your operator drive. If the vendor keeps taking the mouse back, that tells you how it will go on the floor.

Also ask about cameras if the vendor uses them. What is recorded, how long is it kept, and who can watch it? In Germany the works council has a say over any equipment that can monitor performance, even a camera that records nothing. A clear answer here saves months later.

Questions about fit, data and the next step

• "Where does your system sit in ISA-95, and what stays in our ERP?"
• "Who owns the data, and how do we export it?"
• "What would a pilot on one line look like: scope, baseline, decision date?"
• "Which customers can you name, and what results did they get?"

For a full scoring list to use after the demo, see our MES selection guide. If maintenance tools are also on your list, our integrated OEE and CMMS demo questions add a few for that side.

A worked check: does the demo OEE match yours?

Sample shift (illustrative numbers, not a customer): you send the vendor one shift from a line rated at 100 units a minute.

• Availability = 380 / 450 = 84.4%.
• Performance = 34,200 / (380 x 100) = 34,200 / 38,000 = 90.0%.
• Quality = 33,500 / 34,200 = 98.0%.
• OEE = 84.4% x 90.0% x 98.0% = 74.4%. Check: 33,500 x 0.01 minutes / 450 = 74.4%.

If the vendor shows anything far from 74.4% on these inputs, ask why. A different number usually means a different rule for planned time or rated speed. That is fine if it is visible and you agree with it, and a problem if it is hidden.

What should you do right after the demo?

1. Score it the same day. Use the same sheet for every vendor.
2. Write down what they did not show. Anything promised for later goes on a list for the next call.
3. Ask the operator. Their view of the screen often decides whether the data will be clean.
4. Ask for a pilot plan in writing: one line, a baseline, a goal and a decision date.

A second, shorter demo on your own line data is worth more than a long first one. If the vendor offers it, take it.

Warning signs in a demo

• Only a prepared dashboard, never a live stop.
• Your shift data "will be loaded later".
• No clear answer on starved and blocked time.
• Results quoted without a customer name.
• A pilot with no end date.

Where Fabrico fits

Fabrico is a computer vision enabled Manufacturing Performance Platform. OEE and light MES come first: automatic downtime logging that keeps own stops, starved and blocked time apart, and OEE live by line and shift.

• Stops logged automatically, through a PLC, a Fabrico IoT device or an AI camera.
• The operator confirms the reason in one tap, with a camera clip as evidence where a camera watches the line.
• Losses priced in money and ranked.
• One view across plants for groups.

Named results: ABB, 20% less downtime; Ficosota, OEE from 53.1% to 59.6% and good output up 23.2% a month. There is no free plan and there are no tiers: each plant gets a quote. See how it works on our light MES page.

Frequently asked questions

What should I ask in an MES demo?

Ask to see a stop logged live, your own shift run through the OEE math, the operator screen in use, and what a one line pilot would look like.

Should I send data before the demo?

Yes. One real shift of counts, stops and rejects lets you check the vendor's math against your own.

Who should attend the demo?

A supervisor, an operator or team leader, a maintenance lead and someone from IT.

How long should an MES demo be?

Long enough to cover your questions. Fabrico's first demo is 30 minutes.

What is the biggest red flag?

A vendor that will not run your own data or log a live stop.

Bring your questions to a demo

Send one shift and this list. We will answer every question on screen.

Request a demo · Contact us