What might batch industry manufacturers still desire in their enterprise-grade MES? Maybe simpler ways to configure, roll out, and manage the system. TrakSYS MES V13 features major upgrades in solution creation and templates. It also prepares for cloud deployment, expands containerization, includes MQTT, and maintains a clean user interface— the kind of UI that has made them a customer favorite for decades.
Impressive Growth
TrakSYS has been on the market since 2001 and has recently been growing revenue by 20% annually. Its workforce has increased by 30% each year over the past two years, following strategic investment from partner BVP Forge. With deployments in over 100 countries, this well-established company continues to grow rapidly in all regions, with accelerated growth in APAC. This extensive geographic reach is rare in the MES market for companies of Parsec’s size, demonstrating the global acceptance of TrakSYS and the worldwide partner network it has built.
Its focus remains on leading manufacturers in food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, CPG, and chemicals, though it serves other industries as well.
Parsec’s growth reflects the rising demand for adaptable and scalable MES solutions across sectors. Powered by V13, TrakSYS is set to transform how manufacturers pursue operational efficiency, offering an unmatched blend of flexibility and advanced technology.
Keys to Success – Platform
TrakSYS was originally built on the Microsoft .NET platform. Unlike its larger MES competitors, which have assembled solutions by acquiring multiple software offerings, all TrakSYS modules (27 and counting) are developed on the same platform and use the same database. This standardization has allowed Parsec to unify communication, integrations, and the user interface, facilitating a quick transition from on-premise or data center deployment to the cloud by leveraging capabilities such as .NET Core, SQL Server, HTML5, and other Microsoft Azure tools for migration.
Currently, only 15% of their client base remains on-premise, 30% are in a corporate data center, and 55% are deployed in the cloud. Additionally, 90% of these cloud deployments are single instance multi-site (SIMS). Parsec’s largest SIMS deployment is with a food and beverage manufacturer supporting 46 sites from a single instance.
Keys to Success – Solution Creation using Function Blocks & Templates
TrakSYS features a core framework for solution creation, with pre-built Function Blocks for common MES functionalities like SPC. These can significantly reduce service time in project implementation. Users can quickly create new SPC overview pages using existing data definitions, aiming to expand function blocks across various MES use cases.
Users can combine tables, menus, pages, charts, and lists to create custom visual elements and interactive pages with buttons and web service calls. They can also modify screens by accessing the parts viewer, dragging components from the parts gallery, and configuring their properties.
Other Product Updates
Parsec Smart Devices are now in their third generation, with enhanced capabilities like responses and indicator lights. Parsec supports both OPC UA and MQTT, with the Sparkplug B protocol expected to be available by the end of 2025.
This new release includes updates to the workflow builder, including the ability to create nested workflows for complex automation processes. A newly released SVG editor allows customers to interact with shop floor schematics within TrakSYS, enabling features like clicking on parts or dynamic visual indicators.
Future Directions
TrakSYS Cloud will be a new SaaS offering, serving as a command layer that complements existing cloud deployments. It will help with backups and data transfer across TrakSYS instances. TrakSYS Cloud aims to enable quick startup, license visibility, simplified installations, and hosted non-production environments, with a planned release by the end of the year. The process includes creating templates for custom pages and managing their versions for deployment to different sites. A development area is designated for template creation, and a QC area connects to relevant data sources. The database transfer tool moves configurations between environments without affecting data. TrakSYS Cloud oversees the template management system, allowing categorized templates to be deployed to specific sites.
TrakSYS IQ Assistant, an AI chat feature being added to the product, utilizes Azure Open AI. This will let users ask questions about their TrakSYS data and get insights, charts, and tables in return. It will support multiple languages and allow actions like creating pie charts or adding trend lines. Discussions are ongoing about role-based access control to protect data security within the AI assistant. Regional data governance is also being explored, with a prototype currently in private-preview with select customers.
Thank you, Ryan McMartin, for the detailed briefing and demo for Tech-Clarity’s Rick Franzosa and Julie Fraser.