Product quality is one of the most important concerns of product manufacturers today. The lack of product quality, which can be defined as being deficient in the design and/or manufacture of product that meets the user's needs, is one of the most important factors in why products fail in the marketplace.

MES is a part of the PLM concept that deals with the realization of a physical product from a virtual design. MES is involved with the three phases of producing a product: making the first one, ramp-up, and making the rest.

In making the first product, MES is the repository of proven Bill of Processes (BofP's) that can be used to realize a physical product from a virtual design. MES also has data from previous product builds to provide a longitudinal view of how the specifications of previous products varied to understand whether the specifications of the new product are realistic over time. This Longitudinal Product Quality (LPQ) information is invaluable for understanding whether the virtual design can be realized for the each instance of the product.