I. Introduction Currently, the automation and information management levels of steel enterprises in China's non-ferrous metallurgical industry have significantly improved compared to the 1990s. The vast majority of enterprises have relatively complete basic automation systems (Level 1) for their main production processes, some have process control systems (Level 2), and a few enterprises not only have relatively complete basic automation and process control systems for their main production processes, but also manufacturing execution systems (Level 3) for production management. Meanwhile, large and medium-sized enterprises have begun to establish or have already established their own ERP systems (Level 4). II. Tasks and Objectives of the MES System Based on the internationally and domestically accepted system hierarchical principles, the structure and functional division of a relatively complete automation system within a typical enterprise is shown in Figure 1. From the figure, we can see that the L3 system is the hub of the entire enterprise's automation system, internally controlling the effective operation of the entire factory; externally, it will conduct timely and efficient data transmission with the L4 system of the enterprise's leadership. Currently, with relatively complete L1 and L2 systems already in place for major processes (units) within the factory, implementing an L3 system becomes a crucial issue. The author believes the answer lies in combining advanced non-ferrous metallurgical enterprise management concepts with information technology in the design of the L3 system. Furthermore, the deployment of the L3 system should be planned holistically, adapted to local conditions, and implemented in stages, aiming for minimal cost and rapid results. 1. The Tasks of the MES System MES stands for Manufacturing Execution System. The MES International Federation defines MES as: MES optimizes and manages the entire production process from order placement to product completion through information transmission. When real-time events occur in the factory, MES can react promptly, report them, and guide and process them using accurate current data. This rapid response to changes in status enables MES to reduce non-value-added activities within the enterprise, effectively guiding the enterprise's production operations, thereby improving the factory's on-time delivery capability, material flow performance, and production return rate. The main tasks of our company's MES system are: 1) Receiving production orders from the company's ERP system; 2) Allocating free inventory to production orders; 3) Generating work plans from production orders; 4) Establishing production instructions based on work plans and distributing them to the corresponding process computer systems; 5) Scheduling work and controlling and monitoring the overall factory production; 6) Collecting process data, quality data, and event data; 7) Controlling and evaluating product quality; 8) Sending production and quality results to the company's ERP system; 9) Generating factory production reports. Of course, the above tasks of the MES system can be appropriately expanded and tailored according to the actual implementation of the enterprise's ERP system and other objective conditions. 2. The Goal of the MES System The goal of our company's MES system is to support integrated production management and quality control throughout the company by building an advanced, complete, and effective three-level computer system within the factory, achieving automated production, effective production management, and full-line material tracking. While ensuring high product quality and high sales contract completion rates, and winning customer trust, the system rationally reduces raw material and intermediate product inventory, accelerates capital turnover, lowers production costs, and improves efficiency. This allows the company, with its advanced equipment assembly capabilities, to elevate its production management and quality control levels to a new level, maintaining advanced, reliable, and efficient production. This enhances the company's overall market competitiveness, ensuring its survival in today's increasingly globalized economy and the fiercely competitive market environment. The design principles of the MES system are: 1) Advanced and reliable principle; 2) Scalability principle; 3) Economic principle; 4) Ease of use principle; 5) Security principle. III. MES System Architecture Design Our company's MES system adopts a client/server and browser/server architecture. The client uses the client/server approach for data operations and other information management tasks, while the browser/server approach is used for information browsing. The overall system architecture adopts the currently popular three-tier structure. The overall system architecture is shown in Figure 2. The overall application system structure is shown in Figure 3. [align=center] [/align] IV. Application Function Design of the MES System Our company's MES system has great scalability in its application functions. Different application function frameworks can be designed based on the different processes and management requirements of each company and factory. The process flow of the main production workshop, the strip and sheet workshop, is shown in Figure 4. With an ERP system, the main application functions of the MES system are as follows: 1) Production order and operation management; 2) Production scheduling and monitoring; 3) Material management; 4) Quality management; 5) Warehouse management; 6) Production data collection and storage (the above production result data will be transmitted to the company's ERP system); 7) Production reports: Any form of production report, quality report, event report, and various professional reports can be generated as needed. These reports can be queried and printed at any designated workstation (reports are available in automatic and manual formats); 8) Code management: This function mainly includes the establishment of a code system and the continuous maintenance of the code as the factory's production progresses. V. Implementation Methods of MES Systems Regarding the implementation of MES systems, there are currently two main technical approaches: one is to configure an MES system using internationally popular MES suites, and the other is to develop a custom MES system. The advantages of using MES suites are a shorter construction period and more stable system performance. The disadvantages are high cost (generally charged per module * number of users, the total cost of a relatively complete MES system usually exceeds 10 million RMB), some functions not being suitable for the actual situation of non-ferrous metallurgical plants in China, and the inability to meet the functional requirements of some Chinese non-ferrous metallurgical plants. The advantages of custom-developed MES systems are tailored to specific needs, better meeting the actual situation of Chinese non-ferrous metallurgical plants, lower cost, and a development cycle of generally 12-24 months. The author believes that, considering the company's current factory construction and other objective circumstances, the MES system of Chalco Daye Copper Plate and Strip Co., Ltd. should be implemented using the custom development method. VI. Conclusion The application of MES systems in Chinese non-ferrous metallurgical plants has begun. Why are non-ferrous metallurgical enterprises now willing to invest in MES systems? It's because they've already seen its tangible application effects and economic benefits. Having many years of design and practical experience in this area, I'd like to offer my humble opinion and contribute my modest efforts to solving the design and implementation problems of MES systems in my country's non-ferrous metallurgical plants.