Level of Education of Students Involved
Undergraduate
Faculty Sponsor
Nicholas Rosasco
College
College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)
Discipline(s)
Computer Science
ORCID Identifier(s)
Harris Gustafson, 0009-0005-2896-3866; Sam Thyen, 0009-0008-3511-491X; Harley Eades, 0009-0006-1132-5670;
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Symposium Date
Spring 4-24-2025
Abstract
Sensit Technologies, based in Valparaiso, IN, manufactures gas leak detection equipment. They currently utilize a locally-developed Manufacturing Execution System to gather production data for analytics, but they desire a replacement with additional features such as providing work instructions (currently paper-based) and gathering more detailed information. This project sought to create a more fully featured version of the existing locally built suite, known as MESS (Manufacturing Execution Software System). This new version of MESS is a web-based application with an SQL database and is developed using C#, Blazor, and ASP.NET Core Identity. New features include allowing operators to record their part of a product’s assembly step by step, documenting failures, and automatic step timing. As an additional customer need, MESS 2.0 has enhanced batch part number entry with a QR code scanner and access to work instructions in multiple formats. Incorporated into MESS 2.0 is “Phoebe,” an additional administration interface that manages users, configures product lines, and controls workstation access. The enhanced system should also provide customer service representatives with increased part traceability features to track components for recalls and support. MESS 2.0 will enable optimized assembly processes while maintaining Sensit Technologies’ commitment to quality workmanship and rapid turnaround by integrating real-time production balancing (rebalance) and structured work instruction management. Primary software engineering challenges faced in this project were understanding the customers' in house vocabulary and finding solutions that meet existing software needs while simultaneously accommodating for new requirements.
Recommended Citation
Gustafson, Harris; Thyen, Sam; and Eades, Harley, "The MESS Project" (2025). Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 1466.
https://scholar.valpo.edu/cus/1466
Biographical Information about Author(s)
Harris Gustafson, a Senior Computer Science major at Valparaiso University.
Sam Thyen, a Junior Computer Science major at Valparaiso University.
Harley Eades, a Junior Environmental Science and Digital Media double major, with a Minor in Computer Science.