First Resonance ION Factory OS Reviews

“powerful manufacturing platform”

Pros

Right out of the gate, it felt like a very user friendly manufacturing platform that goes well beyond what you would expect from a typical MES. It really works like a Swiss army knife for manufacturing operations. The system was set up really quickly. The installation and configuration process was pretty simple. We were able to adapt it to our specific business needs in less than two months. On top of that the support team was consistently available and made a big difference in helping us get everything configured properly. Another big plus is the open API which is simple to work with and makes it possible to build custom apps and dashboards on top of the ION platform whenever there are gaps to fill.

Cons

One limitation is that ION is still evolving. In the past, updates and requested changes were not always delivered as quickly as they should have been, mostly because of the technical debt built up in the codebase over time. That has sometimes left customers needing to put temporary workarounds in place to handle those issues. More recently, First Resonance has reworked the code to make it more modular which should help speed up future updates and changes.

“Slow UI”

Pros

Being able to track serialized hardware and assemblies is the only part of the system that works well for me.

Cons

The interface feels outdated and its slow to use. It also throws errors at times even after I've already submitted information or saved changes. On top of that filtering and browsing features don't work well and it doesn't seem to index what should be a very simple database properly.

“Outstanding support”

Pros

Getting ION up and running was a very easy process and the system is user friendly and highly customizable. The support from their team has also been excellent. They're insightful, helpful and very easy to contact whether on site or remote. Based on what their team has shared, it can connect with a wide range of ERP and PLM systems, with compatibility mostly depending on whether those other platforms offer the necessary APIs.

Cons

Like any production system there are always small quirks that come up and need to be worked through. That said First Resonance's excellent customer support makes those issues much easier to handle and resolve.

“useful for tracking milestones”

Pros

Its features work well for our inventory tracking and keeping up with production milestones.

Cons

The interface still needs improvement since it can be laggy and has deleted recorded data in the past. Having a way to back up data to internal servers would help prevent that.

“simple setup process”

Pros

The intial set up was really easy and the system is very user friendly. The installation process was uncomplicated and having support available when needed has been a big plus.

Cons

I dont have anything to complain about. It also works well with our PDM and PLM solution which has made things fit together nicely.

“Solid startup inventory platform”

Pros

Getting started with this tool was quick and it covers the core needs a startup usually has, including purchasing, receiving, inventory, assembly and record generation. Customer support has been helpful and the basic integrations with QBO and PLM are already available.

Cons

The core pieces are there in each module and there are still a few gaps. In most cases, the ION team either offers a workaround or has a longer term fix planned on the roadmap. They also maintain a public feature roadmap where users can vote and share feedback.

“feature rich and well supported”

Pros

It's a comprehensive platform with a lot of features and support is available when needed.

Cons

One frustrating part is having to build an aBOM. You can't batch confirm unserialized parts so each one has to be confirmed individually. After that, the page reloads and you lose your place. Id also like bin barcodes to pull from any available inventory and right now it's not possible to merge inventory from different POs. On top of that the site doesn't render well on mobile.

“real time visibility”

Pros

Having access to real time data right when it happens is a huge advantage with ION. It helps us catch issues as they are happening on the production floor instead of finding them later. The new rules feature has also been very useful especially for helping our production team make sure the ABOM is completely accurate before a run gets closed. We're still only scratching the surface of what the rules engine can do and it's already very exciting to think about the future updates and customization it can support.

Cons

An area that still needs improvement is the part history feature. It can be very slow and when there are a lot of transactions tied to a part, the loading time gets even worse. Another thing that could be better is the number of items you can include in an ABOM. Once we try to add more than 300 items, performance starts to slow down quite a bit.

“Better production visibility”

Pros

It gives manufacturing teams clearer insight into production.

Cons

It could use more visual, guided work process elements and clearer visuals overall.

“Flexible automation with modern MES”

Pros

This software is designed around automation and customization from the ground up and it really encourages users to look under the hood instead of hiding how things work. That approach makes it quick to build custom automations and software solutions for specific needs. Anything available in the ION interface can also be done through a fully developed API which is a huge advantage. Combined with support and chat handled by actual US based engineers, it gives our team the ability to shape an MES that feels genuinely tailored to how we operate. On top of that the web based UI feels modern and includes most of the core MES features you'd expect, like inventory control, traceability, quality tickets and more.

Cons

If you're coming from a long established MES you may notice the absence of some highly specialized workflows that larger systems have refined over many years. A few features can feel buggy or a bit bare bones simply because the platform hasn't had as much time to mature. For more complex workflows, it's best to expect some hands on work and plan to build your own solutions using the API or webhooks. Thankfully, FR seems very aware of that and has made the process as painless as they can. It's also important to keep in mind that the system is entirely browser based so there are some things standalone software can do that ION cannot, such as natively running scripts or interacting directly with other software on the same PC. It also depends on having an internet connection.