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42Q

by 42Q (a Sanmina company) · Manufacturing (MES / PLM)

Cloud-based MES for real-time shop-floor visibility, traceability and quality across factories.

Works with
Oracle, SAP
Deployment
Cloud
Pricing
Subscription (usage-based)
Headquarters
San Jose, United States

Overview

42Q is a cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System (MES) built by Sanmina, a Fortune 500 global contract manufacturer, out of MES technology developed and refined inside Sanmina's own factories over roughly two decades. It is marketed as a fully featured, multi-tenant cloud MES that sits between a company's ERP system and its shop-floor equipment, giving manufacturers real-time visibility into work orders, work-in-progress, quality and traceability across multiple plants and geographies.

The platform covers shop-floor execution (order management, route enforcement, cycle-time tracking, work instructions, employee verification), quality management (control plans, defect and repair loops, critical-to-quality tracking), and component-level traceability and genealogy for regulated industries such as medical devices, automotive and aerospace. It connects to industrial equipment via standard protocols -- 42Q cites tens of thousands of connected devices across dozens of factories -- and layers on multi-plant dashboards, analytics and, more recently, a generative-AI assistant ('Arthur') for shop-floor insights.

42Q integrates with ERP systems including SAP, Oracle and NetSuite through certified adapters and APIs, syncing work orders, bills of materials, sales orders and production/quality data back to the ERP for synchronized business and manufacturing visibility. It holds Oracle NetSuite's 'Built for NetSuite' SuiteApp certification and is listed as an SAP partner solution for Smart Manufacturing.

Screenshots & demo

Demo video from the vendor's YouTube channel.

Features & capabilities

Shop Floor Execution

Core order and process management on the production line.

  • Shop order and route management
  • Process routing and route enforcement
  • Cycle-time management
  • Employee verification and skills tracking
  • Electronic work instructions
  • Serialized inventory tracking

Traceability & Genealogy

Component-level tracking and device history for regulated industries.

  • Full product traceability (track & trace)
  • Component-level genealogy
  • Device history record
  • Cloud-based query for regulatory audits
  • Serialization

Quality Management

Integrated quality control across the production process.

  • Control plans
  • Critical-to-quality (CTQ) issue tracking
  • Defect and repair-loop management
  • Labeling control
  • Automated barcode data capture

Connected & Smart Manufacturing

Multi-plant connectivity, equipment integration and network-wide visibility.

  • Real-time visibility across a distributed manufacturing network
  • Multi-location data unification
  • Industrial equipment connectivity via standard protocols
  • Multi-plant, line-level and enterprise-wide dashboards
  • Business intelligence reporting and analytics

AI & Rapid Deployment

Accelerated onboarding and AI-assisted insights.

  • Arthur generative-AI assistant for manufacturing insights
  • Xcelerators rapid-deployment starter kits
  • Digital Factory Starter Kit for fast evaluation

ERP & Equipment Integration

Connectivity layer between the shop floor and business systems.

  • Certified adapters/APIs for SAP, Oracle and NetSuite
  • Work order and bill-of-materials sync
  • Material consumption tracking back to ERP
  • Connectivity for tens of thousands of manufacturing devices

Common use cases

  • Giving a multi-plant electronics manufacturer real-time visibility into work-in-progress across every factory
  • Maintaining device history records and component genealogy for medical-device or automotive traceability compliance
  • Enforcing process routes and capturing cycle-time data on high-mix production lines
  • Managing defect and repair loops with integrated quality control plans
  • Syncing NetSuite sales orders and work orders with shop-floor execution data via the 42Q SuiteApp
  • Connecting SAP-driven manufacturing operations to shop-floor equipment and quality data
  • Standing up a new digital factory quickly using the Xcelerators/Digital Factory Starter Kit rapid-deployment path

Strengths & considerations

Strengths

  • Built from MES technology proven inside Sanmina's own global contract-manufacturing operations across dozens of factories
  • Holds Oracle NetSuite 'Built for NetSuite' SuiteApp certification and is listed as an SAP partner solution for Smart Manufacturing
  • Strong focus on component-level traceability and genealogy for regulated industries (medical devices, automotive, aerospace)
  • Rapid-deployment options (Xcelerators, Digital Factory Starter Kit) aimed at getting a factory live in as little as ~6 weeks

ERP integrations

Prebuilt SuiteApp connectorBi-directionalBuilt for NetSuite (SuiteCloud platform)

Syncs NetSuite sales orders, work orders and BOMs with shop-floor execution; production/quality data flows back to NetSuite

Certified adapter/partner solutionBi-directionalSAP partner-listed solution (Smart Manufacturing Cloud MES)

Work order transfer and material consumption tracking between SAP and the shop floor

Pricing

Model
Subscription (usage-based)
Free trial
No

Customers pay a recurring monthly subscription fee based on actual usage; no public starting price listed. Also available via AWS Marketplace. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.

Technical & security

Hosting
SaaS (multi-tenant, available via AWS Marketplace)

About the vendor

Headquarters
San Jose, United States
Ownership
Division of Sanmina Corporation (NASDAQ: SANM)

Alternatives to 42Q in Manufacturing (MES / PLM)

42Q — frequently asked questions

Does 42Q integrate with SAP or Oracle NetSuite?

Yes. 42Q connects to Oracle NetSuite through a certified 'Built for NetSuite' SuiteApp that syncs sales orders, work orders and BOMs with shop-floor execution data, and is listed as an SAP partner solution with adapters for work order transfer and material consumption tracking.

How is 42Q priced?

42Q is sold on a subscription basis, with customers paying a recurring monthly fee based on actual usage. No public starting price is listed; it is also available for purchase through AWS Marketplace.

Who makes 42Q and what is it used for?

42Q is a cloud MES built by Sanmina, a Fortune 500 contract manufacturer, based on MES technology developed inside Sanmina's own factories over roughly 20 years. It gives manufacturers real-time visibility, traceability, and quality management across shop floors and multiple plants.

What industries use 42Q?

42Q is used primarily in electronics, medical device, automotive and other high-mix industrial manufacturing environments, particularly where component-level traceability and genealogy are required for regulatory compliance.

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