Manufacturers have largely adopted manufacturing execution systems, but few have succeeded in scaling and fully integrating the technology across their operations, according to a new industry report from Rockwell Automation.
Adoption is high, integration lags
The report, which drew input from 1,560 manufacturing and industrial operations decision makers across 17 countries, found that 93% of respondents have MES running in at least one facility. However, only 28% have rolled out MES across the entire enterprise, and just 23% say the software is fully integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP), product lifecycle management (PLM), quality systems and operational technology (OT).
- Integration is both the top purchasing priority and the leading barrier to modernizing MES.
- Many firms are collecting data but not using it effectively, constraining artificial intelligence plans.
- Rising cyber incidents are reshaping buying requirements, with security climbing the priority list.
Why integration matters — and why it's hard
Manufacturers told Rockwell that connecting MES to ERP, PLM, quality and OT is central to realising the systems' value. Without consistent integration, companies face fragmented information flows, duplicated effort and limited visibility into operations — all of which reduce return on existing software investments.
"Scaling MES Across the Enterprise"
The report highlights integration as the top MES buying requirement for 44% of respondents and names MES as the biggest data integration headache for 33%. These gaps impede analytics and automation projects that depend on clean, standardised operational data.
AI ambitions outpace data readiness
Manufacturers expect a rapid uptake of AI-supported processes — on average forecasting that 42% of processes will be AI-assisted within the next year and 54% by 2030. Yet 43% concede they are not effectively using the data they already collect, undermining those AI goals. In short, the appetite for AI is not matched by the foundational data practices required to power it.
Security reshapes purchasing decisions
Cybersecurity is moving from an afterthought to a core criterion. Almost half of respondents — 46% — reported experiencing a cyber incident in the past year. As a result, security and compliance now rank as the second-highest MES buying requirement for 43% of manufacturers.
The report also points to real-world deployments of MES technology among Rockwell customers, noting that some companies have expanded single-site implementations into multi-facility rollouts. But the overall picture is of widespread partial adoption rather than consistent, enterprise-wide integration.
| Measure | Share |
|---|---|
| Manufacturers with MES in at least one site | 93% |
| MES deployed enterprise‑wide | 28% |
| Full integration with ERP/PLM/quality/OT | 23% |
| Ranked integration top buying priority | 44% |
| Say MES is biggest data integration problem | 33% |
| Expect AI support in next year | 42% |
| Expect AI support by 2030 | 54% |
| Not effectively using collected data | 43% |
| Experienced cyber incident in past year | 46% |
For Canadian manufacturers, the findings underscore that buying MES software is only the first step. Achieving the productivity, quality and automation gains that MES promises requires disciplined integration work, clearer data governance and investments in security. Without those elements, firms risk underusing expensive systems while exposing operations to growing cyber threats.
