# 93% of Manufacturers Have MES, But Only 23% Have Fully Integrated It, New Rockwell Automation Report Finds

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/93-of-manufacturers-have-mes-but-only-23-have-fully-integrated-it-new-rockwell-automation-report-finds
- Published: 2026-07-14T21:00:00+07:00
- Author: PR Newswire

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_Manufacturers are moving from MES deployment to enterprise-wide performance, but
most are struggling to scale_

MILWAUKEE, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the
world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation,
today released ["Scaling MES Across the Enterprise,"](https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/products/software/factorytalk/operationsuite/mes/scaling-mes-across-enterprise2.html)
an industry insights report based on input from 1,560 manufacturing and industrial
operations decision makers across 17 countries. The research finds that despite 
widespread manufacturing execution system (MES) adoption, scaling it across the 
enterprise has become the defining challenge for manufacturers seeking to drive 
performance, integration and long-term value.

 [⌊Rockwell Automation's "Scaling MES Across the Enterprise" report offers insights on the MES maturity gap⌉](https://mmx.prnasia.com/media/MS1882062/MES-SoSM-Press-Release-Image.jpg?id=OA2761553&p=medium600)

Rockwell Automation’s "Scaling MES Across the Enterprise" report offers insights
on the MES maturity gap

Most manufacturers have MES running in at least one facility. However, far fewer
have made it work consistently across all sites, due to contributing factors such
as disconnected systems, underutilized data and rising operational risk, all of 
which are limiting the value manufacturers can extract from the investments they
have already made.

Key findings from the report include:

 ◦ **MES adoption is widespread, but scale is lagging:** 93% of manufacturers have
   MES in place, yet only 28% have deployed it enterprise-wide and just 23% report
   full integration across Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Lifecycle
   Management (PLM), quality and operational technology (OT) systems.
 ◦ **Integration is the top priority — and the top obstacle:** 44% of manufacturers
   rank integration as their top MES buying requirement. It also ranks as the leading
   modernization challenge, with 33% citing MES as their biggest data integration
   problem.
 ◦ **AI ambition is outpacing operational readiness:** Manufacturers expect [42% of processes to be AI-supported](https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/capabilities/digital-transformation/state-of-smart-manufacturing.html)
   within the next year and 54% by 2030. Yet 43% acknowledge they are not effectively
   using their collected data — the foundation AI requires to perform.
 ◦ **Resilience is now a buying requirement:** 46% of manufacturers experienced 
   a cyber incident in the past year. Security and compliance now rank as the second-
   highest MES buying requirement, cited by 43% of respondents.

Real-world manufacturers are scaling with Rockwell’s MES technology, such as [Kumi North America](https://kumi-na.com/),
a Tier 1 automotive supplier specializing in injection-molded interior plastics 
and assemblies. The longtime customer initially implemented Plex in 2008 and has
since deployed the smart manufacturing software in facilities across the United 
States and Canada. They most recently expanded their usage to include [Plex MES Automation & Orchestration (MES A&O)](https://plex.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/products/mes-automation-orchestration.html).

"Before Plex, our operations struggled to synch and some locations didn’t have any
software," shared Paul Andrews, assistant vice president of systems, Kumi North 
America. "Our Plex infrastructure has grown alongside Kumi’s expanding business,
and we’ve continued to leverage Plex technology in new ways."

"MES adoption is no longer the hurdle, but enterprise scale is," said Anthony Murphy,
vice president of product management, Rockwell Automation. "Manufacturers may have
checked the box by making initial investments in MES technology, but many struggle
to gain full value across the enterprise. The impact of a MES has also changed—it’s
shifted from production tracking to providing insights across a company’s full operations,
like quality management, worker productivity and supply chain forecasting. Additionally,
when connectivity is actualized, there are more opportunities to leverage AI technology.
Manufacturers winning the race are not doing more than the rest, they’re just doing
more together. With an elastic, edge-to-cloud MES like Plex, manufacturers can connect
all aspects of production right away and then scale however they want over time."

"Manufacturers have moved past the question of whether to adopt MES and are now 
confronting the harder challenge of scaling it," said Lorenzo Veronesi, associate
research director, IDC. "With integration ranking as both the top buying requirement
and the leading modernization challenge, organizations risk leaving significant 
value on the table if disconnected systems and underutilized data go unaddressed."

The recommended steps to address the incumbent gap between the deployment and scaling
of MES are mapped out in the full report, available [here.](https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/products/software/factorytalk/operationsuite/mes/scaling-mes-across-enterprise2.html)

**Methodology**
This survey reflects input from 1,560 hardware, software and services
decision-makers across manufacturing and industrial operations globally. Respondents
represent 17 leading manufacturing countries, spanning discrete, process and hybrid
industries. More than half (58%) work at organizations with over $1B in annual revenue,
and 54% are primary decision-makers.

**About Rockwell Automation**
Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global
leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations
of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making
the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
Rockwell Automation employs approximately 26,000 problem solvers dedicated to our
customers in more than 100 countries as of fiscal year end 2025. To learn more about
how we are bringing the Connected Enterprise® to life across industrial enterprises,
visit [www.rockwellautomation.com](https://www.rockwellautomation.com/).

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