PR Newswire·Jul 14, 2026, 10:00 AM ET

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

Rockwell Automation released the "Scaling MES Across the Enterprise" report based on input from 1,560 decision-makers across 17 countries.
While 93% of manufacturers have MES in place, only 28% have deployed it enterprise-wide & just 23% report full integration across ERP, PLM, quality, & OT systems.
Integration ranks as the top MES buying requirement for 44% of manufacturers, yet 33% cite it as their biggest data integration problem.
AI ambition is outpacing readiness, as 43% of manufacturers admit they do not effectively use their data, despite expecting 42% of processes to be AI-supported within the next year.
Cyber resilience is a priority after 46% of manufacturers experienced a cyber incident in the past year, making security & compliance the second-highest buying requirement at 43%.
Kumi North America exemplifies successful scaling by expanding Plex MES from a single facility in 2008 to multiple sites across the US & Canada, recently adding MES Automation & Orchestration.
The report highlights a maturity gap where initial MES adoption is common, but connecting disconnected systems & utilizing underutilized data remains the primary barrier to extracting value.
The study methodology included 1,560 respondents from 17 countries, with 58% working at organizations generating over $1B in annual revenue.