MES system: What is it? Key features? Market players? Why do you need it? What's the difference with ERP?
Anni Huang6 min read
What's MES
Today’s MES is all about taking control of your production and syncing up the top floor with the plant floor. As the heartbeat of any manufacturing operation, an MES application consists of three basic elements:
A comprehensive MES system typically includes:
- Production Planning & Scheduling
- Work Order Management
- Quality Management
- Inventory & Material Management
- Equipment Management & Maintenance
- Real-time Production Monitoring
- Performance Analytics & Reporting
- Traceability & Genealogy
- Labor Management
- Document Management
MES Competitors Comparison
Tier 1 - Market Leaders
| Company | Country | Key MES Product | Primary Strengths | Target Industries | Market Position | Key Differentiators |
| Siemens AG | Germany | MindSphere, SIMATIC | Comprehensive automation portfolio, strong R&D, European market dominance | Automotive, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, discrete manufacturing | Market Leader | TIA Portal integration, digital twin technology, extensive automation ecosystem |
| Rockwell Automation | US | FactoryTalk ProductionCentre, Plex Platform | North American market dominance, cloud-based solutions | Automotive, food & beverage, electronics, oil & gas | Market Leader | Strong NA presence, FactoryTalk ecosystem, cloud-first approach |
| SAP | Germany | SAP Manufacturing Execution (SAP ME) | ERP integration, enterprise software expertise | Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, process industries | Market Leader | Seamless ERP integration, enterprise-wide data consistency |
| GE Digital | US | Proficy Smart Factory MES | Industrial heritage, digital transformation focus | Power generation, oil & gas, manufacturing | Strong Player | Predix platform integration, industrial domain expertise |
Tier 2 - Strong Regional/Specialized Players
| Company | Country | Key MES Product | Primary Strengths | Target Industries | Market Position | Key Differentiators |
| ABB | Switzerland | Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM), ABB Ability™ | Robotics integration, power systems expertise | Energy, automotive, mining, utilities | Strong Regional | Robotics integration, power grid solutions, industrial software |
| Schneider Electric | France | EcoStruxure platform | Energy management, sustainability focus | Building automation, data centers, utilities | Strong Regional | Energy efficiency focus, sustainability solutions, smart buildings |
| Honeywell International | US | Honeywell MES | Process industries expertise, safety focus | Oil & gas, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace | Specialized | Safety systems integration, process optimization, regulatory compliance |
| Dassault Systèmes | France | DELMIA Apriso (3DEXPERIENCE) | 3D design integration, PLM expertise | Aerospace, automotive, life sciences, transportation | Specialized | 3D visualization, PLM integration, digital continuity |
Tier 3 - Specialized/Emerging Players
| Company | Country | Key MES Product | Primary Strengths | Target Industries | Market Position | Key Differentiators |
| Critical Manufacturing | Portugal | Critical Manufacturing MES | Semiconductor specialization, compliance focus | Semiconductor, electronics, high-tech | Niche Leader | Semiconductor expertise, advanced traceability, compliance automation |
| Parsec Automation | US | TrakSYS | Real-time performance, OEE focus | Discrete manufacturing, automotive, aerospace | Specialized | Real-time analytics, performance optimization, OEE tracking |
| Werum (Körber) | Germany | PAS-X MES Suite | Pharmaceutical specialization, regulatory compliance | Pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences | Niche Leader | Pharma 4.0, serialization, regulatory compliance automation |
| Applied Materials | US | Applied SmartFactory | Semiconductor manufacturing focus | Semiconductor, display, solar | Specialized | Semiconductor equipment integration, yield optimization |
| Aptean | US | Aptean MES | Industry-specific solutions | Food & beverage, chemicals, automotive | Mid-tier | Industry-specific functionality, compliance focus |
| iTAC Software | Germany | iTAC.MOM.Suite | Automotive focus, traceability | Automotive, electronics, medical devices | Specialized | Automotive expertise, advanced traceability, quality management |
Market Analysis Summary
Market Share Distribution
- Tier 1 Players: Control ~60% of global MES market
- Tier 2 Players: Hold ~25% market share
- Tier 3 Players: Represent ~15% with specialized solutions
Regional Strengths
- North America: Rockwell Automation, GE Digital, Honeywell
- Europe: Siemens, SAP, Schneider Electric, Dassault Systèmes
- Global: All Tier 1 players have worldwide presence
- Emerging Markets: Increasing competition from local providers
Technology Trends
- IoT Integration: All major players investing heavily
- Cloud-Based Solutions: Rockwell leading, others following
- AI/ML Integration: Emerging across all tiers
- Digital Twin: Siemens and Dassault leading
- Industry 4.0: Core focus for all major competitors
Competitive Dynamics
- Consolidation: Ongoing M&A activity (e.g., Körber acquiring Werum)
- Partnerships: Strategic alliances for complete solutions
- Specialization: Tier 3 players focusing on specific industries
- Platform Strategy: Movement toward comprehensive platforms vs. point solutions
Do I need it? What're the benefits MES can bring in?
Yes, if you want to connect, manage, validate and optimize your production. A comprehensive MES — which can be purchased as a single-plant, multi-plant or industry-specific solution — can help you meet a range of productivity, quality, compliance and cost-saving goals.
You can benefit from improved:
- Knowledge and recipe management
- Quality assurance
- Business rule enforcement
- WIP tracking and genealogy
- Performance management
- Material tracking
MES vs ERP Capabilities Comparison
| What can a MES do? | What can an ERP do? |
| Automate production orchestration through AI-based process control and Optimize maintenance protocols with intelligent asset monitoring & predictive maintenance solutions | Tell you how much of which materials you need to complete an order, and when that order needs to leave your plant |
| Connect supply chain to the factory floor with automatic order download and execution | Help you collect production data |
Do I Need an MES if I Have an ERP?
Yes. MES occupies a special place in your information infrastructure – between your shop floor controls and enterprise systems. Think of an MES like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for the shop floor – but more. As the bridge between Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT), it provides enterprise visibility to actual production results and control systems with a real-time view of what the enterprise needs from production to meet business goals, including work instructions, recipes, and other crucial information.
Answer the questions below to know if you need MES or ERP?
| Requirement | Solution |
| I need to collect and consolidate IT and OT from existing equipment and systems. | You can go deeper in the numbers without investing in MES. A combination of FactoryTalk® InnovationSuite Analytics and IIoT software offers edge-to-enterprise analytics, machine learning, IIoT and augmented reality to industrial operations. You can start with ERP. |
| I need reports every week. | ERP typically records transactional data and reports it at intervals (daily, weekly or monthly). This is fine for financial and relational transactions but insufficient for manufacturing management who need information in real time. |
| I need to see the flow of information for job management, scheduling, quality assurance, and material management. | You need an MES for online, real-time views of the latest scheduling priorities to eliminate inaccurate and time-consuming manual data collection; configure and customize reports and provide different users with the information they need. |
| I need to coordinate production scheduling and machine maintenance. | MES offers increased visibility to data and automated processes that improve quality, increase efficiency and improve productivity. MES can help shift work to other machines and alter the production plan to keep work flowing and better manage resources – human and machine. |
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production orchestrationintelligent asset monitoringMESERPpredictive maintenanceMarket AnalysisIndustrial Automation
Written by
Anni Huang
Anni Huang
I am Anni HUANG, a software engineer with 3 years of experience in IDE development and Chatbot.