The IDC Manufacturing Insights study suggests that manufacturers should carefully select their MES vendors and implementation partners. This selection is very important because it significantly impacts the value of their MES applications and this in turn impacts both the quality and effectiveness of their manufacturing operations.

IDC advises manufacturers to begin by clearly defining business requirements and then defining the right MES approach.

"To frame the issue, one should consider whether the MES application is for a single plant or multiple plants, as well as the need to extend the application to support the specific requirements of an individual plant or having a global standardised application," added Manenti.