2026 Market Guide for Manufacturing Execution Systems

Gartner (Mar 2026) finds that AI is ready to deliver tangible shop floor value — but only for manufacturers that modernize their MES, prioritize interoperability, and build trust through observability and governance.

Key takeaways

• AI can remove adoption barriers (configuration complexity, poor operator UX) but requires modern, connected MES environments.

• Interoperability (open APIs, composability, MCP) and a strong data fabric are essential to scale AI across ERP/PLM/QMS and analytics layers.

• Trust matters: zero retention options, explainability, human in the loop controls and private/edge deployment choices are buyer must haves.

If you are evaluating AI-driven MES use cases or planning a migration from legacy systems, the Gartner guide gives a concise roadmap for where to start, what to expect, and how to evaluate vendors. Our MES solutions already follow these principles—modern, modular, interoperable and built for secure, accountable AI pilots—so the report is a useful next step before planning your proof of value.

Download the full 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Manufacturing Execution systems.

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