July 21: Rockwell Automation, Inc. , the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, today released “Scaling MES Across the Enterprise,” an industry insights report based on input from 1,560 manufacturing and industrial operations decision makers across 17 countries, including India. The research shows that MES adoption among Indian manufacturers is already near universal. As manufacturers seek to scale operations, strengthen resilience and realise more value from digital investments, the focus is shifting from implementing MES at individual sites to deploying integrated, enterprise-ready systems across plants and business functions.
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 India findings from the report:
- MES adoption is widespread and maturity is advancing: Most of the Indian manufacturers (98%) have an MES in place. Thirty-three percent have deployed MES across multiple plants, while 36% have a fully integrated MES supporting their operations.
- Cost and integration are leading to modernization barriers: High total cost of ownership is the most cited challenge (56%), followed by integration challenges with ERP and other systems (49%). Lack of internal MES expertise (47%) and cybersecurity or compliance concerns (45%) also present material obstacles. Fifty-one percent of respondents say the ability to start small and expand is important, reinforcing the need for flexible MES solutions that can grow with changing plant and enterprise requirements.
- Security, automation, and speed are key buying priorities: Built-in security and compliance capabilities rank as the leading MES evaluation requirement in India, cited by 63% of respondents. Support for automation and advanced capabilities follows at 57%, while 52% prioritize faster deployment and time to value. Forty-five percent of Indian manufacturers identify integration with existing OT and IT environments as an important MES capability, underscoring the need to connect plant-floor operations with broader enterprise systems.
Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India said:
“Manufacturers in India have made real progress with MES, where adoption is no longer the challenge. The next step is making these systems work seamlessly across plants, people and business systems, so teams can make faster, better-informed decisions on the shop floor and beyond. While cost, integration, cybersecurity and access to the right skills remain important considerations, the ambition is clear: build operations that can adapt, scale and compete with confidence.”
“A modern MES should deliver measurable business value quickly while providing a practical foundation for the next stage of digital transformation and industrial innovation. With advanced AI capabilities built into modern MES solutions, manufacturers can now lay the groundwork for future autonomous operations, powered by predictive insights, intelligent decision-making, and continuous optimization,” added Dilip Sawhney.