Five sponsors support research into the value and evolution of commercial plant-level software, including AI
Phoenix, AZ, and Media, PA, USA, May 29, 2026 – The Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International (MESA) and Tech-Clarity, Inc. have added sponsors to the 2026 research program. The two additions joining to support The Business Value and Evolution of Manufacturing Operations Software in the Age of AI program are: Infor and Critical Manufacturing. The program originally launched in February with three sponsors: ISE, Parsec Automation LLC, and SAS, demonstrating broad industry support and momentum.
This MESA-Tech-Clarity research initiative is coming at a time when providers of MES, MOM, and other plantwide software (QMS, APS, CMMS, EH&S, CFW, AI) are seeing strong market interest. The question of whether to treat “Level 3” manufacturing operations software (MOS) as a platform with a single data model, use best-of-breed solutions, or adopt a different approach to achieve real-time data flows is top of mind. Leveraging plantwide data for AI and other analytics is also generating urgency.
This research will address those questions and provide a snapshot of the current business value manufacturers are deriving from their operations software. Tech-Clarity’s Julie Fraser and Rick Franzosa will lead the research program, supported by MESA’s Knowledge Committee, headed by Chris Monchinski, and the rich community of five sponsors.
MESA’s International Knowledge Committee Chair Chris Monchinski of InflexionPoint says, “As the market shifts, we see momentum around the level 3 software space. This research will help us continue to educate the market in pragmatic ways.”
“Beyond where MES has been, we need to understand where it is now and where it’s going,” Tech-Clarity’s Vice President of Research for Manufacturing, Rick Franzosa, remarked. Julie Fraser, MESA’s leader of the Smart Manufacturing Community and Tech-Clarity’s VP of Research for Operations, says, “The market is moving rapidly, and we hope this research will both help respondents think deeply and those reading the final report grasp what they might not easily see from inside their own company.
The online survey will open for responses soon, and we will notify the market when it does. The additional sponsors are adding their perspectives to enrich our results and make them as meaningful as possible.
About Tech-Clarity, Inc.: Tech-Clarity is an independent research firm dedicated to making the business value of technology clear. We analyze how companies improve innovation, product development, design, engineering, manufacturing, and service performance through digital transformation, best practices, software technology, industrial automation, and IT services.
Our mission is to help manufacturers learn how to improve business results through the use of PLM, portfolio management, CAD, simulation, MES / MOM, IoT, quality, service, supply chain, AI, analytics, and other solutions.
About MESA International: Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) International has been helping the global manufacturing community use information technology to achieve business results through premier educational and research programs, best practice sharing, and networking since 1992. MESA is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit trade association. The Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA International™) is a global community of industry thought leaders actively driving business improvement through the effective application of technology and best practices.
We are a 30+ year-old nonprofit organization focused on Smart Manufacturing and the business value of converging Information Technology, Operations Technology, and emerging technology to improve industrial operations.
We accomplish this through:
- Facilitating collaboration and innovation through global communities who effectively use the MESA Smart Manufacturing Model.
- Generating best-practice guidance which drives greater productivity and profitability in industrial enterprises.
- Educating on these topics through the MESA Global Education Program.
