Executive Summary

Manufacturing Analytics

Today’s manufacturing generates a tremendous amount of data, from sensor outputs on the factory floor to enterprise resource planning systems and supplier databases. Analytics enables manufacturers to turn this data into actionable insights that support better decision-making in production, logistics and labor management. Production analytics provides real-time visibility into machine performance, predictive maintenance and production planning optimization. Supply chain analytics enables improved supplier performance tracking, demand forecasting and profitability modeling. Workforce analytics contributes insights into labor productivity, safety compliance and workforce planning. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) capabilities enables automated insights, natural language interfaces and self-service analytics that reduce the burden on IT teams while empowering frontline managers.

Analytics in manufacturing has evolved from basic spreadsheet reporting and quality control charts to advanced predictive and prescriptive analytics powered by AI.

ISG Research defines manufacturing analytics as the application of analytics and AI to monitor, manage and improve production efficiency, supply chain performance and workforce management across manufacturing operations. It incorporates real-time and historical data to inform decisions that enhance output quality, minimize downtime, optimize resource use and ensure workplace safety and compliance. Manufacturing analytics combines data from machines, systems, suppliers and personnel to create a cohesive view of operational performance and increasingly tasks AI to enable predictive, automated and adaptive manufacturing processes.

Analytics in manufacturing has evolved from basic spreadsheet reporting and quality control charts to advanced predictive and prescriptive analytics powered by AI. In the 1990s, manufacturers began using ERP systems and statistical process control tools to standardize and monitor production. The 2000s introduced more robust business intelligence (BI) tools and integration with supply chain systems. Over the past decade, the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and industrial automation have greatly increased the volume of available data, creating opportunities for machine learning-based predictive maintenance and digital twin simulations. Today, manufacturing analytics platforms incorporate real-time dashboards, AI-driven forecasting and advanced data modeling that allow organizations to respond faster to variability in demand, production issues and workforce constraints.

To achieve success with manufacturing analytics, enterprises require platforms that can ingest diverse data types from heterogeneous systems, including machine logs, ERP, MES, SCADA and third-party supplier data, and deliver integrated, timely insights. However, enterprises often struggle with data integration and preparation. Our research shows that 58 percent of manufacturing organizations cite data usability as the most pressing data and AI concern, while 30 percent struggle with data integration.

These systems must support use cases across production, supply chain and workforce domains. For production, this includes OEE metrics, downtime tracking, defect analysis and predictive maintenance. For the supply chain, users need supplier performance dashboards, scenario modeling for disruptions and tools for inventory and demand planning. For workforce management, analytics should help track compliance, monitor productivity and inform staffing decisions. Ease of use, scalability and support for mobile and edge computing are also increasingly important.

Successful manufacturing analytics software must deliver high-performance data processing, AI and ML capabilities and user-friendly interfaces.

Successful manufacturing analytics software must deliver high-performance data processing, AI and ML capabilities and user-friendly interfaces that allow operations and engineering staff to self-serve insights. Integration is a critical success factor. Software must connect seamlessly with both operational technology and IT systems. GenAI features such as natural language querying, narrative dashboards and automated data preparation are enhancing accessibility. AutoML capabilities allow users to build models for predictive maintenance, production forecasting and supply risk without deep data science expertise. Software providers must also support domain-specific models tailored to manufacturing environments and provide strong data governance, security and compliance support.

This report is a specialized edition of the overall ISG Buyers Guide for Analytics, specifically focused on analytics use cases in the manufacturing sector. It addresses how analytics platforms support critical manufacturing functions such as OEE monitoring, predictive maintenance, supplier performance tracking and workforce planning. While it applies foundational evaluation criteria used in the general analytics market, this report places greater emphasis on real-time operational visibility, edge-to-cloud data integration and convergence between operational and information technology.

Manufacturers evaluating analytics platforms should assess not only current capabilities but also roadmaps for AI adoption and edge integration. Platforms must be agile, interoperable and aligned with key business goals across production, supply chain and workforce management. Those that effectively integrate AI-driven insights into real-time workflows will help organizations become more resilient, efficient and competitive.

The 2025 ISG Buyers Guide™ for Manufacturing Analytics evaluates software providers and products across three key analytics areas: production, supply chain and workforce, and use of AI. It also includes capability requirements used in our overall Analytics Buyers Guide, spanning analytics-specific areas such as discover analytics, integrate analytics, predict analytics, act analytics, collaborate analytics, inform analytics, manage analytics, access data and data models. This research assessed the following providers: Cloud Software Group, Databricks, dataPARC, Epicor, Google, Incorta, Infor, Lantek, Microsoft, OpenText, Oracle, QAD, SAP, SAS and Sight Machine.

Buyers Guide Overview

ISG Research has conducted market research for over two decades across vertical industries, business applications, AI and IT. We have designed the ISG Buyers Guide™ to provide a balanced perspective of software providers and products that is rooted in an understanding of business and IT requirements. Utilization of our research methodology and decades of experience enables our Buyers Guide to be an effective method to assess and select software providers and products. The findings of this research provide a comprehensive approach to rating software providers and rank their ability to meet specific product and customer experience requirements.

ISG Research has designed the Buyers Guide to provide a balanced perspective of software providers and products that is rooted in an understanding of business and IT requirements.

The 2025 ISG Buyers Guide™ for Manufacturing Analytics is the distillation of continuous market and product research. It is an assessment of how well software providers’ offerings address enterprises’ requirements for manufacturing analytics software. The Value Index methodology is structured to support a request for information (RFI) for a request for proposal (RFP) process by incorporating all criteria needed to evaluate, select, utilize and maintain relationships with software providers. The ISG Buyers Guide evaluates customer experience and the product experience in its capability and platform.

The structure of the research reflects our understanding that the effective evaluation of software providers and products involves far more than just examining product features, potential revenue or customers generated from a provider’s marketing and sales efforts. It can ensure the best long-term relationship and value achieved from a resource and financial investment We believe it is important to take a comprehensive, research-based approach, since making the wrong choice of manufacturing analytics software can raise the total cost of ownership, lower the return on investment and hamper an enterprise’s ability to reach its potential. In addition, this approach can reduce the project’s development and deployment time and eliminate the risk of relying on opinions or historical biases.

ISG Research believes that an objective review of existing and potential new software providers and products is a critical strategy for the adoption and implementation of manufacturing analytics software. An enterprise’s review should include an analysis of both what is possible and what is relevant. We urge enterprises to do a thorough job of evaluating manufacturing analytics software and offer this Buyers Guide as both the results of our in-depth analysis of these providers and as an evaluation methodology.

Key Takeaways

Manufacturing analytics is advancing as organizations integrate real-time operational data, supply chain intelligence and workforce insights with AI-driven capabilities to improve decision-making. Frontline teams increasingly rely on platforms that deliver timely, contextual analytics while supporting greater automation, predictive maintenance and scenario modeling. As data volumes grow and operational environments diversify, manufacturers require systems that balance high-performance processing with strong integration across IT and operational technology systems. These needs underscore the importance of platforms that combine robust analytical foundations with usability, scalability and governance.

The ISG Buyers Guide™ for Manufacturing Analytics evaluates 15 software providers that offer products supporting production, supply chain, workforce analytics and AI use cases. The research ranked the top three overall leaders as Oracle, Microsoft and SAP. Providers were classified using weighted performance in Product Experience and Customer Experience for ISG quadrant placement. Infor, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and SAS were rated as Exemplary, with Epicor, Incorta and QAD rated as Innovative. Databricks, Google and OpenText were rated as Assurance, and Cloud Software Group, dataPARC, Lantek and Sight Machine were rated as Merit.

Product Experience Insights
Product Experience, representing 80% of the evaluation, focuses on Capability (65%) and Platform (15%), including adaptability, manageability, reliability and usability. Oracle, Microsoft and Infor achieved the highest performance as Leaders in this category, supported by the breadth and depth across manufacturing analytics capabilities and strong platform foundations that demonstrate secure operations, scalable performance and reliable integration across IT and OT environments. Leaders demonstrated enterprise-grade platform capabilities across varied roles and contexts.

Customer Experience Value
Customer Experience, representing 20% of the evaluation, focuses on validation and TCO/ROI. Oracle, SAP and Databricks were the Leaders in this category, showing strong customer advocacy and clear investment in success outcomes. Providers with lower performance often lacked publicly available customer validation or failed to demonstrate structured ROI measurement and proactive lifecycle engagement.

Strategic Recommendations
Enterprises should treat manufacturing analytics as a strategic investment that unifies operational visibility, AI readiness, data governance and workforce enablement. Buyers should prioritize providers that combine strong integration across OT and IT systems, scalable AI-driven insights and clear articulation of value. Platforms that support real-time data processing, predictive modeling and accessible self-service capabilities will better enable operational agility and resilience. Using these criteria, organizations can align provider selection with long-term productivity, quality and supply chain performance goals.

How To Use This Buyers Guide

Evaluating Software Providers: The Process

We recommend using the Buyers Guide to assess and evaluate new or existing software providers for your enterprise. The market research can be used as an evaluation framework to assess existing approaches and software providers or establish a formal request for information from providers on products and customer experience and will shorten the cycle time when creating an RFI. The steps listed below provide a process that can facilitate best possible outcomes in the most efficient manner.

1. Define the business case and goals.
   Define the mission and business case for investment and the expected outcomes from your organizational and technological efforts.

2. Specify the business and IT needs.
   Defining the business and IT requirements helps identify what specific capabilities are required with respect to people, processes, information and technology.

3. Assess the required roles and responsibilities.
   Identify the individuals required for success at every level of the enterprise from executives to frontline workers and determine the needs of each.

4. Outline the project’s critical path.
   What needs to be done, in what order and who will do it? This outline should make clear the prior dependencies at each step of the project plan.

5. Ascertain the technology approach.
   Determine the business and technology approach that most closely aligns to your enterprise’s requirements.

6. Establish software provider evaluation criteria.
   Utilize the product experience: capability and platform with support for adaptability, manageability, reliability and usability, and the customer experience in TCO/ROI and Validation.

7. Evaluate and select the software provider and products properly.
   Apply a weighting the evaluation categories in the evaluation criteria to reflect your enterprise’s priorities to determine the short list of software providers and products.

8. Establish the business initiative team to start the project.
   Identify who will lead the project and the members of the team needed to plan and execute it with timelines, priorities and resources.
   
   

Using the ISG Buyers Guide and process provides enterprises a clear, structured approach to making smarter software and business investment decisions. It ensures alignment between strategy, people, processes and technology while reducing risk, saving time and improving outcomes. The ISG approach promotes data-driven decision-making and collaboration, helping choose the right software providers for maximum value and return on investment.

The Findings

The software providers and products evaluated in the research provide product and customer experiences, but not everything offered is equally valuable to every enterprise or is needed to operate in business processes and use cases. Moreover, the existence of too many capabilities in products may be a negative factor for an enterprise if it introduces unnecessary complexity. Nonetheless, you may decide that a more comprehensive set of capabilities in the product is important, and where they match your enterprise’s requirements.

An effective customer relationship with a software provider is vital to the success of any investment. The overall customer experience and the full lifecycle of engagement play a key role in ensuring satisfaction and long-term success. Providers with dedicated customer leadership, such as chief customer officers, tend to invest more deeply in these relationships and prioritize customer outcomes to TCO and ROI expectations. It is equally important that this commitment to customer success is clearly demonstrated throughout the provider’s website, buying process and customer journey.

Overall Scoring of Software Providers Across Categories

The research finds Oracle atop the list, followed by Microsoft and SAP. Providers that place in the top three of a category earn the designation of Leader. Oracle has done so in five categories, Microsoft and SAP in three, Databricks in two and Infor and QAD in one category.

The overall representation of the research below places the rating of the Product Experience and Customer Experience on the x and y axes, respectively, to provide a visual representation and classification of the software providers. Those providers whose Product Experience have above median weighted performance to the axis in aggregate of the two product categories place farther to the right, while the performance and weighting for the Customer Experience category determines placement on the vertical axis. In short, software providers that place closer to the upper-right on this chart performed better than those closer to the lower-left.

The research categorizes and rates software providers into one of four categories: Assurance, Exemplary, Merit or Innovative. This representation of software providers’ weighted performance in meeting the requirements in product and customer experience.

Exemplary: This rating (upper right) represents those that performed above median in Product and Customer Experience requirements. The providers rated Exemplary are: Infor, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and SAS.

Innovative: This rating (lower right) represents those that performed above median in Product Experience but not in Customer Experience. The providers rated Innovative are: Epicor, Incorta and QAD.

Assurance: This rating (upper left) represents those that performed above median in Customer Experience but not in Product Experience. The providers rated Assurance are: Databricks, Google and OpenText.

Merit: This rating (lower left) represents those that did not surpass the median in Customer or Product Experience. The providers rated Merit are: Cloud Software Group, dataPARC, Lantek and Sight Machine.

We advise enterprises to use this research as a supplement to their own evaluations, recognizing that ratings or rankings do not solely represent the value of a provider nor indicate universal suitability of a set of products.

Product Experience

The process of researching products to address an enterprise’s needs should be comprehensive and evaluate specific capabilities and the underlying platform to the product experience. Our evaluation of the Product Experience examines the lifecycle of onboarding, configuration, operations, usage and maintenance. Too often, software providers are not evaluated for the entirety of the product; instead, they are evaluated on market execution and vision of the future.

The research results in Product Experience are ranked at 80%, or four-fifths, using the underlying weighted performance. Importance was placed on the categories as follows: Capability (65%) and Platform (15%). Oracle, Microsoft and Infor were designated Product Experience Leaders.

Customer Experience

The importance of a customer relationship with a software provider is essential to the actual success of the products and technology. The evaluation of the Customer Experience and the entire lifecycle an enterprise has with its software provider is critical for ensuring satisfaction in working with that provider. The ISG Buyers Guide examines a software provider’s customer commitment, viability, customer success, sales and onboarding, product roadmap and services with partners and support. The customer experience category also investigates the TCO/ROI and how well a software provider demonstrates the product’s overall value, cost and benefits, including the tools and resources to evaluate these factors.

The research results in Customer Experience are ranked at 20%, or one-fifth of the 100% index, and represent the underlying provider validation and TCO/ROI requirements as they relate to the framework of commitment and value to the software provider-customer relationship.

The software providers that evaluated the highest in the Customer Experience category are Oracle, SAP and Databricks. These category leaders best communicate commitment and dedication to customer needs.

Software providers that did not perform well in this category were unable to provide or make sufficient information readily available to demonstrate success or articulate their commitment to customer experience. The use of a software provider requires continuous investment, so a holistic evaluation must include examination of how they support their customer experience.

Appendix: Software Provider Inclusion

For inclusion in the 2025 ISG Buyers Guide™ for Manufacturing Analytics, a software provider must be in good standing financially and ethically, and have more than 50 customers, at least $10 million in annual or projected revenue verified using independent sources, sell products and provide support on at least two continents. The principal source of the relevant business unit’s revenue must be software-related and there must have been at least one major software release in the past 12 months. The product must be actively marketed as a manufacturing analytics product and capable of accessing data from a variety of sources, modeling the data for analysis, performing production analytics, supply chain analytics and/or workforce analytics, and communicating the results to various stakeholders.

The research is designed to be independent of the specifics of software provider packaging and pricing. To represent the real-world environment in which businesses operate, we include providers that offer suites or packages of products that may include relevant individual modules or applications. If a software provider is actively marketing, selling and developing a product for the general market and it is reflected on the provider’s website that the product is within the scope of the research, that provider is automatically evaluated for inclusion.

All software providers that offer relevant manufacturing analytics products and meet the inclusion requirements were invited to participate in the evaluation process at no cost to them.

Software providers that meet our inclusion criteria but did not completely participate in our Buyers Guide were assessed solely on publicly available information. As this could have a significant impact on classification and ratings, we recommend additional scrutiny when evaluating those providers.

Products Evaluated

Providers of Promise

We did not include software providers that, as a result of our research and analysis, did not satisfy the criteria for inclusion in this Buyers Guide. These are listed below as “Providers of Promise.”