Looking Back:
AT-Automation MES Insights 2026:
From “mess” to MES

Where MES has traditionally been approached as a single central software layer, the focus is increasingly shifting toward data, integration, and functional building blocks that work together within a broader digital ecosystem.

The key message of the day was clear: there is no one-size-fits-all MES approach. The right choices depend on the process, the organization, its data maturity, and its ambitions.

The presentations covered topics including:

• the positioning of MES within the ISA-95 framework;
• the shift from layered architectures to integrated ecosystems;
• functional MES approaches such as monolithic, modular, model-driven, and composable architectures;
• infrastructure choices such as on-premise, edge, cloud, and hybrid;
• the role of IT/OT convergence, integration, and the Unified Namespace (UNS);

Guest speakers Mark Derks and Frans van Lieshout from Nexpact addressed the organizational side of digitalization projects. Topics such as project organization versus line organization, governance, and change management sparked a lot of recognition among the attendees.