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Critical Manufacturing, a leader in advanced Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and a subsidiary of ASMPT, has been recognized as a Representative Vendor in the May 2025 Gartner Market Guide for MES report. Gartner’s key industry report says “MES solutions are foundational to digital manufacturing. The MES market is adapting as the existing vendor community pivots to newer technologies like AI and IoT to keep pace with startups. Manufacturing strategy leaders should use this research to navigate the evolving MES market.”
Francisco Almada Lobo, Critical Manufacturing CEO. said: “In recent years we have been recognized three times as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for MES report and we are now equally proud that this research and advisory firm has listed us as a Representative Vendor in its May 2025 Market Guide for MES.”
Gartner states this recognition is based on “inquiry volumes, market presence and the ability to cover the core MES use cases and features”.
Added Almada Lobo: “Our MES platform helps manufacturers increase efficiency, productivity, and agility in their production processes. However, to support the evolving requirements of customers, the system is subject to continuous improvement as we push the boundaries of MES innovation and collaborate with our partners and customers in support of best-practice manufacturing.”
Recent enhancements to Critical Manufacturing’s MES include its continued roadmap on semiconductor production requirements, such as substrate mappings, complex product lows, and multilevel packaging. Lowcode capabilities have extended into its enterprise integration and event-handling services. Along with the platform’s DevOps Center, customers, integrators, and partners can also publish their own apps that leverage the data platform.
A number of key recommendations conclude the report, stating that manufacturing strategy leaders need to consider more than just production requirements when evaluating vendors. For instance, when appraising project scope with a vendor, Gartner suggests potential MES users should ensure they fully understand their low-code or API offerings as a way to augment the system through a decoupled approach.
It is Critical Manufacturing’s belief that low-code capabilities are a key differentiator of its MES platform, enabling the easy adaption of workflows and interfaces in line with the specific needs of customers. This approach is a key part of Critical Manufacturing's Industry 4.0 solutions, allowing for quicker updates, changes, and the addition of new functionality without extensive capital expenditure.
A further market recommendation of the Gartner 2025 Market Guide for MES is to evaluate vendors for vertical solutions if the potential user prefers a more standard approach to MES and wants to reduce the need for customization. In the opinion of Critical Manufacturing, vertical solutions provide a notable distinction of its MES, in particular the platform’s specific attributes for discrete industries such as semiconductor, electronics, medical device, and industrial equipment. Serving as a true Industry 4.0 hub, this advanced MES solution provides manufacturers in these demanding sectors with a dedicated platform for digital transformation success.
