Why MES Projects Fail: People as an Underestimated Success Factor

Many MES projects start with technology and overlook the needs of people

Up to 70% of all large IT implementation projects in production fail to meet their original goals. (Source: https://t3n.de/news/krisenresistente-it-projekte-tun-1336494/)

The decision has been made, the budget approved, the vendor selected. Then months of intensive implementation work follow – and eventually comes the sobering realization: The software is running, but no one is really using it. Data is incomplete, employees resort to paper and Excel, and the hoped-for transparency gains never materialize.

This is not an isolated case. It's a structural pattern that repeats itself in companies of all sizes – and it almost always has the same origin: The human element was forgotten.

Why MES Projects Fail: The Top 5 Reasons

When an MES project stalls or fails entirely, the causes can practically be attributed to five recurring patterns. None of them is a technical problem.

1. Lack of Acceptance on the Shop Floor

The system is perceived as an external imposition. Without buy-in, there is no adoption – and without adoption, no data.

2. Lack of Employee Involvement

Those who are not consulted from the outset do not feel responsible. Lack of participation breeds resistance – often silent, but persistent.

3. Lack of Data Understanding

Metrics that no one understands or can interpret fail to motivate. If employees don't know why they are collecting data, they do it carelessly.

4. Overly Complex Systems

An MES that offers 200 functions but requires 15 clicks for simple feedback will be shunned. Complexity is the enemy of all adoption.

5. Lack of Communication

If goals, benefits, and changes are not communicated clearly and continuously, the vacuum fills with rumors and rejection. Transparency is not a 'nice-to-have' – it's a 'must-have'.

The Blind Spot: The Human Element

Companies invest heavily in server infrastructure, interface programming, and system configuration. What often gets overlooked, however, are the people who work with the system daily and their challenges.

Technology works – usage doesn't

The MES is installed, tested, and approved. But in production, it's consistently bypassed. If employees don't understand the personal value the system brings them, they stick to the familiar path – even if it's less efficient.

Knowledge stays in people's heads

Experienced employees carry years of process knowledge. If the MES cannot capture this knowledge or if the transfer isn't actively managed, valuable information is lost – especially with staff turnover or retirement.

Fear of control and change

An MES makes performance visible – and that causes unease. The fear of being monitored is a powerful driver of resistance. Added to this is the natural fear of change: what I don't know, I reject. Anyone who ignores this psychological factor will fail because of it.

Case Study: When Acceptance Determines Success

A medium-sized mechanical engineering company in Bavaria implemented an MES system – with a carefully planned technical rollout. Six months after go-live, data quality was disappointing: feedback was sporadically recorded, and machine downtimes were not consistently documented.

The cause: The shift supervisors had never been involved in the conceptualization phase. They didn't know why certain data was collected and saw no direct benefit for their daily work.

The solution came through a fresh start focusing on people: Three experienced shift supervisors were appointed as internal MES champions, participated in user workshops, and helped design the input forms. Within four months, the data capture rate rose from under 60% to over 92%.

→ Case Study: iSi GmbH

iSi GmbH, a company from the food industry, faced a classic problem: experienced employees were retiring due to age – and with them, valuable process knowledge about their in-house developed MDE solution. The knowledge was in people's heads, not in the system.

Together with gbo datacomp, iSi digitized its entire Culinary production area using gboMES. The result: transparency across all production processes – and the ability to compensate for the loss of experienced employees through a robust, documented system.

"At gbo datacomp, I have dedicated contacts whom I can reach at any time." – Peter Travnicek, Development Engineer, iSi GmbH

Solution: How to Truly Succeed with MES Implementation

A successful MES implementation is not an IT project – it's a change management project. The technical part is solvable. The human part requires planning, expertise, empathy, and consistency.

1. Appoint Key Users & Champions

Identify experienced and respected employees from production who can get to know the system early, help shape it, and later act as internal contacts and advocates. Champions build trust – far more than any external training.

2. Hands-on Training, Not Just PowerPoint

Training must take place on real processes and actual machines. Abstract introductions are ineffective. Role-specific training that reflects employees' daily work ensures lasting understanding and trust in the system.

3. Pilot Phase with Real Teams

Start in a limited area – a line, a shift – with a motivated team. Mistakes in the pilot phase are learning opportunities, not disasters. What works there will later convince skeptical areas too.

4. Transparent Data for Everyone

Show employees what data is collected – and what happens with it. Shop floor visualizations, daily KPI boards, and open communication alleviate fears and create a data culture from within.

The Role of an MES: Enabler, Not a Replacement

An MES is not an autonomous system that solves problems. It is a precise tool that makes human work more visible, measurable, and controllable. This distinction is crucial – for internal communication within the company and for the attitude towards the system.

MES Supports Processes

It provides real-time data, uncovers bottlenecks, makes OEE visible, and enables informed decisions. But: It doesn't decide. People do.

MES Does Not Replace People

Experience, judgment, and knowledge of operational contexts remain with people. MES structures this knowledge and retains it within the company.

Anyone who communicates an MES as a control or monitoring tool will face resistance. Anyone who positions it as a tool for better work and greater certainty in their actions will gain allies.

Conclusion: MES Rarely Fails Due to Technology

After years of supporting MES projects in the manufacturing industry, one insight is undeniable: Software is the smallest problem. The difference between a failed and a successful MES project almost always lies in the company's ability to bring people along. That's why professional consulting, like that offered by gbo datacomp, is extremely important.

People + Processes + System = Success

Technology creates possibilities. People create results.

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