Recent acquisitions by GE Fanuc, Rockwell Automation, Honeywell, Brooks Automation and Agilisys have expanded their footprints in manufacturing execution systems (MES). And according to analyst Taylor Smith of VDC (www.vdc-corp.com), "the ability to offer complete solutions will be a competitive differentiator for leading industrial automation providers."

And in a market with so much traditional emphasis on custom solutions and so many players, Smith says that breadth of offering will be increasingly important. No company has more than 10% of the MES market. In fact, the five companies mentioned earlier have a combined market share of 25%.