As someone who has spent decades helping manufacturers evaluate and implement ERP systems, I know how difficult it is for companies to sort through competing vendor claims. Every ERP vendor has a polished website, compelling demos, and a long list of features. What most manufacturers really want to know is simple:
“Which ERP system is actually the best fit for companies like ours?”
That’s why independent research matters.
When organizations like Gartner evaluate ERP vendors, they look far beyond marketing materials. Their analysis includes product capabilities, customer references, industry fit, and track record. It’s an evaluation methodology manufacturers can trust.
And this year’s results tell a very clear story: Infor ERP continues to lead the market for the types of manufacturers Visual South works with every day.
Infor took the top position in three key manufacturing categories and finished second in the fourth—a level of consistency that’s rare in the ERP world.
Below is a breakdown of what Gartner’s analysis shows and why it matters.
#1 for ERP in the Lower Midsize Market ($50M–$250M)
For manufacturers in the $50–$250 million revenue range, Infor ranked first overall—ahead of competitors like IFS, Epicor, and NetSuite.
This matters because this revenue range represents the core of Visual South’s customer base. These companies need:
- Deep manufacturing functionality out of the box
- Industry-specific capabilities without heavy customization
- Predictable implementation timelines
- A modern cloud platform with room to scale
Infor delivers on all of that. For companies who are either growing toward this tier or already operating in it, Gartner’s ranking validates what we see every day: Infor is purpose-built for this segment.
#1 for Process Manufacturing
Process manufacturing brings unique requirements—formula management, lot and batch control, quality tracking, regulatory compliance, and more.
Infor earned the top position again in this category.
From my experience, process manufacturers can easily outgrow ERP systems that weren’t designed with their industry in mind. Infor’s specialization strategy avoids that problem. Instead of delivering a “one size fits all” Tier-1 system that must be trimmed down, Infor provides industry-ready capabilities manufacturers can use immediately.
#1 for Project and Asset-Intensive Manufacturing
Companies that build to project—industrial equipment, custom machinery, aerospace suppliers, engineered-to-order manufacturers—face challenges traditional ERP systems struggle with:
- Long project cycles
- Deep cost breakdown structures
- Multilevel work breakdown structures
- Coordinated scheduling across engineering and production
Infor ranked first again.
At Visual South, we work heavily with project-centric manufacturers, and I see the same thing Gartner sees: Infor handles project manufacturing exceptionally well, with the right blend of costing, scheduling, planning, and visibility tools.
#2 for Discrete Manufacturing
Even in the one category where Infor did not take first place, it still ranked #2 overall, just behind Microsoft.
Discrete manufacturing is a highly competitive segment and finishing second in the field—above systems like SAP, Epicor, Plex, IFS, and NetSuite—underscores how strong Infor’s capabilities are for typical make-to-order, make-to-stock, and mixed-mode manufacturers.
In other words, Infor is top-tier everywhere that matters for our customer base.
Why Infor ERP’s consistency matters
Manufacturers rarely evaluate ERP systems, and most don’t have the time or experience to compare the details of each platform. That’s why rankings like these help bring clarity to the decision.
But what stands out to me is not just that Infor won three categories—it’s that Infor performed consistently well across every manufacturing scenario Gartner evaluated.
That kind of performance doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects Infor’s strategy:
- Industry-specific solutions, not a generic Tier-1 platform
- Purpose-built capabilities for manufacturers, not retrofitted workflows
- Cloud architecture optimized for midsized companies, not oversized enterprise overhead
- A design philosophy focused on usability, not developer-focused complexity
This aligns with why Visual South partnered with Infor in the first place.
SAP, for example, is engineered for the Fortune 1000 and comes with the overhead of a Tier-1 system, making it a poor fit for companies in the $50M–$250M range. Implementations are longer, more complex, and require a level of internal staffing smaller manufacturers simply don’t have.
Infor’s approach is the opposite—right-sized, industry-ready, and aligned with how midsized manufacturers operate.
What this means for a company evaluating ERP
If you’re in the lower midsize space, or a process, project-centric, or discrete manufacturer, these rankings should simplify your evaluation:
- Three categories where Infor is #1
- One category where Infor is #2
- A consistent leader across manufacturing-focused research
This isn’t my opinion alone. It’s backed by independent analysts who study ERP systems for a living and validate findings with real customer references.
When manufacturers ask me why Infor should make their shortlist, these rankings are part of the answer. But the broader reason is this:
Infor has the functionality manufacturers need, without the unnecessary complexity they don’t.
When combined with an experienced implementation partner like Visual South, the result is a world-class ERP solution backed by a consulting team that deeply understands manufacturing operations.
