Stuttgart – November 03, 2026 -- Some 86 percent of surveyed manufacturers name missing internal resources as a hurdle to modernizing or introducing ERP systems, making it the most frequently cited obstacle in a new Planat GmbH study, even as 51 percent report high or very high pressure to upgrade.
The report "ERP-Herausforderungen 2026/2027" draws on a survey of 150 companies in the manufacturing sector, across different company sizes. Of those, 64 percent have concrete plans, or at least a general intention, to invest in ERP, digitalization or process automation within the next two years.
Project effort and data quality each draw 83 percent of respondents
Heavy project workload and data migration or data quality each reach roughly 83 percent. Cost and budget restrictions limit about 77 percent. Multiple answers were allowed.
Planat says the knowledge of articles, production processes and customer requirements sits in the specialist departments, which must contribute to ERP projects even when daily business keeps them busy. Companies with grown system landscapes also need to review which past customizations are still required. Functions once built as special solutions may now be covered by standard features.
Planat Managing Director Christian Biebl said budget alone cannot steer an ERP project. Departments need time to clarify requirements, check data and test new processes, and a good rollout allocates these tasks from the start so operations stay functional.
Consulting and project management quality tops vendor selection at 73 percent
When choosing a provider, 73 percent rank the quality of consulting, implementation and project management as decisive. ERP expertise follows at 69 percent, and service and support after go-live at 67 percent. Industry experience in manufacturing matters to 65 percent. Project speed is cited by only 45 percent.
Planat recommends a clearly bounded first rollout phase with defined responsibilities, verifiable milestones and support beyond go-live. Before launch, integration tests should simulate complete business processes, from customer order through material provisioning to delivery and invoicing, to expose dependencies that single-function tests miss. Training should be based on employees' actual tasks, and a coordinated plan is needed for data transfer, approvals and user support in the first days of operation.
Relief from manual work is the main expected payoff, with 89 percent citing the skills shortage
Respondents expect modern ERP to stretch scarce personnel capacity: 89 percent see it as a remedy for the skilled-labor shortage by cutting manual routine work. Another 86 percent expect relief for staff in daily operations.
Planat cites reuse of order data across purchasing, warehouse and production without re-entry as one source of relief. Clear approval rules limit queries and search effort. Biebl said companies should define early which processes they want to improve and how they will measure success, turning a software project into a traceable operational investment.