CGI releases 2018 Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Product Survey to help manufacturers drive digital supply chain excellence

In its 18^th year, the annual survey serves as the reference guide for manufacturers seeking the best MES solutions to support their digital needs

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, March 19, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has released the results of its 2018 Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Product Survey, a premier market reference guide for MES products. Now in its 18^th year, the annual survey helps manufacturers worldwide navigate the complex MES market and choose an MES solution that best supports their digital needs.

CGI's global Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) expertise is one of CGI's key pillars of a successful digital transformation, helping manufacturers optimize every aspect of production and enabling them to achieve operational excellence.

MES technologies and solutions play a pivotal role in the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. As manufacturers shift toward Industry 4.0 and digitally-integrated and intelligent supply chains, choosing the right MES is critical to meeting the challenges of this transformation. The 2018 CGI MES Product Survey provides the latest MES product information, along with market trends and forward-looking insight, to help companies identify, shortlist and select the perfect-fit MES solution from the many options available in the market.

"To meet the manufacturing market's expectations for more MES information and support, the survey will be complemented by additional value-added services that we have developed in partnership with various MES vendors," said Dirk  de Groot, Senior Vice-President of CGI in the Netherlands. "These services will be available via a dedicated portal that will offer manufacturers the latest and most comprehensive MES information in one place."

This year's edition places particular emphasis on the impact of MES products on the digitalization of the complete supply chain and highlights the extent to which they support smart manufacturing capabilities. In fact, the survey reveals that about 50% of today's MES vendors now include additional Industry 4.0 technology capabilities in their products to help advance companies' smart manufacturing goals.

CGI's vision for the supply chain's digital transformation is supported by six key "pillars" that enable manufacturers to optimize their end-to-end supply chain and accelerate their journey toward a digitally integrated value chain. These pillars (Digital Customer, Right Answer To Demand, Integrated Plant, Perfect Distribution, Field Services, and Control Tower) are showcased at our Global Center of Excellence for Supply Chain Management-located in France, where manufacturing organizations can benefit from CGI's domain expertise, best practices and innovations, to scope, deep-dive, and brainstorm on the transformation of their end-to-end supply chain.

"Industry 4.0 and a digitally-connected ecosystem are essential for manufacturers," said Fabien Debu, Senior Vice-President of CGI in France. "Our vision for the manufacturing industry is centered on leveraging technology to build the pillars for Industry 4.0 and enable a digitally-integrated supply chain. Advanced analytics, in particular, will play a key role in leveraging MES to achieve manufacturing excellence and achieve strategic objectives."

The product survey is led by manufacturing experts in CGI's global MES Center of Excellence in the Netherlands. It is based on vendor responses to a product survey questionnaire, along with 2017 CGI Client Global Insights, which report on the findings of in-depth interviews with more than 1,300 business and technology leaders. Each year, the survey's findings are integrated into CGI's Atlas Manufacturing Framework (AMF), which helps to align an organization's manufacturing IT with its supply chain and manufacturing strategy.

To learn more about the 2018 CGI MES Product Survey, please contact us.

About the 2018 CGI MES Product Survey
The 2018 CGI MES Product Survey is a comprehensive report that brings together the latest trends in MES and provides manufacturers with clear product overviews and insights into MES market developments. The survey is conducted by CGI's global MES Center of Excellence in the Netherlands.

About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is the fifth largest independent end-to-end IT and business consulting services firm in the world. With approximately 72,500 professionals worldwide, CGI offers comprehensive end-to-end IT and business consulting services, systems integration as well as IT and business process outsourcing services. These services are complemented by CGI's intellectual property solutions that help clients accelerate value creation and leverage digitalization. With annual revenue of C$10.8 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com

SOURCE CGI Group Inc.

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