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14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2025 F E AT U R E I N T E RV I E W by N o l a n J o h n s o n , I - C o n n e ct 0 07 MES Software Tools Need Thoughtful Integration T he Global Electronics Association recently pub- lished a survey report on the state of EMS pro- duction software. This project, led by Thiago Gui- maraes, director of industry intelligence, connects the dots across the global electronics value chain to uncover practical insights that individual companies might not have seen on their own. In this interview, Thiago discusses the whys and hows of this report. Thiago, why was this project started? What did you want to learn? We launched this project to map out the real- world software landscape inside EMS compa- nies. There's a lot of discussion around digitiza- tion and factory software adoption, but little data about what legacy systems companies are actu- ally using, how satisfied they are, and what bar- riers they face. We wanted to bring clarity to that picture and help reassure our members and indus- try partners that they are not alone in their soft- ware struggles, and that there are lessons to be shared. For instance, over 70% of respondents still rely on homebrew software for at least one of their core systems. The struggle with integration stood out. Was that a surprise? It came up frequently, especially in the open-ended comments, and while it wasn't a surprise, it's great to be able to note the range of integration issues