What Factivity does

Factivity is a manufacturing software vendor founded in 1984 that develops and sells a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to discrete manufacturers ranging from single-plant job shops to multi-plant global operations. The product extends ERP systems onto the factory floor, providing real-time visibility into labor, production, machine performance, and materials. Reported deployment spans 16 countries (including the US, Canada, Mexico, and multiple European and Asian markets) and is used daily by "thousands of factory floor workers." Named customers are predominantly mid-to-large industrial enterprises across diverse verticals, including CoorsTek (technical ceramics/medical), Saint-Gobain, PPG Industries, Lubrizol, Carlisle Brake and Friction, American Trim, and Excelda Manufacturing.

The technology is a modular platform built around a purpose-built touch screen operator interface, delivered through a core Shop Floor Module plus add-on modules for Documents (paperless job packets), Machine Monitoring (OEE), Advanced Planning & Scheduling, Material Control, WIP tracking, Lot Tracking, and a multi-plant SQL Server data warehouse. It connects to factory-floor PLC/PAC controllers via OPC (with plug-and-play support for Opto22 and Moxa hardware), exposes real-time data through the browser-based FACTVIEW viewer, runs on Windows Server or UNIX/Linux, and integrates bidirectionally with ERP systems including QAD, SAP, Navision, Baan, and BPICS. Differentiated components include a patented "Time Slicing" labor-tracking method for accurate multi-job time capture and pre-built ERP interfaces refined over decades. Complementary integrations exist with PlanetTogether (scheduling optimization) and Inductive Automation's Ignition (SCADA/IIoT).

Factivity monetizes through modular, per-module software licensing (characterized as recurring), professional services for implementation/configuration/ERP integration, and facilitation of third-party hardware sales (touch-screen terminals cited at under $100 each). Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise/inside sales with no reseller channel; leads are generated through content marketing (whitepapers, case studies) and active participation in QAD user-group conferences (MWUG, SEUG, WECUG) under a 20+ year QAD partnership. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and deals are transacted via phone and web-form demo requests. The company is private, operates under Vela US Holdco, and in 2025 was announced as an acquisition by Fog Software Group, a holding company for manufacturing/distribution/supply-chain software businesses.

Name

Factivity

Legal name

Factivity

Website

https://factivity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Factivity is a manufacturing software vendor (founded 1984) selling a modular Manufacturing Execution System that extends ERP onto the factory floor—labor tracking, OEE, paperless work instructions, and machine monitoring—to discrete manufacturers across 16 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Data Platforms, Historian & MES/MOM Integration (IMAIAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ), Discrete Manufacturing IIoT (Automotive/Electronics/Machinery) (IMAIAMAN)

Keywords

• Manufacturing execution system
• Shop floor data collection
• OEE tracking software
• Paperless manufacturing software
• Production tracking software

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. MES Software Licenses and Modules: Factivity sells modular MES software including Shop Floor Module, Documents Module, and Machine Monitoring Module. The system is licensed per module and is configurable to customer-specific requirements. Additional modules include APS, Time & Attendance, and OPC integration.
2. Implementation and Support Services: Professional services for system implementation, configuration, ERP integration, and ongoing technical support. The company provides installation services and can order hardware on behalf of customers.
3. Hardware Sales: Factivity facilitates the sale of hardware including touch screen terminals, tablets, and machine connectivity equipment. Touch screen PCs and tablets are available for under $100 per data collection terminal. The company has third-party hardware providers it recommends.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Factivity develops and sells FACTIVITY MES, a modular Manufacturing Execution System that extends ERP systems to the factory floor. The platform provides real-time visibility into labor, production, machine performance, and materials through a customizable touch screen interface, with add-on modules for paperless documentation, machine monitoring via OPC, advanced planning and scheduling, OEE tracking, and multi-plant analytics.

Product overview

FACTIVITY is a modular Manufacturing Execution System (MES) platform comprising a core Shop Floor Module plus three add-on modules (Documents Module, Machine Monitoring Module). The platform is designed around a touch screen operator interface and provides real-time factory floor visibility, OEE tracking, labor tracking, and paperless manufacturing operations. FACTIVITY integrates with leading ERP systems (QAD, SAP, Navision, Baan, BPICS) and complementary platforms including PlanetTogether (advanced scheduling) and Ignition (SCADA/IIoT). The system runs on Windows Server or UNIX/LINUX with touch screen terminals on the factory floor. FACTIVITY has been a leader since 1984 and is currently used across 16 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FACTIVIEWS: Web browser-based viewer providing real-time data visibility for personnel outside production areas including quality teams, maintenance, customer service, and production management.
• Factivity MES
• FACTIVITY Shop Floor Workbench

Products and services

• FACTIVITY MES (Manufacturing Execution System) A modular Manufacturing Execution System that extends ERP systems to the factory floor, providing real-time visibility into labor, production, machine performance, and materials through a customizable touch screen interface. Built for discrete manufacturers from single-plant job shops to multi-plant global operations.
• Shop Floor Module Core operator interface and data collection engine handling labor time tracking, production quantity reporting, material usage tracking, scrap and downtime logging with reason codes, barcode label printing on demand, and job dispatch management. Configurable by non-technical users without programming.
• Documents Module Paperless job packets delivering electronic CAD, PDF drawings, work instructions, video clips, ISO/QS 9000 controlled documents, and quality inspection forms at the touch of a button. Includes drag-and-drop template builder for quality data capture and electronic MRB tracking.
• Machine Monitoring Module Direct OPC connection to factory floor machines, lines, and cells for automatic OEE capture — machine start/stop events, cycle completions, piece counts, downtime with reason codes. Supports SCADA-level data acquisition, Historian, and Recipe Management with plug-and-play connectivity to PLC and PAC controllers from vendors including Opto and Moxa.
• Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) Software Optimization scheduling logic that evaluates multiple constraints instantaneously — best machine selection, raw material inventory, labor, and tools. Produces realistic achievable schedules visible in customizable Gantt and spreadsheet format, electronically published to the Shop Floor MES Module.
• OEE Software Overall Equipment Effectiveness tracking software with real-time dashboards displaying availability, performance, and quality metrics at machine, plant, and multi-plant levels for manufacturing operations teams.
• Real-Time Labor Job Tracking Touch-button labor time capture system with patented Time Slicing technology for accurate job-level time tracking, supporting multiple jobs, crew operations, and automatic sign-in/out with concurrent job assignments automatically accounted for.
• Scrap Reporting Software Scrap and downtime reporting with reason codes tied to parts, machines, tools, operators, and routing steps, with optional automatic capture through machine monitoring integration.
• WIP Manufacturing Software Real-time Work-in-Process visibility tracking materials, sub-assemblies, completions, outsourced processes, and finished goods from raw material consumption to customer delivery.
• Analytics | Multi-Plant Data Warehouse Microsoft SQL Server-based data warehouse consolidating KPIs and production data across multiple facilities for plant comparison and drill-down analysis.
• OEE Software Module Machine connectivity module providing 100% accurate downtime reporting via PLC/OPC with performance information and minimal operator intervention.
• Supervisor Visibility Real-time dashboard showing all factory floor activity, operator performance, and job status for production management oversight.

Quantifiable outcome

• $200,000 in recurring annual labor savings alongside reduced setup times for a plastic parts manufacturer customer.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered primary integration partner, core integration partner, pre-built integration, recommended hardware vendor and parent company.

• QADprimary integration partnerTechnology or IntegrationFor over 20 years FACTIVITY has been a QAD Partner providing factory floor solutions. FACTIVITY regularly participates in QAD user group events (MWUG, SEUG, WECUG) and has extensive experience with QAD-specific deployments. Pre-built integration with QAD ERP systems handles shop floor execution while QAD remains the system of record. Integration is bidirectional with work orders and BOMs flowing from QAD into FACTIVITY and production actuals flowing back.
• PlanetTogethercore integration partnerTechnology or IntegrationPlanetTogether is the leader in scheduling and sequencing optimization technology, tightly integrated with FACTIVITY Shop Floor MES. Jobs, production orders, and work orders can be optimized on PlanetTogether's scheduling board and electronically 'published' to the FACTIVITY MES dispatch. FACTIVITY MES provides continual evaluation of actual run rates and setup times versus standards for more realistic scheduling.
• Ignition (Inductive Automation)core integration partnerTechnology or IntegrationInductive Automation's Ignition gateway is tightly integrated with FACTIVITY MES to provide SCADA-level functionality extension, bi-directional data flows for recipe retrieval, automatic production reporting triggered by machine activity, real-time OEE capture on FACTIVITY dashboards, history data capture for process improvement, and parametric/quality measurement passed to FACTIVITY templates.
• SAPpre-built integrationTechnology or IntegrationFACTIVITY has pre-built integration with SAP ERP systems for seamless shop floor-to-ERP data flow. SAP integration was made available for FACTIVITY (announced in company news).
• Optorecommended hardware vendorTechnology or IntegrationFactivity's OPC solution supports PLC and PAC controllers from Opto22 and Moxa for machine connectivity. The connection is plug-and-play for standard machine configurations.
• Moxarecommended hardware vendorTechnology or IntegrationFactivity's OPC solution supports PLC and PAC controllers from Opto22 and Moxa for machine connectivity. The connection is plug-and-play for standard machine configurations.
• Fog Software Groupparent companyOthersFog Software Group announced the acquisition of Factivity. Fog Software Group operates as a holding company for software businesses in the manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain sectors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Apriso (Flexera): MES platform originally founded for discrete manufacturers; comparable in targeting multi-plant global operations with ERP integration, quality, and shop-floor execution modules — overlapping with Factivity's buyer profile.
• Aegis (now part of Hexagon): FactoryLogix MES platform serving electronics, medical device, and discrete manufacturers. Direct competitor with overlap on paperless shop floor, machine connectivity, and quality/traceability modules similar to Factivity's offering.
• Critical Manufacturing: Portuguese-headquartered MES/MOM vendor focused on discrete and high-tech manufacturers. Competes head-to-head with Factivity in factory-floor execution, integration with leading ERPs, and Industry 4.0 use cases targeting global enterprise manufacturers.
• iBASEt: Solumina MES serving complex discrete manufacturers (aerospace, defense, industrial). Competes in the same vertical with shop-floor execution, paperless operations, and ERP integration analogous to Factivity's positioning.

Broad incumbents

• DELMIA (Dassault Systèmes): Dassault's DELMIA platform — which now includes the QAD-related MES Apriso assets — competes broadly in MES. Particularly relevant as Factivity's deepest ERP partner (QAD) is owned by Dassault, raising both co-sell and competitive overlap.
• PTC (ThingWorx / Kepware): PTC's industrial IoT and Kepware OPC connectivity stack compete with Factivity's machine monitoring and OPC connectivity layers; broader PLM portfolio increasingly bundles manufacturing execution capabilities.
• Aveva (Wonderware): Industrial software portfolio including MES / HMI / SCADA. Overlaps with Factivity in machine monitoring, OEE, and shop-floor execution use cases at large enterprise manufacturers.
• Siemens Opcenter (formerly Camstar): Broad MOM/MES suite within Siemens' digital industries portfolio. Competes in enterprise accounts where buyers prefer a single-vendor PLM-MES-automation bundle over a specialist like Factivity.

Emerging players

• Tulip Interfaces: Cloud-native, front-line operations platform with touch-screen operator apps. Represents the modern, low-code, SaaS alternative that competes with Factivity's on-premise touch-screen interface for greenfield MES deployments.

Others

• PlanetTogether: Advanced Planning & Scheduling (APS) software tightly integrated with Factivity's Shop Floor MES via electronic publishing of schedules to the FACTIVITY dispatch. Strategic technology partner with deep solution overlap rather than head-to-head competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/factivity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Factivity