Breaking the productivity deadlock
In UK manufacturing, productivity is both the prize and the pain point. Every boardroom talks about it; every government strategy leans on it and yet too many factories still find themselves running below their full potential. Energy costs, global volatility and skills shortages all squeeze margins, but the biggest challenge is often internal: unlocking efficiency from the systems and processes that underpin day-to-day operations.
This is where ERP has long promised to deliver. Unlike the hype cycles around AI or automation, ERP is a proven driver of measurable productivity gains. The question for manufacturers is not whether ERP works, but which partner can deliver results in a way that reflects the unique realities of their industry.
For Infor, the answer lies in focus.
A manufacturing-first strategy
Infor sits at the top tier of ERP vendors, alongside giants like SAP, Oracle and Microsoft. But while its competitors chase multiple industries from finance and government to retail and healthcare, Infor has chosen a different path. In Europe, its business is almost entirely built around manufacturing and distribution.
“We specialise in companies that design, make, move and deliver products” explains Andrew Kinder, SVP Industry Strategy at Infor. “ERP is the core technology that every manufacturer needs, but the way you make an apple pie is very different from the way you make a jumbo jet. One system cannot realistically do both without enormous cost and customisation. So our approach is to provide industry-specific ERP, tuned to the needs of each sector, whether that’s food and beverage, automotive, aerospace or electronics.”
This vertical strategy sets Infor apart. By concentrating on the manufacturing supply chain, the company can deliver ERP systems that are faster to implement, more aligned with shop-floor realities, and capable of delivering tangible productivity gains.
The role of The Manufacturer
For more than 20 years, Infor has worked with The Manufacturer to connect its technology to the industrial community. The Manufacturer is one of Infor’s core channels for reaching UK decision-makers.
“The Manufacturer has a broad spread of audience,” says Kinder. “It’s not just CEOs or CFOs, it’s functional managers, engineers, operations leaders and shop-floor influencers. For us, that’s perfect. We don’t go to these events to talk about IT for IT’s sake. We go to talk about manufacturing. The conversations we have at The Manufacturer’s roundtables are exactly that.”
Roundtables at Summits have become a critical format for Infor. Unlike traditional event formats, they allow the company to lead discussions on topics such as supply chain resilience, ESG, MES, or smart manufacturing. Using live polling and interactive dialogue, Kinder often runs his sessions more like an educational workshop than a sales pitch.
“It’s about learning together,” he says. “Some attendees are exploring a technology for the first time, others are already experimenting. The value comes from hearing each other’s experiences. We don’t want to stand on stage and talk about ourselves. We want to say: here’s a company like you, here’s the problem they faced, here’s how technology helped them. That resonates far more with the manufacturing audience.”
Commercial impact
For Infor, the partnership with The Manufacturer delivers on two levels: visibility and ROI.
First, visibility. As a $3 billion company competing with rivals ten times its size, Infor cannot rely on blanket brand recognition. Its competitors can plaster airports with advertising or dominate horizontal markets through scale. Infor instead builds its presence within targeted manufacturing communities.
“One challenge is brand recognition,” admits Kinder. “We’re well known among those who know us, but unlike SAP or Oracle we don’t have universal visibility. That’s why we continually invest in The Manufacturer, because their community is our customer base. Being in front of that community, repeatedly, is what builds recognition and trust.”
Second, ROI. Events with The Manufacturer are judged against marketing return, particularly lead generation. Roundtables typically yield three to five qualified opportunities per event, but Kinder stresses that the real value lies in the longer-term relationship.
This shift is already underway at Infor, with new marketing leadership exploring a more programmatic, long-term partnership with The Manufacturer.
Aligning on productivity
What makes the relationship particularly powerful is the alignment of purpose. Both Infor and The Manufacturer are dedicated to advancing the productivity of UK industry.
“For British manufacturers to compete globally, we have to use technology well,” says Kinder. “We face headwinds on manufacturing costs, taxes and skills. Our strength lies in advanced manufacturing and smart use of digital tools. That’s exactly where Infor positions itself, and it’s also where The Manufacturer is focused; spreading best practice, connecting leaders, and creating a platform for learning.”
Infor’s ERP systems have repeatedly shown their ability to unlock efficiency across operations. Whether it is enabling real-time visibility on the shop floor, supporting ESG reporting, or integrating MES into ERP, the outcome is the same: measurable productivity improvement. The Manufacturer provides the arena where these capabilities can be demonstrated, debated and, ultimately, adopted.
Preparing for an AI-first world
Looking ahead, Kinder sees another dimension to the partnership: AI-side visibility. With generative AI now shaping vendor selection, the way information is published and shared has become critical.
Infor is already adapting, shifting its website and content strategy to be more educational than promotional – a move that both supports SEO today and builds authority in an AI-driven future.
Advice for other solutions providers
Kinder’s advice for other solutions providers considering partnering with The Manufacturer is simple: respect the audience.
“People don’t attend these events to be sold to,” he says. “They come to learn. Align your message to the issues The Manufacturer is covering: skills, costs, exports and supply chain volatility. And if you can, bring a customer with you. Let them tell their story. The community wants to hear from peers, not vendors.”
Alignment creates success
Infor’s two-decade partnership with The Manufacturer shows what happens when vendor and media platform align on purpose. For Infor, it provides brand visibility, community engagement and a pipeline of opportunities. For The Manufacturer, it means a partner genuinely committed to productivity and competitiveness in UK industry.
At its heart, the story is not about ERP as software. It is about productivity as a strategy and about the role that focused technology, delivered through the right channels, can play in keeping British manufacturing globally competitive.
If you would like help in aligning your product features to the real-world priorities of UK manufacturers; productivity, competitiveness and growth, speak to The Manufacturer team today. From thought-leading content to high-impact events, we’ll help you connect your technology with the audiences that matter.
MARKETING TO MANUFACTURER
Marketing to Manufacturers is a free initiative from The Manufacturer, designed to help solutions providers and commercial partners generate demand in the manufacturing sector. Leveraging insights from The Manufacturer’s ongoing editorial research spanning a community of over 600,000 industrial professionals, Marketing to Manufacturers equips solution providers with real-world market intelligence to refine their positioning and messaging.
By delivering tailored guidance, fresh industry research and a strategic roadmap for engagement, Marketing to Manufacturers is proven to help partners maximise ROI and shorten sales cycles.
Through exclusive reports, events, newsletters and direct industry engagement, Marketing to Manufacturers ensures solutions providers stay ahead of the curve by translating knowledge into commercial success.
It’s the only resource of its kind, dedicated solely to the manufacturing sector.
Check out the latest Manufacturing Momentum report here: https://info.themanufacturer.com/manufacturing-momentum-report-2025-h2-m2m
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