UK manufacturers are facing two realities. On one hand, their processes are powered by deeply entrenched systems like legacy ERPs, MES or CRMs. On the other hand, they’re adding more and more SaaS apps for ecommerce, supply chain and analytics to their stack.
The world of legacy systems and the world of SaaS apps differ a lot. How do you connect these two worlds? There are multiple methods, but most of them suffer from either being too complex or being too brittle. For example, custom APIs can theoretically integrate legacy apps and SaaS apps. But the setup can get too complex and expensive. On the other hand, point to point integrators are intrinsically brittle.
iPaaS is the only integration solution that’s perfect for manufacturing companies in the UK. It sits in the middle and connects all the software systems used by a business – irrespective of whether they are legacy systems or modern SaaS apps. This is possible with two things – pre-built connectors and workflow builders.
iPaaS sits in the middle, turning fragmented data and brittle custom APIs into governed, reusable integrations – so teams can add new apps without re-wiring the factory every time.
| The UK iPaaS market is projected to reach USD 15.4 billion by 2035. That’s a CAGR of 28.53%. |
Integration Is Awesome. Yet, UK Manufacturers Face a Lot of Challenges Concerning Integration
Integrating legacy systems and making legacy systems and SaaS apps work together are something that feels almost utopian to UK manufacturers. As if integration can never be so successful. But why do UK manufacturers think so? Let’s explore the challenges that are holding them back:
The Problem With Entrenched Legacy Systems:
In an unrelated survey, it was revealed that integration challenges were the #1 reason behind slower AI adoption for 44% of manufacturers in the UK. And the primary reason behind any system integration challenge is the fact that manufacturers are too dependent on legacy systems. These systems are neither custom API-friendly, nor do they provide connectors. And replacing them is out of the question – these systems are tightly associated with the business process. Replacing them means rewiring the entire manufacturing process.
Skill Gap:
Even though integration is done by developers, staff in the manufacturing industry need to have good digital skills to work with the integrations, plan logical workflows and create data mappings and transformation rules, author and validate test cases, and interpret integration‑driven dashboards and alerts. That means production supervisors, supply‑chain planners, quality engineers and commercial teams all need a baseline of digital skills: understanding data formats, recognizing error patterns, and knowing when to escalate issues to IT. Yet nearly half of British manufacturers flag the lack of technical skills as the biggest hurdle to the adoption of advanced technologies.
SME disadvantage:
UK SMEs lag behind larger manufacturers in integration adoption. Larger firms are more than twice as likely to integrate AI/iPaaS into operations, while SMEs cite limited access to technical skills and high costs as barriers.
Integration Across Full Enterprise Remains Patchy:
While manufacturers in the UK use advanced production lines and manufacturing automation, they lag when it comes to integrating the production process – as a whole – with other aspects of the business. Many firms still rely on siloed, custom APIs for specific functions rather than unified iPaaS platforms.
iPaaS - The Answer to All the Teething Integration Challenges
The UK iPaaS market is projected to grow at over 28% CAGR. This includes adoption in the manufacturing sector. So why is iPasS winning the integration tools race in the UK? The reason simply is the fact that it is the best integration method available till date. It’s scalable. And iPaaS can remain simple yet capable of creating complex integration workflows.
| Pain Point | Why iPaaS | Why Not Custom API | Why Not Point-to-Point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legacy ERP/MES | Adapters connect old systems without replacement. | Expensive bespoke coding, hard to maintain. | Limited support for legacy formats. |
| SaaS growth | One hub connector per app, scalable. | Each new app needs multiple builds. | Breaks easily when SaaS APIs change. |
| Skills gap | Low-code tools empower non-developers. | Heavy reliance on scarce developer talent. | Too technical, fragmented for staff. |
| Data governance | Central schema, monitoring, GDPR compliance. | Scattered scripts, poor oversight. | No central control, higher error risk. |
| IoT data | Handles streams, filters, routes efficiently. | Struggles with scale and latency. | Rarely supports IoT protocols. |
| Resilience | Built-in retries, dashboards, orchestration. | Failures unnoticed until impact. | No monitoring, slow troubleshooting. |
Here’s How iPaaS Takes Manufacturing Operations to the Next Level
UK manufacturers are under pressure: legacy ERP/MES systems anchor production, while SaaS apps for supply chain, commerce, and analytics multiply across the enterprise. iPaaS provides the bridge that elevates operations from fragmented workflows to unified, data‑driven processes.
Streamlined Supply Chain Visibility
iPaaS uses connectors and no-code workflows to orchestrate data exchange between disparate systems. So supplier data, inventory levels, shipping data – all remain in sync. The result? Faster decision making, water-tight predictive analytics and fail-proof production.
Smarter Shop-Floor Automation
Imagine this: a car parts manufacturer in Birmingham has all the IoT sensors in place to monitor machine health, energy use, output etc. However, their legacy ERP system has no mechanism to ingest this data by itself. Employees need to manually enter this data using CSV. The pain point? They start responding to issues reactively. Machine downtimes don’t get flagged until the actual breakdown happens. Manual data entry slows the entire production process down.
An iPaaS can be used to create a no-code data transfer workflow – no matter how old the ERP is – because it involves automated data mapping and transformation. Event‑driven architecture filters, transforms, and routes IoT data into analytics dashboards and ERP systems.
Faster Order To Cash Cycle
Manufacturing businesses using entrenched legacy ERP systems require manual entering of orders for production scheduling. This works only if orders are received from offline channels. But what happens if such a manufacturing business receives orders via its ecommerce store? The sales teams will have to manually re‑enter orders into ERP for production scheduling, while finance waits days to generate invoices, slowing cash flow. With iPaaS, every order – be it wholesale or online – is automatically synced into ERP, CRM, and finance systems in real time. Payments and shipment updates flow back instantly, ensuring production schedules, inventory, and customer records stay aligned without manual reconciliation.
Future Proofing Against SaaS Sprawl
Manufacturing businesses often get frustrated with the limitations of their legacy systems. And in their desperation, they keep on adding more and more SaaS applications to their tech stack. Integrating them can turn out to be chaotic. After all, how many custom APIs or brittle native connectors can you deal with? The hub‑and‑spoke model of iPaaS means each app connects once to the platform, not to every other system. The result? scalable, vendor‑agnostic integration that adapts as manufacturers expand their digital stack.
Empowering Non-Technical Staff In The Manufacturing Sector
Manufacturing isn’t IT. You can’t expect your team to be able to work with complex APIs and point to point connector jungles. An iPaaS tool makes integration manageable for non-technical staff. First, they get a huge amount of pre-built connectors made for all the major manufacturing execution systems, ERPs, CRMs and ecommerce platforms. If they require deeper automation, all they need is a no-code workflow builder offered by leading iPaaS tools like APPSeCONNECT.
Some Scenarios – Explore How iPaaS Addresses Manufacturing Challenges
| Scenario | Challenge | How iPaaS Helps | Outcome for Manufacturers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automotive supplier in Birmingham | Legacy ERP cannot sync with IoT sensor data from shop floor. | Event-driven connectors route sensor alerts into ERP and analytics dashboards. | Predictive maintenance reduces downtime, improves production scheduling, boosts delivery reliability. |
| Food & beverage producer in Yorkshire | Batch traceability and compliance reporting require manual reconciliation across ERP, CRM, and finance. | Prebuilt workflows automate order, batch, and invoice sync across systems. | Faster order-to-cash cycles, accurate compliance records, improved cash flow. |
| Aerospace manufacturer in Bristol | Multi-site operations use different MES/ERP systems, creating fragmented supply chain visibility. | Central hub integrates multiple ERPs into one unified view with real-time updates. | End-to-end supply chain visibility, reduced stockouts, stronger resilience against disruptions. |
| SME furniture maker in Manchester | Limited digital skills among staff; reliance on developers slows integration changes. | Low-code/no-code tools let operations staff design workflows and monitor integrations. | Broader workforce participation, reduced developer dependency, faster scaling of digital projects. |
| Pharma manufacturer in Cambridge | GDPR compliance and audit trails are difficult with scattered custom APIs. | Centralized governance, encryption, and monitoring built into iPaaS. | Easier audits, reduced risk of breaches, stronger partner trust. |
APPSeCONNECT - The Best iPaaS for UK Manufacturers
There is no dearth of iPaaS manufacturers in the UK market. However not all iPaaS tools are built the same. Allow us to introduce APPSeCONNECT – the best iPaaS solution made for businesses in the UK.
Proudly GDPR Compliant
APPSeCONNECT is a 100% GDPR compliant solution. Your customer data and your enterprise-privacy remain safe and secure. The platform offers a clear, transparent audit trail across the entire lifecycle of the manufacturing process – right from raw material sourcing to final product selling.
A Rapidly Growing Collection of Pre-Built Connectors
APPSeCONNECT provides ready to use, prebuilt connectors for all the major systems. Stakeholders in the manufacturing industry will have a lower barrier to entry when it comes to integration. Explore all the prebuilt connectors here.
APPSeCONNECT features a proprietary workflow builder to build complex integration workflows. So, no matter how deep your automation requirement is, APPSeCONNECT has the capability to handle it.
Seamless Hybrid Integration
APPSeCONNECT is designed to handle both on‑premise legacy systems and modern cloud applications. UK manufacturers often run ERP/MES platforms that are decades old alongside new SaaS tools for supply chain, CRM, and analytics. APPSeCONNECT bridges this hybrid environment with secure connectors, ensuring data flows smoothly across shop floors, warehouses, and digital commerce channels without costly custom coding.
In the end…
Manufacturing contributes £518 billion to the UK’s GDP. The stakeholders in this sector deserve a better, scalable way of managing the manufacturing processes. With iPaaS, people in the manufacturing sector won’t feel like their knowledge is inadequate – because the technology bridges gaps, integrates systems seamlessly, and empowers teams to focus on innovation rather than firefighting.
Frequently Asked Questions
The manufacturing sector in the UK faces two unique challenges. First, manufacturers that work with legacy tools can’t integrate with modern SaaS solutions. Secondly, the UK is having a crisis in the number of employees with advanced technical knowledge. In this backdrop, integrating disparate systems with custom APIs require a huge upfront cost. On top of that custom APIs can only be managed by experienced developers. On the other end of the spectrum, there is the brittle point to point connector that’s not at all scalable or future proof.
iPaaS is the only integration tool that can be managed by business users with limited technical knowledge. But that doesn’t mean that it has less features or it is not powerful enough. Thanks to its drag and drop workflow builder, you can create complex integration workflows. Unlike APIs that can’t connect legacy MES or ERP systems with modern SaaS stack, iPaaS acts as a bridge between the two sets of systems – thereby facilitating smooth integration.
Yes, iPaaS is growing in popularity in the UK. The UK iPaaS market is projected to reach 15.4 billion USD by 2035. The CAGR growth is pegged at 28.53%. This steady growth is a testament to the versatility of the integration method.
The benefits of using an iPaaS include:
- Scalability – Unlike in case of custom APIs where every new addition of tools would entail integrating it with all the systems. In the case of iPaaS, the new tool is just added to the cloud platform. Since the cloud platform acts as the bridge, this addition effectively integrates with all the other systems.
- Security – Most iPaaS providers take data security very seriously. Both data in transit and data at rest are encrypted, with compliance to industry standards such as GDPR, ISO, and SOC certifications. Centralized monitoring and role-based access controls further reduce risks compared to fragmented, custom-built integrations.
- Cost Efficiency – Traditional integrations often demand high upfront development costs and ongoing maintenance. iPaaS reduces these expenses by offering subscription-based pricing and eliminating the need for constant re-coding.
- Speed of Deployment – With pre-built connectors and templates, iPaaS enables faster integration rollouts compared to the lengthy development cycles of custom APIs.
