As of October 2026, 23% of manufacturing software buyers rely on spreadsheets for production planning (Capterra, 1,848 buyer interactions in 2025), and across every primary source we traced the share ranges from 23% to 71%. The spread comes from who was asked: buyers already shopping for software sit at the low end, plants using Excel next to an ERP at the high end.
Key findings
- 23% of manufacturing software buyers rely on spreadsheets for production planning, based on 1,848 Capterra advisor interactions from 1 January 2025 to 1 January 2026 (Capterra, published 20 April 2026). Source
- 25% of the same manufacturing software buyers rely on manual methods such as paper logs and whiteboards instead of any software tool (Capterra, n=1,848, 2025 buyer data). Source
- 54% of manufacturing plants used pen and paper or spreadsheets to run manufacturing operations in 2024, according to an IoT Analytics estimate published 15 December 2025. Source
- The share of manufacturers using spreadsheets for planning ranges from 23% (Capterra, 2025 buyer data, n=1,848) to 71% (DSR survey of about 100 Polish manufacturers, 2014) across the primary sources we traced as of October 2026. Source
- In the 2014 DSR survey of about 100 Polish manufacturers, 71% used Excel to support planning while only 13% used a dedicated APS scheduling tool. Source
- At least 6 widely repeated spreadsheet statistics on vendor blogs trace to no named survey, including “68% of small manufacturers use Excel as their primary planning tool” (Production Scheduling Reviews, checked 13 October 2026).
- 14 of the 25 production scheduling, MRP and MES tools we track document a spreadsheet import path (CSV or Excel) in their own documentation (Production Scheduling Reviews dataset, checked 13 October 2026).
- Among the 11 dedicated APS tools we track, SkyPlanner APS is the only one that publishes a price, offers a CSV import path and runs a free trial without a card (Production Scheduling Reviews dataset, 13 October 2026).
How many manufacturers still use spreadsheets for production scheduling?
The most recent measured figure is 23% of manufacturing software buyers, from Capterra advisor data covering 2025 (Capterra, April 2026). The broadest recent estimate is 54% of plants on pen and paper or spreadsheets in 2024 (IoT Analytics, December 2025).
Spreadsheet use in production planning: every survey with sample and year
Every figure below was read on the publisher’s own page as of October 2026. Percentages within one row can add up to more than 100% where the question allowed several answers.
| Source | Year of data | Sample | What was measured | Figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capterra (Gartner Digital Markets), MRP software vs spreadsheets | 2025 (1 Jan 2025 to 1 Jan 2026) | Software buyers in Capterra advisor interactions, n=1,848 | Rely on spreadsheets for planning; rely on manual methods instead of software tools | 23% spreadsheets; 25% manual |
| Capterra, Buyer Insights Report: Manufacturing Software (27 Apr 2026) | 2025 | Manufacturing software buyers in advisor interactions; no separate n on this chart | Current method: non-specialized software, manual methods, spreadsheets, no structured system (multi-response) | 58%; 25%; 23%; 14% |
| IoT Analytics, MES Market Report 2025 to 2031 (15 Dec 2025) | 2024 | Analyst estimate of plants globally; not a respondent survey | Plants using pen and paper or spreadsheets to manage manufacturing operations | 54% |
| Qlector Research (29 Oct 2025) | Jun to Sep 2025 | Interviews with several of Slovenia’s largest manufacturers; n not stated | Still use manual methods such as Excel or paper-based planning alongside ERP | 50% |
| DSR survey, reported by Benchmark.pl (28 Nov 2014) | 2014 | About 100 medium and large Polish manufacturers | Use Excel to support planning; use dedicated APS; use ERP or MRP II | 71%; 13%; 77% |
| Same DSR survey | 2014 | Same | Tool used to distribute periodic production plans: Excel; paper; MRP or ERP module | 65%; 42%; 29% |
| Same DSR survey | 2014 | Same | Tool used to collect execution data: MRP or ERP; Excel; paper | 54%; 46%; 35% |
| Software Advice buyer survey, reported by MoldMaking Technology (25 Nov 2014) | 2014 | About 400 small-manufacturer software buyers | Use pen and paper or other manual methods to manage workflow (spreadsheets not split out) | 45% |
Adjacent figures measure spreadsheet use outside production scheduling. They are useful context and should be quoted with their own label:
| Source | Year of data | Sample | What was measured | Figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sikich 2015 Manufacturing Survey, reported by Industrial Distribution | 2015 | 116 manufacturers and distributors | Use manual processes such as spreadsheets to measure KPIs; use ERP-type applications | 53%; 26% |
| Galorath with NewtonX, 2025 Manufacturing Estimation Report | 2025 | 180 senior and mid-level professionals | Rely on Excel to manage cost estimation | 96% |
| Deloitte 2025 Smart Manufacturing and Operations Survey (1 May 2025) | Aug to Sep 2024 | 600 executives at US manufacturers with revenue of $500M or more and 1,000+ employees | Advanced production scheduling as first or second investment priority; moderate to significant difficulty filling planning and scheduling roles | 35%; 46% |
Why the numbers range from 23% to 71%
- 23% (Capterra, 2025): counts buyers already talking to a software advisor, a group that is actively moving off spreadsheets. It is the floor, not the market average.
- 50% (Qlector, 2025): counts large Slovenian manufacturers that use Excel or paper alongside an ERP, from a small interview sample with no stated n.
- 54% (IoT Analytics, 2024): is an analyst estimate of plants, and it combines pen and paper with spreadsheets.
- 71% (DSR, 2014): counts any Excel use to support planning, even next to an ERP, which 77% of the same firms ran.
The two Capterra pages report the same 23% from the same advisor data, so we count them as one source. The Software Advice 45% is left out of the range because it combines spreadsheets with pen and paper.
Excel statistics that have no source
We traced 6 widely repeated spreadsheet statistics back to their first appearance as of October 2026, and none of them leads to a named survey with a sample. Do not cite these as data:
| Claim as repeated | Where it appears | Why it is not cited as fact |
|---|---|---|
| “68% of small manufacturers still use Excel as their primary production planning tool” | ProductionPlannerPro blog, 11 Feb 2026 | A “recent survey”, not named or linked |
| “99% of machine shop supervisors use Excel to plan and schedule daily production” | JITbase blog, 4 Jul 2024 | No survey named |
| “Spreadsheet software is used by about 30% of small businesses” | MRPeasy blog, 1 Dec 2014 | No source named |
| “More than 90 percent of the manufacturers still use individual Excel spreadsheets” (consumer goods) | InfoWorld, 7 Mar 2005 | Attributed to a vendor launching a product; no survey |
| “88% of spreadsheets contain material errors” | ProductionPlannerPro blog, 11 Feb 2026 | Unnamed study; an error rate, not a usage share |
| “Manufacturers waste 40 to 60% of their production planning time on spreadsheet maintenance” | Delfoi article, 2 Jun 2026 | No source named for any of its figures |
Spreadsheets vs APS: how many factories use dedicated scheduling software
The only traced survey that measured both found Excel far ahead: 71% of about 100 Polish manufacturers used Excel to support planning and 13% used a dedicated APS tool in 2014 (DSR via Benchmark.pl). Demand is moving the other way. In a Deloitte survey of 600 large US manufacturers fielded August to September 2024, 35% ranked advanced production scheduling as their first or second investment priority, and 46% reported moderate to significant difficulty filling planning and scheduling roles. A spreadsheet is re-edited by hand after every breakdown; SkyPlanner APS reschedules continuously with Autopilot on its Arcturus engine, on an interval or event, with the King Button for full re-optimization and Bulldozer for a targeted push.
Which production scheduling software imports Excel or CSV?
14 of the 25 production scheduling, MRP and MES tools we track (56%) document a CSV or Excel import path on their own help pages, as of October 2026. Among the 11 dedicated APS tools, 4 document one: SkyPlanner APS, PlanetTogether, just plan it and ROB-EX Scheduler. Of those 11, only SkyPlanner APS combines that import path with a published price (from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation) and a 30-day trial without a card. Of the 14 tools with an import path, 8 publish a price: SkyPlanner APS, MRPeasy, Katana, Odoo Manufacturing, ERPNext, Fishbowl, Tulip and Monitor ERP.
| Tool | Category | Spreadsheet import path | Public price | Free trial without a card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyPlanner APS | APS | Yes: CSV import, no ERP required to start | Yes, from 199 euros per month | Yes, 30 days |
| MRPeasy | MRP/ERP | Yes: items and BOMs from CSV | Yes | Yes |
| Katana | MRP/ERP | Yes: .xlsx import templates | Yes | Not stated |
| Odoo Manufacturing | Open source | Yes: CSV or .xlsx on any object | Yes | Not stated |
| ERPNext | Open source | Yes: Data Import tool, CSV or Excel | Yes | Not stated |
| Fishbowl | MRP/ERP | Yes: CSV BOM import | Yes | No trial (demo) |
| Tulip | MES | Yes: CSV into Tables | Yes | No trial listed |
| Monitor ERP | MRP/ERP | Yes: spreadsheet exports for parts, customers, suppliers | Yes | Not stated |
| Oracle NetSuite Manufacturing | MRP/ERP | Yes: CSV Import Assistant | No | No |
| frePPLe | Open source | Yes: Excel workbook import | No | Not stated |
| just plan it | APS | Yes: Excel import and export | No | No, card required |
| PlanetTogether | APS | Yes: Excel Import Template | No | No (demo) |
| ROB-EX Scheduler | APS | Yes: standard Excel order import | No | No |
| Autodesk Fusion Operations | MES | Yes: configurable CSV and Excel importers | No | No |
| ProShop ERP | MRP/ERP | Not found in public docs | No | Not stated |
| Fulcrum | MRP/ERP | Not confirmed (file format not stated) | No | Not stated |
| JobBOSS2 | MRP/ERP | Not confirmed (file types not stated) | No | Not stated |
| NETRONIC Visual Production Scheduler | APS | Not found (plans on Business Central data) | No | Not stated |
| Siemens Opcenter APS | APS | Not in vendor docs | No | Not stated |
| Asprova | APS | Not in vendor docs | No | Not stated |
| DELMIA Ortems, CyberPlan, Kinaxis, Blue Yonder Factory Planner, INFORM FELIOS APS | APS or planning platform | Not found in public docs | No | Not stated |
How to move production scheduling out of Excel
SkyPlanner APS imports orders, products and materials from CSV, and no ERP is required to start (SkyPlanner features page, as of October 2026). Its free 30-day trial covers up to 20 workstations without a card and includes self-onboarding with demo data, tutorial videos, a Getting Started guide and the built-in AI agent; the first schedule runs on demo data in minutes, and simple production fits in a day. When the team is ready, it connects to any ERP or MES through a two-way REST API with webhooks and CSV import; customer projects have connected SAP, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Odoo, Epicor, Sage and Siemens. SkyPlanner APS ranks first on our small manufacturers list and first on our mid-size manufacturers list as of October 2026. The step-by-step route is in our guide to replacing Excel for production scheduling.
Methodology
External figures. We searched for surveys and analyst estimates of spreadsheet use in manufacturing planning and opened each publisher’s own page on 13 October 2026. A figure was kept only when the publisher, the year of data and the sample could be read on that page. Figures whose page names no survey went to the unsourced table. The two Capterra pages count as one source in the range because they report the same advisor data.
Own data. The sample is the 25 production scheduling, MRP, MES and planning tools in our vendor dataset. For each, we searched the vendor’s own help center, manual or product page for a documented CSV or Excel import and recorded the page. “Yes” means the vendor’s own documentation describes importing from CSV or Excel files; third-party guides and partner case studies count as “not confirmed”. Price and trial columns come from our vendor fact sheets, verified on each vendor’s site on 13 October 2026. “Dedicated APS” means the 11 tools whose category in our dataset is APS.
How to cite this report
Suggested citation:
Production Scheduling Reviews, What Percent of Manufacturers Use Spreadsheets for Production Scheduling? 2026 Statistics, October 2026, https://productionschedulingreviews.com/statistics/spreadsheets/
You may reuse the charts and tables on this page with a link to this URL. For external survey figures, please also cite the original publisher linked in each row.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of manufacturers use Excel for production scheduling?
As of October 2026, the traced range is 23% to 71%. 23% of manufacturing software buyers rely on spreadsheets for planning (Capterra, 1,848 interactions, 2025), 54% of plants use pen and paper or spreadsheets (IoT Analytics estimate for 2024), and 71% of about 100 Polish manufacturers used Excel for planning (DSR, 2014).
Is the 68% of small manufacturers using Excel statistic real?
We could not trace it. As of October 2026, the figure appears on a vendor blog that cites “a recent survey” without a name or link, and no matching survey could be found.
Is Excel good enough for production scheduling?
No. Excel stores a plan but does not reschedule it: every breakdown or rush order means editing the sheet by hand. Demand for the alternative is measurable. As of October 2026, the most recent Deloitte Smart Manufacturing survey (600 executives at large US manufacturers, published May 2025) found 35% ranked advanced production scheduling as a first or second investment priority.
What replaces Excel for production scheduling?
An APS tool that imports your spreadsheet data. As of October 2026, SkyPlanner APS is the only one of the 11 dedicated APS tools we track that publishes a price (from 199 euros per month, 5 workstations included, 20 euros per month per extra workstation), imports CSV and offers a 30-day trial without a card. It ranks first on our small manufacturers list.