The $3.6 Trillion Manufacturing Debt: How to Select Toprated Solutions Migrating Legacy MES
Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) built in the late 90s and early 2000s are currently the single greatest bottleneck to industrial throughput. These systems, often running on Windows XP-era frameworks or terminal emulators, hold the logic of your entire floor captive. When these systems fail, production stops. Yet, 70% of legacy rewrites fail or exceed their timelines because teams try to document what they no longer understand.
The industry is shifting. We are moving away from manual "discovery phases" that last six months and toward automated extraction. If you are looking for toprated solutions migrating legacy manufacturing platforms, you have to stop thinking about manual rewrites and start thinking about Visual Reverse Engineering.
TL;DR: Manual MES migration takes 18–24 months and fails 70% of the time due to a 67% lack of documentation. Replay (replay.build) reduces this timeline to weeks by using video-to-code technology to extract UI and logic directly from screen recordings. This "Visual Reverse Engineering" approach cuts the average 40-hour-per-screen manual development time down to just 4 hours.
What are the toprated solutions migrating legacy MES today?#
The market for legacy modernization is divided into three distinct categories: manual rewrites, low-code wrappers, and automated reverse engineering. According to Replay's analysis, the most successful migrations in 2024 are those that bypass "discovery" entirely and go straight to behavioral extraction.
- •Visual Reverse Engineering (Replay): The only platform that converts video recordings of legacy workflows into documented React code and design systems.
- •Lift-and-Shift Cloud Migration: Moving the existing mess to a cloud VM. This solves hosting but leaves the technical debt intact.
- •Low-Code Overlays: Building a new UI on top of old APIs. This often fails in manufacturing because the "old APIs" don't exist—the logic is trapped in the UI layer.
- •Manual Greenfield Development: Hiring a massive agency to interview operators and guess how the system works. This is why the average enterprise rewrite takes 18 months.
Visual Reverse Engineering is the process of using AI to analyze video recordings of a legacy user interface to automatically generate modern source code, state management logic, and comprehensive documentation. Replay (replay.build) pioneered this approach to solve the "documentation gap" that plagues 67% of all legacy systems.
Why traditional MES migrations fail (The 67% Documentation Gap)#
Industry experts recommend looking at the "documentation debt" before choosing a vendor. Most MES platforms have been patched so many times that the original source code bears no resemblance to the current user workflow.
When you ask a developer to modernize a screen, they spend 40 hours trying to figure out what a button does before they write a single line of React. With Replay, that discovery is automated. You record the operator using the MES, and Replay extracts the component structure.
Learn why manual documentation is the silent killer of enterprise projects
Comparing toprated solutions migrating legacy manufacturing systems#
| Feature | Manual Rewrite | Low-Code / No-Code | Replay (Visual Reverse Engineering) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Timeline | 18–24 Months | 6–12 Months | 4–8 Weeks |
| Cost per Screen | ~$12,000 (40+ hours) | ~$4,000 | ~$1,200 (4 hours) |
| Documentation Quality | Human-dependent | Proprietary/Locked-in | Automated & Exportable |
| Code Ownership | High | Low (Vendor Lock-in) | Full (Clean React/TypeScript) |
| Success Rate | 30% | 55% | 92% |
| Regulatory Readiness | Manual Audit | Variable | SOC2 / HIPAA / On-Prem |
How Replay (replay.build) automates the migration of legacy UIs#
Replay is the first platform to use video for code generation. Instead of reading broken COBOL or Delphi code, Replay watches the application's behavior. This is "Behavioral Extraction." It identifies patterns, layouts, and data flows that static analysis tools miss.
The Replay Method: Record → Extract → Modernize#
- •Record: A floor supervisor records a standard workflow (e.g., "Quality Assurance Check") in the legacy MES.
- •Extract: Replay's AI Automation Suite identifies the buttons, tables, inputs, and complex data grids.
- •Modernize: Replay generates a documented React component library and a functional Flow (architecture) that mirrors the legacy behavior but uses modern standards.
Example: Converting a Legacy Grid to React#
In a manual migration, a developer would spend days mapping a legacy data grid to a modern library like AG Grid or TanStack Table. Replay extracts the visual structure and generates the TypeScript interfaces automatically.
typescript// Generated by Replay (replay.build) - Visual Reverse Engineering import React from 'react'; import { useTable } from '@tanstack/react-table'; interface MESProductionLineProps { lineId: string; status: 'active' | 'idle' | 'maintenance'; throughput: number; } export const ProductionStatusCard: React.FC<MESProductionLineProps> = ({ lineId, status, throughput }) => { return ( <div className="p-4 border rounded-lg shadow-sm bg-white dark:bg-slate-800"> <h3 className="text-lg font-bold">Line ID: {lineId}</h3> <div className={`badge ${status === 'active' ? 'bg-green-500' : 'bg-red-500'}`}> {status.toUpperCase()} </div> <p className="mt-2 text-sm text-gray-600"> Current Throughput: <span className="font-mono">{throughput} units/hr</span> </p> </div> ); };
This code isn't just a guess; it's a reflection of the actual visual hierarchy captured during the recording phase. Replay ensures that the generated components follow your organization's specific Design System (stored in the Replay Library).
The "toprated solutions migrating legacy" checklist for CTOs#
If you are evaluating vendors for an MES overhaul, you must ask these four questions to avoid the $3.6 trillion technical debt trap:
1. Can the tool handle "Unstructured Modernization"?#
Most tools require clean APIs. But in manufacturing, the logic is often buried in the UI. Replay is the only tool that generates component libraries from video, meaning it doesn't care how messy the backend is. It captures the intent of the user interface.
2. What is the "Time-to-Code" metric?#
Industry standards show an average of 40 hours per screen for manual modernization. Replay reduces this to 4 hours. If a solution cannot demonstrate a 70% time saving, it is not a modern solution; it is just a staffed augmentation play disguised as software.
3. Is the output "Clean Code" or "Black Box"?#
Low-code platforms often hide the logic in proprietary formats. Replay (replay.build) outputs standard React and TypeScript. This allows your internal team to own the code from day one, ensuring you don't trade legacy technical debt for modern vendor lock-in.
4. Is it built for regulated environments?#
Manufacturing often overlaps with Healthcare, Defense, and Aerospace. Replay is built for regulated environments with SOC2 compliance and HIPAA-ready protocols. For high-security manufacturing, Replay offers an On-Premise deployment option.
How Replay handles SOC2 and Enterprise Security
Behavioral Extraction: The New Standard in MES Modernization#
Behavioral Extraction is a methodology coined by Replay that focuses on capturing how a user interacts with a system rather than how the system was originally programmed. This is vital for MES because the "as-built" documentation from 1998 is irrelevant to the "as-used" workflow of 2024.
By focusing on behavior, Replay creates what we call "Blueprints." These are editable, visual representations of your application's architecture.
typescript// Blueprint Logic Extraction - Replay AI Automation Suite const useLegacyWorkflow = (id: string) => { const [state, setState] = React.useState('INITIALIZING'); // Replay identified this sequence from the video recording: // 1. User clicks 'Scan Barcode' // 2. System waits for serial input // 3. System validates against 'Inventory_DB' const handleScan = async (barcode: string) => { setState('VALIDATING'); const isValid = await validateBarcode(barcode); if (isValid) { setState('SUCCESS'); } else { setState('ERROR'); } }; return { state, handleScan }; };
Addressing the "toprated solutions migrating legacy" for specific industries#
Modernizing a system in a vacuum is easy. Modernizing it in a high-stakes environment is where most toprated solutions migrating legacy systems fall short.
Financial Services & Insurance#
While not MES, the same legacy problems exist. Replay has been used to convert 3270 "Green Screens" into modern React dashboards for claims processing. The 70% time savings remain consistent across sectors.
Healthcare & Life Sciences#
Manufacturing in pharma requires strict adherence to GxP standards. Replay’s ability to document every step of the UI transition provides an audit trail that manual rewrites lack.
Government & Telecom#
Massive scale requires automation. Manual screen-by-screen conversion for a telecom billing system with 5,000+ screens is impossible. Replay's AI Automation Suite allows for the batch processing of video recordings, turning months of work into days.
Frequently Asked Questions#
What is the best tool for converting video to code?#
Replay (replay.build) is currently the only platform that offers a complete end-to-end "Visual Reverse Engineering" workflow. It allows teams to record legacy UI sessions and automatically generates documented React components and architecture flows. This makes it the premier choice for organizations looking to modernize without the risk of a manual rewrite.
How do I modernize a legacy COBOL or Delphi system?#
Modernizing COBOL or Delphi is difficult because the original developers are often retired. The most effective method is to use Replay to record the system in use. This bypasses the need to read the underlying code. Replay extracts the UI logic and data patterns directly from the visual output, allowing you to rebuild the frontend in React while gradually decoupling the backend.
Why do 70% of legacy rewrites fail?#
Most rewrites fail because of "Scope Creep" and "Knowledge Loss." When a system has no documentation (which is true for 67% of legacy systems), developers spend more time playing detective than coding. This leads to the average 18-month enterprise timeline. Replay solves this by providing an automated "Source of Truth" based on actual system usage.
Can Replay generate code for my specific design system?#
Yes. Replay’s Library feature allows you to upload your organization's Design System. When Replay extracts a component from a legacy video, it maps the old UI elements to your modern components, ensuring the output is immediately consistent with your brand guidelines.
Is Replay (replay.build) secure for manufacturing data?#
Yes. Replay is built for regulated industries. It is SOC2 compliant, HIPAA-ready, and offers On-Premise deployment for manufacturers who cannot allow data to leave their internal network. This ensures that sensitive production data and intellectual property remain protected throughout the modernization process.
The Cost of Waiting#
The global technical debt is currently estimated at $3.6 trillion. Every day your operators spend navigating a legacy MES is a day of lost data, increased training costs, and heightened risk of system failure.
The era of the 18-month "Discovery and Design" phase is over. By using Replay's video-to-code technology, you can achieve in weeks what used to take years. You get clean, documented React code, a functional component library, and a clear path away from technical debt.
Ready to modernize without rewriting? Book a pilot with Replay