The Kanoa Systems Integrator Program Levels Up

Manufacturers choosing a Kanoa MES implementation partner have always been able to ask a systems integrator about their experience. Starting Monday, August 3, they'll also be able to see it.

We're launching an updated Kanoa Systems Integrator Program, with a clearer structure for how partner firms build and demonstrate Kanoa MES expertise, and a new Systems Integrator Partner directory where manufacturers can find them.

A Program Built Around Real Enablement

The Kanoa Systems Integrator Program is Kanoa's partner program for systems integrators that deploy, configure, extend, and support Kanoa MES in customer manufacturing environments. It's always been open to implementation teams working in Ignition-based environments — what's changing is how clearly a firm's Kanoa-specific enablement shows up.

Individual certification is the foundation. Kanoa Certification validates a person's knowledge against Kanoa-defined requirements for Kanoa Ops, Kanoa Trace, and Kanoa Quality — not a company's, a person's. Kanoa Ops certification comes first and establishes the foundational knowledge the Trace and Quality paths build on.

Three Partner Levels

As of Monday, Kanoa Systems Integrator Partner firms fall into one of three levels based on the Kanoa-certified expertise represented across their team:

• Associate Partner — participating in the Kanoa Systems Integrator Program and building Kanoa MES knowledge and certification.
• Certified Partner — has at least one Kanoa Ops Certified professional on the team, often with certification extending into Kanoa Trace or Kanoa Quality as well.
• Premier Partner — meets Kanoa's highest current program requirements, with deeper Kanoa-certified capacity across the team and certification extending into Kanoa add-on Solutions.

These levels aren't a badge for its own sake. They're meant to give manufacturers a faster, clearer starting point when they're comparing implementation teams — a level and a set of certification areas, right alongside the partner's own description of their work.

A Directory Manufacturers Can Actually Use

The new Kanoa Systems Integrator Partner directory lets manufacturers browse partners by level and see the certification areas represented on each team — Kanoa Ops, Kanoa Trace, and Kanoa Quality. It's a starting point, not a replacement for a real conversation: partner level and certification indicate enablement, not a guarantee of project fit, timeline, or outcome. We still think the best next step is talking directly with a prospective partner about your specific implementation.

Today, that directory includes dozens of Systems Integrator Partners across all three levels.

Two Paths in the Kanoa Ecosystem

Systems Integrator Partners are one part of a broader Kanoa Ecosystem. If your organization deploys, configures, extends, and supports Kanoa MES for customers, the Systems Integrator Partner path — Associate, Certified, Premier — is the right fit.

If your organization contributes to the Kanoa Ecosystem in other ways — as a technology company, a manufacturing community, or another kind of collaborator — you're likely a Friend of Kanoa instead. Friends of Kanoa doesn't require certification; it's a recognized, collaborative relationship for organizations like our Technology Partners and Manufacturing Communities that contribute complementary technologies, industry knowledge, and manufacturing education without directly implementing Kanoa MES for customers.

Both paths matter to us, and both are visible on kanoa.ai now — Systems Integrator Partners in the directory above, Friends of Kanoa in their own directory.

What This Means If You're Already a Kanoa Partner

If your firm is already part of the Kanoa Systems Integrator Program, you should have received an email this week with your assigned level, certification areas on file, and a preview link to your directory profile. If anything on your profile needs a correction, reply to that email — we want the directory to be accurate from day one.

We've also put together a Premier and Certified partner badge package for firms that want to reference their status on their own site, in proposals, or in email signatures. Details are in that same email.

What's Next

This directory launch is the first step in a broader update to the Kanoa Partner Program. In the coming weeks, we'll be sending an updated partner agreement that more formally defines the program, and a short survey to gather more detail on each partner's capabilities, industries served, and geographic coverage — information we'll use to make the directory more useful for manufacturers searching for the right fit.

If you're a systems integrator working in Ignition-based manufacturing environments and you're not yet part of the program, we'd like to hear from you.