Fourth Shift

Name: Fourth Shift
Brand: Infor

Infor Fourth Shift is an on-premises manufacturing ERP that manages production, inventory, finance and supply-chain workflows and provides role-based planning and operational visibility.

Est 2002|Valuation $11B|Raised $1B

LinkedIn 923K|Website|Web traffic 4.1M|FTEs 17,000|HQ Alpharetta, Georgia, US

MarketsProduction Planning Materials Management ERP

Platform CoversSupplier Relationship Management (SRM) and Vendor Management (VRM)Quality Assurance

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

- Direct competitors and differentiators - Infor Fourth Shift vs Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI/SyteLine) - CSI represents Infor’s more cloud-oriented manufacturing ERP direction, while Fourth Shift is positioned as a supported on-premises/legacy product for customers seeking continuity. - Infor Fourth Shift vs Epicor Kinetic - Epicor is commonly evaluated in the same manufacturing ERP category; community commentary indicates Kinetic has undergone UI and capability changes that have at times affected perceived maturity. - Infor Fourth Shift vs Dynamics 365 Business Central - Business Central is widely adopted in SMB markets and offers standardized SaaS licensing; manufacturing depth may require configuration and ISV solutions. - Pricing comparison: value proposition vs alternatives - Fourth Shift: opaque public pricing; total cost depends on implementation scope and hosting approach. - Business Central: more standardized licensing, typically easier to benchmark for SaaS scenarios. - Epicor Kinetic: quote-based pricing with variability by scope; buyer experiences suggest price and upgrade considerations can be material. - Customer testimonials comparing product to competitors - Direct end-user comparisons mentioning Fourth Shift specifically were limited in accessible sources. Some community threads note migration interest toward Infor CSI. - Market share and adoption trends - No authoritative Fourth Shift-specific market share metrics were identified in the sources reviewed. - Industry trend: legacy on-prem ERPs face modernization pressure, often toward cloud ERP offerings.

	Infor Fourth Shift	Epicor Kinetic	Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (Manufacturing)
Starting Price	Not publicly listed (quote-based)	Not publicly listed on vendor site (quote-based; third-party estimates vary)	Published per-user pricing guidance available from the vendor/partners for relevant tiers; confirm with Microsoft/partner quote
Recommended For	SMB manufacturers seeking a traditional ERP footprint and continuity for existing Fourth Shift deployments	Discrete manufacturers prioritizing modern user experience and manufacturing features (suitability varies by make-to-order/make-to-stock requirements)	SMB/mid-market firms seeking Microsoft ecosystem integration and standardized SaaS licensing
Key Strengths	Established manufacturing module coverage and long-term installed base; vendor indicates ongoing product support	Recent UI and product updates; manufacturing-first feature set (varies by module maturity)	Integration with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Azure; broad partner ecosystem
Key Weaknesses	Limited public review footprint and perception as a legacy on-prem solution; Fourth Shift-specific cloud/security attestations are not clearly documented	Some community reports historically noted maturity issues during early Kinetic transitions; pricing and upgrade paths can be concerns	Manufacturing depth for advanced scenarios often requires ISVs or add-ons; implementation quality depends on partner

01Competitive Landscape

Narrative analysis

Direct competitors and differentiators
- Infor Fourth Shift vs Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI/SyteLine)
  - CSI represents Infor’s more cloud-oriented manufacturing ERP direction, while Fourth Shift is positioned as a supported on-premises/legacy product for customers seeking continuity.
- Infor Fourth Shift vs Epicor Kinetic
  - Epicor is commonly evaluated in the same manufacturing ERP category; community commentary indicates Kinetic has undergone UI and capability changes that have at times affected perceived maturity.
- Infor Fourth Shift vs Dynamics 365 Business Central
  - Business Central is widely adopted in SMB markets and offers standardized SaaS licensing; manufacturing depth may require configuration and ISV solutions.
Pricing comparison: value proposition vs alternatives
- Fourth Shift: opaque public pricing; total cost depends on implementation scope and hosting approach.
- Business Central: more standardized licensing, typically easier to benchmark for SaaS scenarios.
- Epicor Kinetic: quote-based pricing with variability by scope; buyer experiences suggest price and upgrade considerations can be material.
Customer testimonials comparing product to competitors
- Direct end-user comparisons mentioning Fourth Shift specifically were limited in accessible sources. Some community threads note migration interest toward Infor CSI.
Market share and adoption trends
- No authoritative Fourth Shift-specific market share metrics were identified in the sources reviewed.
- Industry trend: legacy on-prem ERPs face modernization pressure, often toward cloud ERP offerings.

	Infor Fourth Shift	Epicor Kinetic	Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (Manufacturing)
Starting Price	Not publicly listed (quote-based)	Not publicly listed on vendor site (quote-based; third-party estimates vary)	Published per-user pricing guidance available from the vendor/partners for relevant tiers; confirm with Microsoft/partner quote
Recommended For	SMB manufacturers seeking a traditional ERP footprint and continuity for existing Fourth Shift deployments	Discrete manufacturers prioritizing modern user experience and manufacturing features (suitability varies by make-to-order/make-to-stock requirements)	SMB/mid-market firms seeking Microsoft ecosystem integration and standardized SaaS licensing
Key Strengths	Established manufacturing module coverage and long-term installed base; vendor indicates ongoing product support	Recent UI and product updates; manufacturing-first feature set (varies by module maturity)	Integration with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Azure; broad partner ecosystem
Key Weaknesses	Limited public review footprint and perception as a legacy on-prem solution; Fourth Shift-specific cloud/security attestations are not clearly documented	Some community reports historically noted maturity issues during early Kinetic transitions; pricing and upgrade paths can be concerns	Manufacturing depth for advanced scenarios often requires ISVs or add-ons; implementation quality depends on partner