**Chandler, AZ and Media, PA**: A report by MESA and Tech-Clarity reveals that 99% of manufacturers plan to invest in AI and analytics, highlighting their potential to deliver rapid business value while identifying key challenges in implementation and data quality.
Chandler, AZ and Media, PA, USA – April 2, 2025: A new report highlighting the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced analytics in the manufacturing sector has been released by the Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association International (MESA) in collaboration with Tech-Clarity, Inc. The report, titled “Making Manufacturing Analytics and AI Matter”, draws on a survey of over 420 manufacturing professionals aimed at assessing the maturity of AI in manufacturing and identifying best practices for achieving rapid business value through these technologies.
The survey, conducted between December 2024 and January 2025, involved a diverse range of participants from different manufacturing industries, including discrete, batch, process, and mixed-mode production. The respondents were sourced across five size categories, encompassing companies with annual revenues ranging from less than $100 million to over $5 billion. Participants included a range of roles, from top executives to individual contributors, predominantly from manufacturing, manufacturing engineering, and manufacturing IT sectors.
The report’s findings indicate that advanced industrial analytics is now the most cited software project for delivering quick benefits, with a remarkable 100% of those manufacturers who deployed analytics and AI reporting positive outcomes. It highlights a strong alignment between the benefits obtained and the primary motivations for investing in their digital transformation initiatives. The report indicates that 99% of manufacturers plan to invest in operations analytics and AI in the years 2025 and 2026.
A significant recommendation from the report suggests that manufacturers should make a strategic investment in analytics and AI promptly, especially if they have yet to do so. It advocates for starting with smaller projects that are in line with critical business priorities, as selecting uses based on business value appears to distinguish top performers from their counterparts.
The report categorises the current state of analytics into three types: descriptive, predictive, including machine learning (ML), and operational guidance through generative AI. Each of these forms is currently producing tangible benefits, and some manufacturers have already benefited from such technologies for several years, with potential advantages growing over time.
However, the report also identifies several key challenges hindering the effective implementation of industrial AI. For predictive and generative AI, inadequate data for training models or algorithms emerges as the foremost challenge. Following this, manufacturers face difficulties related to a lack of data science capabilities and scaling pilot projects into larger implementations. Furthermore, issues around trust in organisational culture and data governance are identified as significant obstacles to the wider adoption of generative AI.
Data quality is highlighted as a fundamental requirement for gaining stakeholder confidence and achieving valuable outcomes in AI initiatives. The research reveals that while most manufacturers report consistency in their data, a smaller proportion assert that their data is both reliable and consistent. Furthermore, many respondents indicate that their organisations struggle with automating the movement of data, resulting in reliance on manual processes.
The report has been developed with support from several sponsors, including Aegis Software, Arch Systems, Epicor, and GE Vernova, which contributed to the survey and report development. These companies, which provide offerings in manufacturing software, industrial data management, and analytics, play a role in supporting the ongoing evolution of analytics and AI in the industry.
Qualified members of the press are invited to request additional findings, including the executive summary and the full research report, along with associated graphical data and potential interviews with lead researcher Julie Fraser from Tech-Clarity.
MESA International has been active in aiding the global manufacturing community in harnessing information technology to yield business results since 1992. The organisation functions as a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to information sharing and best practice dissemination within the industry.
Source: Noah Wire Services
