- New Schneider Electric survey of 1,453 global executives reveals a widening gap between AI ROI ambition and operational reality in the consumer-packaged goods sector
- Data quality, legacy automation and change management — not AI availability — emerge as the primary blockers to successful AI adoption
LONDON, April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Schneider Electric, the global leader in energy technology, today released new findings from its global 2026 Industrial AI in CPG Survey,1 revealing that consumer-packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers expect significant increases in production inefficiencies and cost pressures by 2030. Many are turning to industrial intelligence - the combined power of AI, data and automation - to reinforce competitiveness in a decade of accelerating volatility.
Structural manufacturing costs expected to rise by 2030
The survey reveals CPG manufacturers expect an accelerating margin crisis, with inefficiencies including manufacturing delays, downtime, and equipment failure already amounting to an estimated 20.3% of the final manufactured product cost today. Respondents report 15.2% of mean manufacturing revenue lost today due to delays, downtime, rework, quality deviations or suboptimal asset use.
These preventable losses are expected to worsen sharply, reaching 21.37% next year and rising toward 29.14% by 2030.
Many CPG manufacturers are betting on industrial AI to cut the projected rise in preventable production losses.
AI expectations surge while readiness lags
Today, just one in eight (13%) CPG manufacturers say AI is embedded end-to-end in core operations and decision-making. By 2030, more than a third (37%) expect AI to be core to their operations, a tripling of adoption in just four years.
Respondents also expect AI-driven Return on Investment (ROI) to rise sharply:
- a third (32.7%) anticipate returns of 50-74% on their AI projects by 2030
- nearly a tenth (7.9%) forecast returns of above 100%, meaning AI investments would pay for themselves in under a year
This level of performance today is seen only in WEF Lighthouses2 or autonomous factories.
In contrast, seventy percent of respondents say current AI ROI is under 20%, with nearly a third (28.4%) seeing ROI of 5% or less, reflecting an industry still extracting limited value from early-stage deployments.
“Manufacturers are projecting a tripling of the end-to-end AI adoption by 2030, alongside a step change in the returns they expect to see, matching the levels only the most advanced Lighthouse and autonomous factories achieve today,” said Neil Smith, President, CPG, Schneider Electric. “This expectation gap is the strongest signal of urgency we’ve seen in years. AI can only be transformative when it delivers true industrial intelligence: the ability to turn real-time operational data, modern automation and AI into synchronized decisions that improve efficiency at scale. Many organizations are still operating brownfield sites with fragmented data and legacy systems that limit AI’s value and adoption. Closing this readiness gap is now one of the most important competitiveness priorities for the CPG sector.”
The barrier is not AI technology, it’s foundational readiness for industrial intelligence
Despite strong confidence in AI’s potential, survey respondents consistently identify structural, not technological, hurdles as the primary obstacles to scaling:
- skills gaps in AI or data science (43.0%),
- legacy automation systems and infrastructure (37.5%),
- lack of contextualized operational data (36.3%),
- workforce resistance (25.7%),
All of these emerge ahead of cybersecurity or compliance concerns (21.7%).
“The results are clear: delivering the transformational ROI expected for industrial AI in just four years requires a step change in collaboration, transparency and shared standards,” said Cecile Vercellino, SVP Services, Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric. “Through SE Advisory Services, we are already applying our own Lighthouse manufacturing know-how with customers around the world, helping them turn digital ambition into measurable impact. We believe that sharing and deploying best practices and sector-specific expertise will catalyze the next wave of industrial digital transformation.”
The new paper: “Beyond the Hype: Practical AI for Competitive Consumer Goods Manufacturing” published today by Schneider Electric in collaboration with AVEVA, provides guidance on successful AI implementation across the food and beverage and life sciences sectors. It outlines the pathway to autonomous operations through industrial data, modular automation, electrification and Industrial AI implementation steps.
Press contact: media.relations@se.com
Notes to editors:
- The statistically representative research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,453 (25% of the sample were C-suite and 75% were senior manufacturing decision-makers) across the Life Sciences and Food & Beverage sectors across 14 countries, including the UK, US, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Denmark, KSA, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland and Egypt.
- The data was collected between 26.02.2026-24.03.2026. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society and follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is also a member of the British Polling Council.
About Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a global energy technology leader, driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries, businesses, and homes. Its technologies enable buildings, data centers, factories, infrastructure, and grids to operate as open, interconnected ecosystems, enhancing performance, resilience, and sustainability. The portfolio includes intelligent devices, software-defined architectures, AI-powered systems, digital services, and expert advisory. With 160,000 employees and 1 million partners in over 100 countries, Schneider Electric is consistently ranked among the world’s most sustainable companies.
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1 The statistically representative research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,453 (25% of the sample were C-suite and 75% were senior manufacturing decision-makers) across the Life Sciences and Food & Beverage sectors in the UK, US, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, Denmark, KSA, Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, and Egypt. The data was collected from February to March 2026.
2 McKinsey, “How manufacturing’s Lighthouses are capturing the full value of AI”, 2024. Source: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/operations/our-insights/how-manufacturings-lighthouses-are-capturing-the-full-value-of-ai
