CPG Firms Prioritize AI Infrastructure Overhaul as Legacy Systems Stall Adoption

Event summary

  • 82% of CPG companies are consolidating legacy systems or transitioning to unified platforms to enable AI adoption.
  • 72% of CPGs are using, preparing, or planning to adopt agentic AI for manufacturing operations.
  • Top barriers to AI adoption include compliance/security (60%), high costs (60%), and integration complexity (58%).
  • 64% of CPGs still rely on mixed digital/manual processes for quality and compliance management.
  • AI-powered predictive analytics are seen as most valuable for quality assurance (24%), decision-making (21%), and issue prevention (19%).

The big picture

The CPG industry is undergoing a strategic shift toward AI-ready infrastructure, driven by the need for standardized data and process automation. This transition reflects broader trends in manufacturing technology, where companies are balancing innovation with regulatory requirements. The move toward unified platforms signals a potential consolidation in the CPG tech stack, which could reshape vendor relationships and solution architectures.

What we're watching

Infrastructure Overhaul
How the pace of legacy system consolidation will impact AI deployment timelines across CPG firms.
Regulatory Compliance
Whether current compliance/security concerns will force CPGs to prioritize specialized AI solutions over generic platforms.
Operational Efficiency
The extent to which AI-powered predictive analytics can reduce manual processes and improve supply chain management.