The State of Digital Plant Management

75% of Food & Beverage Plants Can't Respond Quickly Enough to Critical Issues

New Research Uncovers the Hidden Gaps Slowing Down FSQA Teams

When a line goes down or a specification is missed, every second counts. But most food and beverage manufacturers still don’t have the real-time visibility needed to catch issues before they snowball.

Research conducted by SafetyChain in partnership with Wakefield Research across 600+ food & beverage manufacturing professionals reveals that most plants are operating with critical blind spots that impact everything from quality control to competitive positioning.

The Scope of the Problem Runs Deeper Than Most Plants Realize

Here's what we found: You can't optimize what you can't see, and over 60% of FSQA managers lack real-time visibility into quality data. Meanwhile, 75% of facilities report that their current technology limits their ability to address urgent challenges or pursue new business opportunities.

The silent killers of plant performance:

• 55% of frontline workers base decisions on gut instinct instead of data

• Only 33% have real-time monitoring of operational processes

• Managing vendor activity and compliance ranks among the top daily obstacles across all departments

"If we miss something, it could have a serious impact to our quality and food safety, or miss opportunities for improved production. SafetyChain helps to bring together quality and production by making sure that we're all looking at the same data."

The State of Digital Plant Management reveals:

• Which teams rely on gut instinct the most (and why it's costing you)

• The production blind spots that often go unnoticed

• Why outdated supplier communication, data, and compliance management are now major business risks

• How AI is bridging gaps across departments

• Benchmark data to see how your plant stacks up

Plus, real case studies from leading plants that are pulling ahead.

Why This Matters Now

Supply chain disruption and changing regulations rank as the top business risks. Most plants are facing these external pressures with internal systems that lack the real-time visibility needed for quick, informed decisions.

The companies addressing these gaps now will capture disproportionate market share over the next five years.

Benchmark Your FSQA Processes

See exactly where your plant stands against 600+ industry professionals and get the insights you need to build your case for change.