Welcome to this week’s Food Exec Brief, a roundup of the most important news shaping food and beverage manufacturing, from multi-year modernization initiatives and data-driven innovation cycles to operational excellence frameworks and shifting consumer expectations that are redefining competitive advantage.
Key takeaways:
- 🏭 Transformation programs deliver systematic gains: Hormel’s multi-year initiative executing 90 projects in Q3 alone targets $250M in operating income growth through supply chain transformation, portfolio simplification, and data standardization — demonstrating how systematic modernization programs outperform ad-hoc improvements.
- ⚡ Digital threads accelerate product launches: With 71% of CPG leaders adopting AI and top 200 new product launches generating $8.4B in first-year sales (28% of store growth), unified data systems cutting concept-to-launch time by 60% through integrated PLM, LIMS/QMS, and MES platforms that eliminate late-stage surprises.
- 📊 OEE optimization requires holistic approach: Post-startup performance “dips” are avoidable through vertical startup discipline, continuous operator training with proficiency assessments, and IT-OT integration that transforms downtime from reactive to predictive — turning OEE into forward-looking operational readiness indicator.
- 💰 Price sensitivity forces strategic reset: Consumers reached spending limit after 6% increase since 2023, driving retailers toward price reductions and private label expansion while manufacturers must balance cost pressures with growing demand for clean ingredients and health-focused reformulations.
🏭 Systematic transformation programs unlock operational income growth
Hormel Foods demonstrates how multi-year modernization initiatives with clear financial targets and project discipline deliver measurable results through supply chain transformation, technology investment, and standardized processes.
Comprehensive program targets $250M income growth
- Hormel executed approximately 90 projects in Q3 alone as part of a multi-year transformation and modernization initiative launched at the end of fiscal 2023 to deliver at least $250 million in annualized operating income growth across three years.
- The program focuses on four strategic pillars: transforming supply chain operations, minimizing portfolio complexity, investing in data and technology infrastructure, and enhancing people and processes across manufacturing facilities.
- $100M to $150M in incremental benefits expected by the end of fiscal 2025 (late October), with projects including footprint optimization, distribution facility expansion, and standardized manufacturing systems.
Strategic projects optimize network and capability
- Distribution capacity expansion: New Memphis-area facility improves inventory flows and increases distribution capacity, addressing bottlenecks in the supply chain network.
- Footprint rationalization: Discontinued bacon production at Tucker, Georgia plant due to equipment age and substantial investment required, relocating production to facilities aligned with long-term strategic objectives.
- Standardization drives efficiency: Launched Hormel Production System to standardize work across manufacturing facilities, with new procurement and productivity programs generating savings across logistics, warehousing, direct supplies, and indirect supplies.
Data infrastructure enables transformation
- Data and analytics office formed to create easy access to technology, data, and analytics supporting transformation initiative, recognizing data infrastructure as critical enabler for multi-year programs.
Why it matters
Systematic transformation represents structured operational evolution, not reactive improvement. Companies executing 90+ projects quarterly with clear financial targets and governance create sustainable competitive advantages through network optimization, standardized processes, and data infrastructure that compound returns across three-year horizons.
⚡ Unified data systems slash innovation cycle time by 60%
Food manufacturers deploying integrated digital threads from concept to launch eliminate fragmented workflows and late-stage surprises, with AI-powered platforms cutting time-to-market by 60% while improving first-pass compliance and launch success rates.
Digital adoption accelerates across CPG industry
- 71% of CPG leaders adopted AI in at least one business function in 2024, up from 42% in 2023, with Gen-AI-assisted product development cutting time to introduce new products by 60% when cycles measured in weeks versus quarters.
- Top 200 new product launches generated $8.4 billion in first-year sales in 2024 according to Circana — only 1% of total dollars but 28% of overall store growth — demonstrating the outsized impact of successful innovation on manufacturer performance.
- 48% of capital directed to automation among 300+ food and beverage manufacturers surveyed, with 70% citing productivity as the top benefit from investments directly supporting faster iteration and scale-up capabilities.
Fragmented systems create late-stage failure points
- Common innovation bottlenecks: Formulas, specs, labels, and claims living in email and spreadsheets with unclear version lineage; regulatory, allergen, or packaging constraints surfacing after pilot runs; operations teams unable to assess changeover time or throughput impacts until too late.
- Institutional knowledge walks out the door as prior trials, supplier learnings, and process settings aren’t captured in searchable systems, forcing teams to repeat mistakes and rediscover solutions.
Digital thread integration delivers measurable gains
- Modern innovation stack connects: Front-end consumer insight through concept tests and trend analytics; PLM for formulas/specs with integrated ingredient and regulatory libraries; LIMS/QMS for trials with e-signatures and audit trails; supplier data with allergens and sustainability attributes; ERP/MES for costed BOMs and changeover standards.
- A beverage company reduced time to introduce new products by 60% using Gen AI to generate concepts and mine consumer feedback, while a confectionery manufacturer diagnosed production issues before they occurred through better asset health data.
- Critical success factors: Standardized master data with governance; event-driven integration preserving KDE/CTE context for FSMA 204; role-based access separating sensitive formula IP from general project work; closed-loop controls adjusting availability when quality or regulatory events occur.
Business metrics extend beyond time-to-market
- Track comprehensive KPI framework: Concept-to-spec cycle time and spec change velocity; first-pass compliance rate for regulatory and label approvals; trial-to-approval ratio and iteration count to formula freeze; COGS at launch vs. target with 30/60/90-day variance; mock-recall time for KDE/CTE retrieval; changeover time, allergen washdown duration, and OEE linking innovation to operational readiness.
Why it matters
Integrated innovation systems represent competitive velocity advantage, not just efficiency gain. Manufacturers unifying R&D, quality, regulatory, operations, and commercial data into living systems eliminate rework cycles, improve launch hit rates, and de-risk scale-up while competitors fragment efforts across disconnected tools.
📊 Holistic OEE optimization prevents post-startup performance dips
Production lines achieving peak OEE require strategic orchestration across vertical startups, continuous operator training, and IT-OT integration — transforming equipment effectiveness from lagging metric into forward-looking operational readiness indicator.
Post-startup dips erode ROI unnecessarily
- Many production lines experience performance “dip” after installation marked by slow ramp-ups, operational inefficiencies, and unplanned downtime that erode OEE and delay return on investment — yet PMMI research shows dips are avoidable with a proactive approach.
- Three interdependent phases determine success: Vertical startups (avoiding the dip through preparation), operator training (empowering workforce through continuous learning), and IT-OT integration (turning data into predictive action).
Phase 1: Vertical startups demand collaboration and preparation
- Clear success metrics for FATs and SATs defined upfront align expectations and create accountability between OEMs and end users, with operators, maintenance technicians, and engineers engaged from earliest planning stages.
- Preparation prevents dips: Spare parts and wear parts on-site before startup; roles and responsibilities clarified; hands-on operator involvement during installation; intuitive HMIs with clear fault descriptions and corrective guidance reducing troubleshooting time.
- Shared ownership critical: Companies must “stop expecting the dip” and build systems preventing it through communication, preparation, and shared definition of success between OEMs and end users.
Phase 2: Continuous training transforms operator capability
- Operators learn best through hands-on, bite-sized modules reinforced over time, with training tools embedded into HMIs, QR codes linking to troubleshooting guides, and augmented reality providing on-demand support.
- Proficiency demonstrations required: Progressive assessments coupled with follow-up sessions every three to six months lock in knowledge and prevent bad habits, with training viewed as ongoing investment rather than cost center.
- Real-world dynamics addressed: Training accounts for language barriers, skill variability, and high turnover rates, with trainers selected for communication skills alongside technical knowledge.
Phase 3: IT-OT integration enables predictive operations
- Connected systems transform OEE from lagging to leading indicator through real-time performance dashboards and predictive analytics, allowing operators to prevent downtime rather than react — operating by “looking out the windshield” versus “rear-view mirror.”
- Implementation barriers overcome through collaboration: Early cross-functional engagement between IT, OT, engineering, and OEMs; feasibility assessments ensuring infrastructure supports connected equipment; standardized data protocols and machine interfaces preventing compatibility issues.
- Cybersecurity prioritized from outset: Clear policies on remote access, network security, and software updates protect OT environments often lacking built-in defenses against ransomware threats.
Why it matters
Holistic OEE optimization represents operational readiness culture, not equipment output maximization. Manufacturers orchestrating vertical startups, continuous training, and IT-OT integration create self-reinforcing systems where people, processes, and technology compound performance gains while competitors treat phases as isolated projects.
💰 Consumer spending limits force manufacturers to balance cost and quality
Shoppers reached breaking point after a 6% spending increase since 2023, driving channel shifts and private label growth while simultaneously demanding ingredient transparency and health benefits — creating operational tension between cost reduction and reformulation investment.
Price increases hit consumer tolerance ceiling
- Consumers spent 6% more in 2025 than 2023 according to NielsenIQ estimates, reaching maximum tolerance even as CPG inflation cooled month-over-month before ticking up 0.3% from May 2024 to May 2025.
- “Consumers are done with price increases,” according to NIQ Managing Director, predicting retailers and manufacturers will drop prices or minimally offer more promotions while shoppers switch channels and retailers seek better value.
Channel shifts and private label growth accelerate
- Walmart+ seeing “really explosive growth” starting to compete with Amazon as convenience becomes equally important as price, with online shopping and pickup/delivery representing the “easy button” consumers want.
- Private label reaches critical mass: Walmart’s Bettergoods neared $500 million in 2024 dollar sales with 400 products; Target’s Good & Gather worth $4 billion with 2,500+ products (half under $5), appearing in over one-third of Target grocery trips.
- Consumer perceptions shift fundamentally: Private label is no longer seen as just less expensive but “highly substitutable” for branded options, creating loyalty through retailer-controlled quality and value propositions.
Health focus persists despite price sensitivity
- “Free-from” claims surge in snacking as consumers show willingness to pay premium for perceived healthier options, with growth across perimeter departments in fresh foods, vegetables, and high-protein items.
- Ingredient transparency becomes table stakes: Current administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda increases scrutiny of synthetic dyes, seed oils, and other ingredients — forcing reformulation considerations even amid cost pressures.
- Strategic recommendation for manufacturers: Increase ingredient transparency and “think about reformulation in ways that help your product continue to grow with where we’re going in the regulatory movement.”
Why it matters
Consumer spending limits create a strategic paradox for manufacturers: operational imperative to reduce costs and defend margins while simultaneously investing in reformulation and ingredient transparency. Companies balancing these tensions through productivity programs funding clean-label innovation gain dual advantages in value and premiumization channels.
The Food Exec Brief provides weekly insights for food and beverage manufacturing leaders and publishes every Friday. Want to get essential food industry news delivered to your inbox? Sign up for our weekly and daily newsletters.
