Page 38 - Plastics News December 2025
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FEATURE NEWS
building phases. This echoes observations from improvement budget to ‘smart’ manufacturing
the American Supply Association (ASA) 2, which technologies, with a focus on skills training and
reports that despite 93% of US manufactur- cybersecurity.
ers having adopted or experimented with AI in
some way, meaningful and transformative adop- In terms of barriers, the most substantial hur-
tion is just gathering momentum. Processors’ dles – lack of expertise (reported by over two-
focus mirrors national trends, with administra- thirds of respondents), unclear value for invest-
tive, finance, IT and production tasks among the ment and integration with legacy systems – are
key areas for AI experimentation – an alignment closely aligned in both the MAPP survey and the
seen in both Deloitte and ASA findings. wider manufacturing AI research from Deloitte,
ASA and Kyndryl. (Chart 3) While productivity
Readiness to adopt and scale AI also is a stand- improvements and compelling operational gains
out challenge. Nationally, both Deloitte’s and are reported, progress toward advanced, cross-
Kyndryl’s 3 research highlights a significant skills organization integration remains incremental,
gap in manufacturing, with nearly half of execu- underscoring the sector’s need for ongoing sup-
tives reporting moderate to severe difficulties in port, talent upskilling and strategic direction.
filling roles in operations, planning, scheduling
and technology management. The survey found
that 30% of processors rate their workforce as
only “somewhat prepared,” 65% as “not pre-
pared,” – a result almost mirroring Kyndryl’s
report that just 35% of manufacturers consider
their teams ready, and McKinsey’s survey show-
ing manufacturing’s talent and readiness for AI
trailing other sectors.
In summary, the plastics manufacturing sector’s
AI journey is consistent with, but somewhat
more cautious than, the larger US manufactur-
ing narrative. Most organizations are piloting AI
in targeted functions, recognizing its strategic
value, but struggle with readiness and skills gaps
that align with national benchmarks. The sector
Regarding future investment levels in this new joins the broader manufacturing industry in call-
technology, processors remain cautious, as over ing for accelerated knowledge sharing and prac-
half of respondents (55%) report having no im- tical guidance from associations, preparing the
minent investment plans or are unsure whether groundwork for more significant transformation
there will be any over the next year. (Chart 2) in the years ahead.
In contrast, Deloitte documents that a majority Source - Plastics Business
(78%) of manufacturers surveyed nationwide
are allocating more than 20% of their overall
38 PLASTICS NEWS December 2025
