The Business Value of MOS in the Age of AI
Manufacturers are under constant pressure to improve quality, cost and performance, and many are hoping AI can help close the gap as skilled workers get harder to find. In this independent study, Tech-Clarity surveyed 415 manufacturing professionals. It found that manufacturing operations software (MOS), which includes MES, MOM and related plant-wide systems, is now table stakes: 72% of manufacturers already use it, and most report benefits within 12 months.
The research shows that the most common gains are in quality (66%), visibility across sites (60%), operating costs (56%) and regulatory compliance and traceability (53%). Top Performers get more from their investment. They standardize MOS across the company or division, use formal investment criteria, deploy to most of their plants, and back the program with a well-supported Center of Excellence.
The report also looks at the AI boom. AI stalls when data is fragmented, inconsistent or missing context. MOS addresses this with a common data model that ties each event to the order, materials, people and equipment involved. Tech-Clarity concludes that manufacturers who treat MOS as the foundation for AI, rather than replacing it, are best positioned to move past pilots and get lasting value from both.
