A new global benchmark report from manufacturing intelligence specialist Lineview reveals that food and beverage manufacturers prioritising workforce upskilling and real-time data use are achieving significantly higher operational efficiency than their peers.
The report, based on analysis from 33 global manufacturers across 137 sites and 557 production lines, compares performance across six major types of food and beverage production. It identifies a strong correlation between empowered operators using accurate production data and improvements in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), efficiency, and asset utilisation.
Data-driven operators outperform peers
According to the report, top-performing manufacturers are leveraging production line data to enable proactive process improvements, rather than relying on reactive fixes. In contrast, companies with high crewed time but poor asset utilisation continue to underperform. One example cited in the report recorded 90% crewed time, but just 44% asset utilisation, resulting in a low efficiency rate of 57%.
By addressing inefficiencies like these through incremental changes, Lineview says companies can unlock significant productivity gains without the need for capital-intensive upgrades.
“Production lines are capital-intensive, high-throughput environments,” said Ian Rowledge, Founder of Lineview. “Even minor inefficiencies can snowball into major financial losses. Real-time insights are essential for making smarter decisions that improve production, quality and profitability.”
Manual data undermining improvement efforts
Despite the clear benefits, many manufacturers still rely on manually recorded data, often plagued by inconsistencies, outdated figures and human error. The report warns that non-standardised spreadsheet-based systems can hinder accurate decision-making—especially as manufacturers scale up or diversify operations.
The report argues that modern manufacturing requires standardised, real-time metrics to ensure reliability and consistency across multiple lines or sites. Without it, comparisons become flawed and opportunities for performance improvement are easily missed.
Key performance insights from the benchmark
The Lineview report sheds light on industry-wide challenges affecting performance. Key findings include:
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OEE underperformance is prevalent across all production types, pointing to widespread productivity leakages.
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Non-returnable glass bottles (NRGB) are the second least efficient production type, with an OEE of just 42% and availability of 78%. NRGB lines also suffer the highest planned downtime, representing 34% of all losses.
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Bag-in-Box formats are the top performers, achieving the highest OEE (64%) and efficiency (78%).
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Cans demonstrate solid performance with 62% efficiency and an OEE of 53%, but suffer losses from can damage, which now accounts for a third of filler-related losses.
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Aseptic lines average a low 43% OEE and 53% efficiency.
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PET lines and Returnable PET (RPET) show mid-range performance, with OEE scores of 50% and 46%, respectively.
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Returnable glass bottles (RGB) also record low OEE (49%) and efficiency (56%) despite relatively high availability (88%).
The report concludes that increasing product diversity, more complex packaging formats, and the shift toward healthier, sustainable products are placing additional strain on traditional production lines, leading to operational inefficiencies and rising costs.
Benchmarking as a tool for improvement
The benchmark report is designed to help manufacturers understand their standing within the industry and identify high-impact areas for improvement. By providing a centralised and consistent view of performance across multiple production line types, Lineview enables organisations to benchmark against peers, subsidiaries, or industry leaders.
Such comparative insight, the company says, is vital for setting realistic improvement goals, measuring progress, and ultimately driving competitive advantage.
Consumer demands add pressure to meet sustainability goals
As food and beverage brands respond to growing demand for sustainability and healthier options, manufacturers are increasingly investing in environmentally friendly packaging such as returnables. However, many existing production lines struggle to accommodate this complexity—especially when facing tighter budgets, legacy equipment and ongoing skills shortages.
“I don’t think there is anyone who would disagree that the food and beverage manufacturing sectors are facing a perfect storm of rising costs,” Rowledge concluded. “Many are adjusting to tighter sustainability goals, skills shortages and stricter regulations, while continuing to chase efficiency gains. But until the industry puts a spotlight on accurate data capture, all improvement efforts will be undermined by unreliable reporting.”
Lineview’s findings reinforce a central theme: smarter use of data, not just more data, is key to improving productivity, efficiency, and resilience across the sector.
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