New executive whitepaper features perspectives from manufacturing CFOs at Aphena Pharma Solutions and AmSafe Aviation on where AI creates measurable value — and where it destroys capital

QAD | Redzone, the company delivering the leading manufacturing platform, powered by Agentic AI that executes work and decisions across the business, from the shop floor to the top floor, announced the release of A CFO’s Pragmatic Guide to AI in Mid-Market Manufacturing, a new executive white paper designed to help manufacturing leaders navigate the growing wave of AI investment with greater operational and financial discipline.

The paper argues that while AI activity across manufacturing is accelerating rapidly, many investments fail to translate into measurable business outcomes because organizations apply AI to the wrong problems, measure it incorrectly, and treat it as a technology initiative instead of an operating model transformation.

Co-authored with insights from Patrick Min, CFO of Aphena Pharma Solutions, and Kevin Davis, CFO of AmSafe Aviation, the paper provides a pragmatic framework for manufacturing CFOs evaluating how AI impacts throughput, working capital, operational responsiveness, and margin performance.

“Right now, the market is flooded with AI activity, but activity is not the same as impact,” said Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO at QAD | Redzone. “Manufacturers don’t need more disconnected AI pilots. They need operational systems that help teams sense, decide, and act faster inside the workflows that actually drive financial performance.”

The report highlights several emerging realities shaping the next era of manufacturing AI adoption, including:

• AI now represents roughly 12% of manufacturing IT and OT budgets
• Manufacturing AI spend is projected to increase nearly 5x by 2030
• High-impact workflows can achieve measurable value in as little as 8–12 weeks when deployed with operational discipline
• The greatest value of AI is not cost reduction, but capacity creation and operational leverage

The paper also challenges a growing misconception that AI in manufacturing is primarily about workforce reduction.

“We didn’t remove the work — we changed who was doing it,” said Kevin Davis, CFO of AmSafe Aviation, in the report. “Agents now handle roughly 60% of the process, which has freed our team to focus on sourcing and supplier strategy. That’s what actually moved the needle financially.”

The whitepaper outlines what QAD | Redzone describes as the shift from “Systems of Record” to “Systems of Action” — embedding AI directly into operational workflows across ERP, production, procurement, scheduling, frontline execution, and workforce management.

“AI is not a technology initiative. It is an operational and financial discipline,” said Brahmawar. “The manufacturers that will lead over the next decade will not be the ones running the most pilots. They’ll be the ones that can execute faster, adapt faster, and translate AI into measurable operational outcomes.”

The report concludes with a seven-step CFO framework for evaluating AI readiness, prioritizing high-impact workflows, modernizing operational systems, and aligning AI investment directly to business outcomes such as margin, throughput, inventory, and working capital.

You can read the full white paper here.

About QAD | Redzone

QAD | Redzone is redefining manufacturing and supply chains through its intelligent, adaptive platform that connects people, processes, and technology into a single System of Action. With three core pillars — Redzone (frontline empowerment), Adaptive Applications (the intelligent backbone), and ChampionAI (Agentic AI for manufacturing) — QAD | Redzone helps manufacturers operate with Champion Pace, achieving measurable productivity, resilience, and growth in as little as 90 days. To learn more, visit www.qad.com or call +1 805-566-6100. Find us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521514280/en/

The paper provides a pragmatic framework for manufacturing CFOs evaluating how AI impacts throughput, working capital, operational responsiveness, and margin performance.