Revalize Reports Decline in Rigorous AI ROI Measurement Among Manufacturers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 29, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Revalize, a global leader in CPQ, PLM, and CAD software solutions for manufacturers, has released new research highlighting the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in the manufacturing sector. The report, titled "You Can't Scale AI on Ambition Alone," surveyed 500 business leaders from select manufacturing industries in the United States, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The findings reveal that while AI adoption is near universal, the industry is struggling to measure its return on investment (ROI) rigorously.

According to the report, in the first quarter of 2026, only 36% of manufacturers had reached broad or advanced AI adoption. However, by the end of the year, this number had risen to 60%, with AI integrated across multiple operations or fully embedded in their processes. The initial wave of AI adoption has settled, moving past experimentation to daily use. Interestingly, 8% of manufacturers remain in the initial exploration phase, indicating that the initial boom in AI adoption is over, and the AI era has begun.

Despite the widespread belief in the impact of AI, only 49% of global manufacturers measure AI outcomes in a rigorous manner. Fifty percent of manufacturers report inconsistent or informal tracking of AI outcomes, while 72% say they can attribute business outcomes to AI. However, nearly a quarter of respondents are only somewhat confident in the impact of AI, highlighting a significant gap between AI perception and actual impact.

Revalize's CEO, Mike Sabin, emphasized the need for measurable goals to ensure that AI investments are delivering results.

The research also found that executive AI strategy is often outpacing operational reality. C-suite leaders are more than twice as likely as senior managers to report advanced AI adoption, signaling that top-level strategy may be ahead of what teams can realistically deploy and sustain. Tariff and compliance costs had fallen from 50% to 39% in the last year, with 13% of respondents reporting no measurable financial impact, quadrupling from 3% in the previous year. This strongly indicated at least some geopolitical relief.

Planning ahead, 44% of global manufacturers continue to accelerate AI adoption specifically to offset tariff and cost-driven pressure. Revalize will be discussing these findings and their impact at their Virtual Insight Forum on October 28 at 11 AM, 1 PM ET.

Revalize delivers CAD, PLM, CPQ, and simulation software for manufacturers and engineering teams worldwide. Its solutions connect the path from concept to cash, helping more than 16,000 customers reduce complexity, accelerate development cycles, and improve operational efficiency. Built on more than 20 years of manufacturing experience, Configure One, a part of Revalize, provides a CPQ platform for manufacturers of complex, engineered products.