Unlocking Strategic Potential in Food & Beverage and CPG: Redeploying IT Resources After the Cloud Transition

Food & beverage (F&B) and consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers operate in a high-stakes environment where operational efficiency, quality, and compliance are non-negotiable. With perishable inventory, complex supply chains, and strict regulatory oversight, even small disruptions can have outsized consequences.

As digital transformation accelerates, many organizations have taken a major step forward by moving from on-premises systems to cloud-based platforms, particularly SaaS Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).

Once the cloud removes the burden of infrastructure management, IT teams are freed to focus on strategic initiatives, especially when combined with industrial IoT platforms like ThingWorx and connectivity solutions like Kepware. Together, these technologies create a powerful digital foundation that enables IT to shift from support to strategy. After all a digital transformation begins and ends with access to timely accurate data and the ability to use this data effectively.

Cloud-based MES platforms provide immediate, well-understood benefits:

• Scalability and availability to handle seasonal demand spikes
• Reduced downtime and improved operational continuity
• Real-time data access across plants and systems
• Lower infrastructure costs with predictable SaaS models

Modern SaaS architectures dynamically scale resources to meet the computational demands of the organization and ensure high uptime, minimizing disruptions in production-critical environments.

However, cloud alone isn’t enough. F&B and CPG manufacturers often face a deeper challenge: data fragmentation across equipment, plants, and legacy systems.

This is where the combination of Kepware + ThingWorx + Proficy MES becomes transformative.

F&B and CPG plants typically run a mix of legacy PLCs, sensors, packaging lines, and control systems, often speaking different “languages.”

Kepware acts as the universal translator, enabling:

• Connectivity across 150+ industrial protocols and devices
• Standardized data access via OPC, MQTT, and APIs
• Aggregation of machine data into a single, unified stream
• Reduced network load through data conditioning and optimization

Instead of building custom integrations for every machine, Kepware creates a single data foundation, dramatically simplifying IT architecture.

Once data is connected, ThingWorx transforms it into actionable insights.

ThingWorx enables organizations to:

• Connect devices, systems, and enterprise applications into a unified ecosystem
• Build real-time dashboards and KPIs across operations
• Create digital twins of equipment and production processes
• Deliver predictive maintenance and analytics-driven optimization

It provides a “single source of truth,” turning raw machine data into real-time intelligence that IT and operations can act on.

With built-in analytics, ThingWorx can deliver:

• Descriptive insights (what happened)
• Predictive insights (what will happen)
• Prescriptive recommendations (what to do next)

Proficy Smart Factory MES platform provides:

• Production execution and tracking
• Quality management and compliance
• Traceability and genealogy
• Performance monitoring and KPIs
• Context between the real material or items and the digital representation

Combined with cloud scalability, security, and continuous updates, they ensure reliable, efficient manufacturing operations.

Together, these technologies create a closed-loop system:

• Kepware connects machines
• ThingWorx contextualizes and analyzes data across multiple manufacturing disciplines
• Proficy MES executes and tracks operations
• Cloud enables scale, resilience, and continuous improvement

This integrated architecture is what unlocks the full potential of redeploying IT resources.

Once the cloud and connected architecture are in place, IT teams experience a dramatic shift:

• Hardware provisioning and maintenance
• Manual system updates and patching
• Complex disaster recovery management

These are handled through automated cloud services, including backup, monitoring, and updates.

• Data integration across OT and IT layers
• Industrial IoT application development
• Advanced analytics and AI-driven optimization
• Operational collaboration with plant teams

This shift allows IT to become a central driver of digital transformation.

With the right foundation, IT teams can focus on initiatives that directly impact business performance:

By combining Proficy MES data with ThingWorx analytics:

• Monitor production lines in real time
• Identify bottlenecks instantly
• Optimize OEE across facilities

ThingWorx dashboards provide live visibility into machine health and production KPIs.

Unplanned downtime is especially costly when dealing with perishable goods.

ThingWorx enables:

• Early anomaly detection
• Failure prediction using machine learning
• Proactive maintenance scheduling

This reduces scrap, improves uptime, and protects margins.

F&B and CPG companies must meet strict regulatory standards.

With connected systems:

• Kepware ensures accurate data capture from equipment
• MES tracks batch genealogy and product history and contextualizes the data across the plant environment
• Cloud systems provide secure storage and audit trails

This supports rapid recall response and compliance with global standards.

ThingWorx helps simplify complex workflows:

• Deliver context-aware instructions to operators
• Aggregate data into intuitive applications
• Improve training and reduce onboarding time

Connected workflows make frontline workers more agile and productive.

With access to unified, contextualized data, IT can drive:

• Faster product innovation cycles
• Demand-driven production strategies
• Sustainability and waste reduction initiatives

Redeploying IT resources still requires careful execution:

Cloud, IoT, and analytics demand new capabilities. Organizations must invest in training for:

• Data engineering
• AI/ML and analytics
• Industrial IoT architecture

Legacy systems can be difficult to integrate, but Kepware simplifies this by standardizing connectivity across protocols.

Cloud and IoT introduce new risks, but modern platforms mitigate these with:

• Encryption and secure data handling
• Role-based access and MFA
• Continuous monitoring and vulnerability management

Cultural resistance can slow progress. Leadership must align IT and operations around shared goals.

In this new environment, IT roles evolve significantly:

• From infrastructure managers → digital platform owners
• From system support → data and analytics leaders
• From reactive troubleshooting → proactive optimization

New roles may include:

• Data scientists and analytics engineers
• IT/OT integration specialists

When fully deployed, the combined platform delivers significant advantages:

• Universal device integration
• Standardized data across systems
• Simplified architecture and reduced integration cost

• Real-time monitoring and analytics
• Predictive insights and recommendations
• Rapid development of digital applications

• Production tracking, visibility and control
• Quality and compliance management
• Continuous improvement through real-time metrics

• Scalability and resilience
• Automated updates and security
• Cost-efficient operations

F&B and CPG manufacturers should track:

• OEE improvements
• Downtime reduction
• Scrap and waste reduction
• Mock Recall testing and process improvement
• Speed of product launches
• IT cost optimization
• User adoption of digital tools

Real-time monitoring and analytics enable continuous measurement and optimization across all these KPIs.

The most successful organizations treat digital transformation as ongoing:

• Continuously expand use cases (e.g. quality, throughput)
• Integrate AI and predictive analytics
• Improve data quality and governance
• Foster collaboration across IT, OT, and business teams

The ability to evolve quickly becomes a key competitive differentiator.

For food & beverage and CPG manufacturers, cloud migration is just the beginning. The real value comes from redeploying IT resources to drive intelligence, connectivity, and innovation.

By combining:

Proficy Cloud-based MES platforms for execution; Kepware for seamless industrial connectivity; ThingWorx for IoT, analytics, and real-time insights, organizations can create a fully connected, data-driven manufacturing environment.

The result is:

• Greater operational efficiency
• Improved product quality and compliance
• Faster innovation cycles
• Stronger resilience in a dynamic market

In this new model, IT is no longer a cost center, it becomes a strategic engine for growth, agility, and competitive advantage.

Velotic™ is a leading independent industrial software company providing data driven solutions that improve manufacturing efficiency, productivity, and operational insight. Serving customers across manufacturing, oil & gas, utilities, and infrastructure, the company generates more than $300 million in revenue. Velotic’s portfolio, anchored by Proficy®, Kepware®, and ThingWorx®, supports the growing data and performance requirements of industrial operators globally, with an emphasis on AI enabled manufacturing and industrial software. Learn more at www.velotic.com.