(EASE: San Clemente, CA) -- Manufacturing leaders are facing a perfect storm. Expectations around digital transformation and Al adoption are accelerating. At the same time, rising input costs, supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, and a renewed push to reshore production are reshaping operations from the top floor to the shop floor.

In this uncertain environment, it’s tempting to cut costs wherever possible. But cutting corners on quality creates bigger risks. Customers still expect reliability, consistency, and products that perform. Protecting quality while staying agile and efficient isn’t easy, but it’s what separates manufacturers that survive from those that lead.

That’s why alignment between those setting strategy and those executing it on the floor is more critical than ever. One of the most overlooked factors in operational performance is how quality is perceived.

Ease.io commissioned an independent survey of 1,000 U.S.-based manufacturing professionals—500 frontline operators/workers and 500 managers—to better understand how perceptions of quality differ between the two groups. Its research reveals notable differences in trust, training, and transparency.

While a large majority of managers view their company’s quality culture favorably, frontline workers are less assured. For instance, only about half of frontline operators say they understand quality management processes “very well” compared to three-quarters of managers, revealing a knowledge and training gap that may be limiting effective implementation.

Trust is also in short supply: Fewer than 1 in 4 frontline workers express strong confidence in their managers’ ability to prioritize quality over meeting production targets. Meanwhile, there is a significant perception gap in whether quality concerns are followed through.

These divides suggest that frontline voices may feel unheard or unsupported when raising quality issues.

As part of this research, EASE also explored understanding of artificial intelligence (Al) in quality management. This is a topic it anticipates will become a growing area of disconnect between frontline workers and managers, especially as Al investment accelerates across the manufacturing sector. EASE’s findings reveal that management tends to overestimate their teams’ familiarity with Al, with a 22-point gap between how well managers believe their teams understand Al and how competent frontline workers feel themselves.

Taken together, the findings highlight a pressing need for improved two-way communication and a more inclusive quality strategy that empowers those closest to the work. Organizations have an opportunity to close these gaps through more targeted frontline training, visible accountability measures, and leadership practices that consistently reinforce a culture of quality—not just in message, but in action.

This 2025 industry report provides new data on the disconnects between leadership and the front lines when it comes to:
• Alignment on quality culture
• Understanding of quality processes
• Confidence in manager/team priorities
• Use of digital technology (including AI)

Key findings and datapoints

The quality culture gap is real: While a strong majority of managers (92%) view their company’s quality culture favorably, 1 in 4 frontline workers don’t believe or are unsure whether their company has a positive quality culture.

Leadership is more confident in quality management vs. workers

• Nearly half (48%) of frontline workers lack a strong understanding of their company’s quality management protocols.
• In contrast, 77% of managers said they understand “very well.”
• The majority of frontline workers with more than 10 years of experience (54%) don’t have a strong understanding of processes, which points to a lack of adequate training for people earlier in their careers. This is at a time when the industry is plagued with labor shortages. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly half a million open manufacturing jobs right now.

Quality issues are often overlooked

• Nearly half (49%) of frontline operators have experienced quality issues being ignored or covered up.
• Of the workers who saw issues, only half (51%) reported them to their manager; 1 in 4 didn’t say anything at all.
• On the flip side, 98% of managers say their concerns about quality are followed up on.

Artificial intelligence in quality is unequally understood

• Operators are less familiar with AI than management believes: Half (50%) of managers say their teams understand AI well, but only 28% of operators say that of themselves.
• Overall, fewer than half of respondents (22% of operators, 43% of managers) say they or their company use AI for quality management.

Takeaways

Quality leadership needs to be better at building culture and confidence on the front lines, especially during times of uncertainty. This can be done by:
• Getting closer to the plant floor and increasing visibility
• Shrinking the knowledge gaps with better training tools
• Reframing accountability from compliance to ownership