How Unilever Uses AI & Digital Twins For Sustainability
As AI adoption in manufacturing transforms global supply chains, major consumer goods companies implement the technology to improve efficiency and sustainability.
The WEF's Global Lighthouse Network, which recognises manufacturers using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, has identified facilities worldwide that demonstrate successful digital transformation at scale.
These technologies, which include AI, cloud computing and internet of things systems, are being deployed to address challenges in e-commerce fulfilment, sustainable packaging and workforce development.
The Forum requires sites to show measurable improvements in financial, operational and sustainability metrics to gain recognition.
Now, Unilever has particularly stood out and has received recognition from the WEF for its implementation of AI at its Beauty & Wellbeing factory in Tinsukia, India.
The site becomes the eighth Unilever facility to join the Forum's Global Lighthouse Network, which identifies manufacturing facilities utilising advanced technologies.
How Unilever's AI implementation transforms e-commerce operations
The Tinsukia facility, which produces more than 5.4 billion units annually for brands including Dove, Vaseline and Pond's, has deployed AI across more than 50 initiatives in its manufacturing processes.
- 5.4bn units manufactured annually
- 85% reduction in product changeover times
- 97% accuracy in consumer feedback analysis
- 400% improvement in labour productivity
- 50+ AI initiatives implemented
The technology has reduced product changeover times by 85% through a computer vision system that maps product features and identifies anomalies in real time.
This implementation responds to growth in Unilever's e-commerce business, where rapid delivery requirements necessitate swift production and shipping processes.
The factory also utilises LLMs to analyse consumer feedback with 97% accuracy.
This has contributed to a 73% improvement in customer satisfaction scores and a 21% reduction in manufacturing defects.
Digital twin technology speeds Unilever's sustainability targets
The site has additionally implemented digital twin technology to accelerate sustainable packaging trials, which supports Unilever's target to reduce virgin plastic usage by 40% by 2028.
At Tinsukia, this has enabled a reduction in virgin plastic usage by 21% and the number of packaging trials increased from two per year in 2019 to 30 in 2023, with trial duration reduced by 84%.
Biswaranjan Sen, Beauty & Wellbeing Chief Product Supply Officer at Unilever, says: "Tinsukia is the third site in India and in our Beauty & Wellbeing business to achieve WEF's Lighthouse recognition.
āIts digital transformation is a powerful example of how we're scaling AI across our supply chain to accelerate growth for our business now and into the future."
Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies transform supply chain
The implementation of an AI-powered planning system has enabled analysis of more than 10,000 product combinations using over 300 features.
This has reduced the frozen period - the time required for production line schedule planning - from 14 days to one day and the system has improved demand prediction by 35% and reduced finished goods inventory by 16%.
Furthermore, the facility has developed an AI workforce allocation tool that has improved labour productivity by 400%.
This system assigns workers to production lines based on their capabilities and identifies training requirements and forms part of the site's adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, which include cloud computing and internet of things systems.
Now, the Tinsukia site represents the largest manufacturing capacity of Unilever's Beauty & Wellbeing factories in South Asia and its AI systems enable rapid response to market demands through dynamic planning and real-time production adjustments.
Kunwar-Apoorva Singh, Factory Leader at Tinsukia, says: "Our digital factory transformation has created jobs and opportunities around this remote location, including the launch of a digital braille lab to create an inclusive pool of skilled local professionals.
“In collaboration with our tech partners, we’ve extensively upskilled our employees. We’re supporting our shopfloor engineers to become digital innovators and training a new cohort of digital line leaders with 23% of our workforce already redeployed to lead digital transformation in the factory.”
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