Procter & Gamble plans to accentuate smart manufacturing. The Cincinnati-based company is planning to adopt elements that have never been massively implemented in the industry before. To revolutionize large-scale production, the consumer goods firm is also looking at various digital technologies.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) entered into a multi-year agreement this summer to digitalize its manufacturing platform with Microsoft. The employees say they will reinvent tomorrow’s manufacturing with digital. This is by leveraging the Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data, the digital twin and the Internet of Things (IoT). . Their goal: to lower costs and increase productivity . All this while accelerating the distribution of products to consumers.
To realize their project, these partners could recruit specialists in these technologies. This would be particularly beneficial to consultants working on a freelance basis . A form of employment that includes self-employed people.
The group has built a Digital Office
To promote its digital transformation, P&G has created a Digital Enablement Office (DEO) with the Redmond multinational. This device is made up of experts from both companies. It will be used as an incubator to generate business scenarios with high priority in the sectors :
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- Packaging processes ;
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- From the manufacture of products.
P&G will be able to use it throughout its organization. Its CIO, Vittorio Cretella, sees the WD as a project management office. At first glance, however, it may seem like a center of excellence. The executive confides that this structure coordinates all the efforts of the innovation teams assigned to commercial use cases :
[…] And ensures effective large-scale deployment of the proven solutions that are being developed.
The CIO makes some recommendations to his peers trying to lead the digitalization of their company :
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- Invest in people, because change is not only about technology. People also play a decisive role;
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- Have a real willingness to learn and a strong agility to learn ;
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- Maintaining motivation ;
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- Find energy in how to leverage technology to produce value and in passion for the business.
Firm wants to support smart manufacturing
Vittorio Cretella explains that P&G’s digital transformation is primarily aimed at :
[…] To help create solutions to the everyday problems of millions of consumers around the world, while generating growth and value for all stakeholders.
According to him, they arrive there in increasing productivity in all their projects, but also :
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- Supporting innovation ;
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- Massively and agilely leveraging automation, AI and data in all aspects of their business.
The digitization of its manufacturing platform suggests that the American firm :
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- Reduce water and energy consumption of plants if possible ;
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- Building tool resilience while preventing waste ;
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- Control product quality in real time directly on the production line.
Its CIO says the company will improve manufacturing intelligence by deploying :
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- An optimization of its durability ;
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- Contactless operations ;
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- Controlled availability ;
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- Scalable maintenance and predictive quality.
Since 1838, P&G has been one of the world’s leading manufacturers of consumer goods. Its brands (Pampers, Gillette, Head & Shoulders…) are famous all over the world. The group employs some 100,000 people and in 2021 recorded $76 billion in revenues.