Mumbai. Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) today announced that its Sonepat factory in Haryana, India has been recognised as part of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Lighthouse Network (GLN) for 2023. The Sonepat factory in India will be the seventh Unilever factory and the second South Asia plant to be recognised by the WEF for its success in adopting fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies at scale to drive sustained improvements in productivity, quality, service, cost, and environmental impact. Sonepat’s 4IR journey began a few years ago when it introduced advanced digital technologies across its end-to-end operations. Today, this has resulted in a 40% reduction in cost, while improving the service levels by 18%. The site manufactures functional nutritional powders (Horlicks and variants) and is one of the biggest facilities in South Asia, covering an area of 546,000 sq. metres, and employing over 450 people. Rohit Jawa, CEO and MD, HUL and President, Unilever, South Asia, said, “This recognition is testament to our continuous efforts to remain purpose-led and future-fit. Our Sonepat site has leveraged technology effectively to drive operational excellence and at the same time, incorporated several measures that contribute to environmental sustainability. We truly believe that through supply chain digitisation, we not only benefit the business, but also people and the planet.”
Yogesh Mishra, Executive Director, Supply Chain, HUL, said, “The WEF Lighthouse recognition is a symbol of the digital mindset we are nurturing as a part of our Reimagine HUL agenda. This transformation has offered a range of benefits that have impacted various facets of the business – from operations and customer experience to innovation and sustainability. It has positioned the Company to thrive in the digital age and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving business landscape.”
To improve agility to cater to diverse product segments, reduce cost in an inflationary environment, and improve sustainability, HUL’s Sonepat factory implemented more than 30 4IR use cases across the supply chain. These impressive results under Unilever’s growth goals are as follows:
Upskilled Workforce
As manufacturing becomes more automated, the skills required by production teams also need to change from routine, highly regular activities to more autonomous roles that focus on problem-solving and improvement. During the transformation journey, 100% of the site employees were digitally upskilled through the Unilever Digital Factory programme – an individually curated upskilling programme.
Superior Product Quality
Product quality is improved through the implementation of lights OFF manufacturing in the complex manufacturing process, where the operation is managed with minimal human intervention, enabled by advanced real-time data capturing and decision-making.
Process Improvements using Digital Twins
By using multiple Digital Twins to monitor, analyse and suggest optimised operational parameters, the machine learning-enabled tools delivered best-in-class performance. So far, Sonepat’s Digital Twins have helped reduce site conversion cost by 40%.
Environmental Sustainability
The incorporation of sustainably sourced biofuels, combined with the implementation of a boiler digital twin, has further contributed to environmental sustainability. This dual approach has successfully reduced the factory's Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions by 88%. Simultaneously, it has positively affected local communities by creating an additional revenue stream for farmers through the utilisation of agricultural waste.
The Global Lighthouse Network exemplifies the power of digital transformation,” said Kiva Allgood, Head of the World Economic Forum’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains. “Lighthouses are pioneering a path to unprecedented global impact, strategically weaving innovation throughout their expansive network – sculpting both a sustainable future and an era of transformative and lasting change.
Mediacentre.Hul@unilever.com
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