THE WHAT? Unilever has partnered with Accenture to scale the use of AI-enabled digital twins across its global manufacturing network, aiming to improve product quality, operational efficiency, and responsiveness to consumer demand.
THE DETAILS The multi-year initiative will see Unilever expand the use of digital twin technology—virtual replicas of factory equipment and production lines that use live operational data to monitor, predict, and optimise performance. Over the next 18 months, the company plans to build more than 40 new digital twins as part of a broader global rollout.
By combining digital twins with AI-powered analytics and agentic capabilities, Unilever aims to help manufacturing teams identify issues earlier, simulate production scenarios faster, and make more informed decisions. Accenture is supporting the deployment of industrial AI systems capable of predicting maintenance requirements, improving equipment performance, and automating certain operational adjustments under human supervision.
The technology is already delivering measurable results at several manufacturing sites. In North Carolina, a digital twin used in deodorant production has reduced waste by 20% and increased capacity by 10%. In India, energy-focused digital twins have helped reduce thermal energy consumption in detergent manufacturing, while in Poland, the technology has improved mayonnaise consistency, reduced stoppages by up to 20%, and cut waste by nearly 30%. Similar improvements have been achieved in soap production in India and liquid home care manufacturing in Vietnam.
The initiative builds on Unilever’s wider digital transformation strategy and follows previous investments in AI innovation, including its AI Horizon3 Lab in Toronto.
THE WHY? Unilever is leveraging AI and digital twin technology to enhance manufacturing performance, support sustainability goals, reduce waste, improve product consistency, and increase operational agility. The move also reinforces the company’s ambition to use advanced technologies to drive long-term growth and maintain supply chain leadership in the consumer goods sector.
Source: businesswire
