Accenture is working with Mars, the confectionery, food, and pet care products and services company, to transform and modernize its global manufacturing operations with AI, cloud, edge technology, and digital twins.
Global professional services company Accenture has collaborated with confectionery giant Mars to modernize manufacturing operations in its factories through the deployment of artificial intelligence, cloud, and digital twin technology.
Collaboration started in late 2020 with the first trials of digital twin technology, which is a virtual representation of machines, products, and processes. With this, businesses are able to improve productivity and optimize machine performance, through constant experimentation and testing of a virtual factory floor.
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One of the first tests for the digital twin technology was aimed at reducing the amount of overfilled packages, which is a common issue in the food industry. The digital twin, paired with a predictive analytics model, was successful in reducing overfilling, which led to more collaborative efforts.
“Our work with Mars is about using the power of data, cloud and edge computing to modernize factories, boost business agility in response to change, and put power in the hands of Mars Associates so they can make informed decisions faster,” said Larry Thomas, senior managing director at Accenture.
Accenture and Mars introduced the technology across Mars’ factories in the United States, and plan to roll it out to its pet care business in Europe and China. Deployment of the technology into more of Mars factories is expected in the future, with Mars planning to apply them to “dozens of use cases” over the next three years.
“Our collaboration with Accenture, combined with our partnership with Microsoft, enables us to scale digital twin technology to reach this goal, delivering not just significant cost savings and sustainability, but preparing our manufacturing operations for the future of work,” said William Beery, vice president and global CIO at Mars Wrigley.
Major market players are beginning to adopt digital twin solutions, alongside predictive maintenance and other AI solutions, to reduce downtime and improve productivity on the factory floor. Vantage Market Research projects that this industry will grow from $6.5 billion in 2021 to $53.5 billion in 2028.
