Summary.
When Mars Wrigley decided to digitize its supply chain, it invested in several AI and analytics capabilities. It built a digital twin of its production line (a virtual replica simulating its operations in real time) and fed data from it into a machine-learning model to predict the line’s output and reduce overfilling and waste. It worked with a “decision intelligence” vendor, Aera Technology, to create visualizations of the data, generate recommendations about preventive maintenance, and automate some operational decisions. It hired Kinaxis, a vendor whose AI software gave the staff suggestions on how to balance supply and demand, automate invoice processing, and increase truck utilization by 15%. As a result of all these improvements, the company was able to fill orders more quickly, and customer service ratings rose by a couple of percentage points.