Accenture collaborates with Mars to modernise food manufacturing operations

To develop “Factory of the Future” Using AI, Cloud, Edge and Digital Twins

Accenture is working with Mars, the global leader in confectionary, food, and pet care products and services, to transform and modernise its global manufacturing operations with artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, edge technology and digital twins.

The companies tested a digital twin to reduce instances of over-filling packages, a common problem in the food industry. The digital twin gave Mars a bird’s-eye view of the production lines at one of its factories in Illinois. The twin fed sensor data from manufacturing machinery into a predictive analytics model, which allowed factory line operators to monitor events in real-time and adjust the filling process. After the successful test, Accenture and Mars introduced the solution across the US and developed similar solutions for its pet care business in Europe and China. 
 
Under the new agreement, Accenture and Mars will work together to apply digital twin technology and models to the company’s manufacturing facilities globally. This will give Mars factory line operators real-time insights into current and predictive performance. Mars plans to apply them to dozens of use cases over the next three years.

Over the next two years, Accenture and Mars will create a new cloud platform for manufacturing applications, data and AI to lay the foundation for its vision of the “Factory of the Future.” The new platform will provide next-generation robotics, AI and automation capabilities at the edge to make Mars manufacturing operations significantly more efficient and address essential sustainability goals such as water stewardship and reducing waste and total greenhouse gas emissions.