Unilever is expanding the use of AI-enabled digital twins across its manufacturing network through a multi-year partnership with Accenture, aiming to improve product quality, reduce waste, increase capacity and give factory teams new tools to make faster, data-driven decisions.
As manufacturers search for practical ways to apply artificial intelligence on the factory floor, Unilever is betting on digital twins to deliver measurable operational gains at scale.
The consumer goods giant has announced a multi-year partnership with Accenture to accelerate the deployment of AI-enabled digital twins across its global manufacturing footprint. The initiative will see Unilever build more than 40 new digital twins over the next 18 months, creating a blueprint for wider rollout across its network.
The move represents the latest stage in Unilever’s broader effort to embed advanced technologies throughout its operations, using industrial AI not simply as an experimentation tool but as a mechanism to improve production performance, responsiveness and sustainability outcomes.
Digital twins create virtual representations of factory assets and production lines using live operational data collected from equipment on the shop floor. By modelling how physical systems behave, they allow manufacturers to monitor performance, predict issues and test scenarios before making changes in real-world environments.
Unilever is now combining these digital models with AI-enabled insights and agentic capabilities designed to support decision-making throughout the production cycle.
The approach enables manufacturing teams to:
Accenture said the technology can progressively automate selected adjustments over time, while maintaining human oversight as employees build confidence in the system’s recommendations.
For Unilever, the programme reflects a broader operational philosophy centred on augmenting workforce capabilities rather than replacing them.
“Scaling AI across our operations isn’t just a technological shift, it’s a commitment to superior products, sustainability and empowering our teams across our factories,” said Adam Raeburn-James, Global VP for Digital Business Operations, Unilever.
“Through our partnership with Accenture to accelerate digital twins, we are turning innovation into measurable impact to create desirable brands for our 3.7 billion consumers worldwide.”
Accenture positioned the initiative as an example of industrial AI delivering long-term business value through disciplined implementation.
“Unilever has long been recognized for its supply chain excellence, and expanding the use of manufacturing digital twins reflects the company’s continued focus on both technology and people,” said Nicole van Det, CEO Accenture Netherlands and Nordics and global account lead for Unilever.
“Having invested early in AI, the company is setting the standard for pairing advanced tools with smart process design and disciplined execution on the shop floor. Together, we’re setting the benchmark for how industrial AI creates long-lasting value in the consumer goods sector.”
The announcement stands out because it is underpinned by operational examples already delivering results across Unilever’s manufacturing network.
At Unilever’s Raeford, North Carolina facility, digital twins supporting the production of brands including Dove, Degree and Axe predict 95% of process flow restrictions in deodorant stick manufacturing.
According to the company, the technology has contributed to:
In Haldia, India, where powder detergents including Surf and Sunlight are manufactured, an energy twin optimises fan speeds, temperature settings and moisture controls.
Over a two-year period, the initiative has helped lower thermal energy consumption while supporting progress towards Unilever’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 climate targets.
At the Poznan facility in Poland, digital twin technology is being used to improve mayonnaise production for brands including Knorr and Hellmann’s.
The company reported that the system has:
At Gandhidham, India, one of Unilever’s largest South Asian personal care sites, digital twins provide real-time control recommendations during production.
Over four years, the company said this contributed to a 30% reduction in quality defects, measured in distribution centres immediately before products reached customers.
In Cu Chi, Vietnam, AI-enabled digital twins help manage the production of liquid home care products such as OMO laundry detergent.
The intelligent mixing system optimises raw material dosing, preventing overuse while maintaining quality standards.
The result, according to Unilever, has been savings of between 1% and 2% in premium ingredients.
The partnership reflects a broader transition occurring across manufacturing as companies move beyond isolated AI pilots and seek scalable applications capable of delivering tangible returns.
Digital twins have long been viewed as a promising technology for industrial operations, but widespread adoption has often been constrained by implementation complexity and unclear business outcomes.
By grounding deployment in specific operational use cases and measurable performance metrics, Unilever appears to be focusing on industrial AI applications with clear links to productivity, quality and sustainability objectives.
The initiative also builds on the company’s wider technology investments, including its previously announced AI Horizon3 Lab in Toronto, which focuses on identifying and testing emerging AI applications.
