Mars selects Accenture to deliver a large-scale ‘digital factory’ using AI, cloud, edge and digital twins – The Maker

Accenture and Mars have been testing digital twins for Mars manufacturing operations since late 2020. Digital twins are virtual representations of machines, products, or processes. Powered by real-time data, they can predict and optimize production processes and equipment performance, from reliability to quality to energy efficiency. Applied to its manufacturing plants, digital twins will allow Mars to simulate and validate the results of product and plant adjustments before allocating time and resources in physical space.

The companies tested a digital twin to reduce cases of overfilling of packages, a common problem in the food industry. The digital twin gave Mars an overview of the production lines at one of its factories in Illinois. The twin fed sensor data from manufacturing machines into a predictive analytics model, allowing plant line operators to monitor real-time events and adjust the filling process. Following the successful trial, Accenture and Mars introduced the solution across the United States 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 around the world. This will give Mars plant line operators real-time information on 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 artificial intelligence (AI) to lay the foundation for its vision of the “factory of the future”. The new platform will provide state-of-the-art robotics, AI and next-generation automation capabilities to make Mars manufacturing operations much more efficient and meet key sustainability goals such as water management and reducing waste and total greenhouse gas emissions.

William Beery, Vice President and Global CIO at Mars Wrigley, said, “Our collaboration with Accenture, combined with our partnership with Microsoft, allows us to evolve digital twin technology to achieve this goal, not only delivering savings and sustainability, but preparing our manufacturing operations for the future of work.

Larry Thomas, Senior Managing Director at Accenture and Client Account Manager for Mars, added, “Our work with Mars is about using the power of data, cloud and edge computing to modernize factories, build agility in business in response to change and putting power in the hands of Mars Associates so they can make informed decisions faster.

Accenture is bringing cloud, engineering, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities to the project. He also works closely with Microsoft to leverage the Azure platform and Accenture’s proprietary edge accelerators. Earlier this year, Accenture had been named 2022 Microsoft Manufacturing and Supply Chain Partner of the Year.

Thiago Veiga, Senior Director of Digital Sourcing, R&D and Sourcing at Mars Inc., said, “At Mars, we are constantly looking for innovative and sustainable ways to create value in our supply chain. end-to-end, and digital manufacturing is key. priority.”

Simon Osborne, chief executive of Accenture leading its digital twin work with Mars, said: “The problems we are solving are not new; what’s new is how we’re using cutting-edge technologies to put real-time data in the hands of operators and apply AI to help them make decisions before problems arise. While many companies are beginning to experiment with digital twins, what sets this project apart is the speed and scale of technology in Mars operations globally.