AI, Robotics, and 3D Printing: Unilever’s Approach to Perfecting Micro-Format Ice Cream
Unilever is experimenting with micro-formats, following consumer trends for portion-controlled consumption. To do so, it is using technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics during the product development and manufacturing stages.
The No. 6 top publicly owned consumer goods company faced the challenge of maintaining the taste and texture of full-sized counterparts when manufacturing bite-sized versions of its ice cream products, including the Magnum Bon Bon line. It’s not as simple as shrinking processes to fit, the company noted in a blog post.
Developing Grab-and-Go Ice Cream
For Magnum Bon Bons, good coverage chocolate was essential as consumers were picking up the ice cream with their fingers rather than using the typical ice cream hand-held stick. R&D teams had to ensure the ice cream didn’t melt too quickly as the company looked to speed up production while creating a cold product covered in warm chocolate.
Temperature Patents: In November, Unilever granted a free non-exclusive license for 12 of its reformulation patents so ice cream manufacturers could benefit from insights garnered from two pilots where Unilever kept products stable at a warmer freezer temperature.
As a result, Unilever looked to its advanced prototype engineering center and advanced manufacturing center at its R&D hub in Colworth, U.K. to use automation, robotics, computer-aided design and manufacturing, and 3D printing to test products.
The 3D printing allows Unilever to optimize size scaling and packaging efforts.
“Together with our supply chain teams, we developed some very sophisticated systems to ensure ice cream, sauce, coating, and inclusions are dosed at the correct weight, volume, and temperature to give consistent product architecture and experience,” said Paul Sherwood, Unilever’s lead R&D process engineer.
The Benefits of Test and Learns
The facilities allow Unilever to create small-batch product runs to test formulations while reducing waste and keeping efficiency levels up in production.
Findings have resulted in a chocolate enrobing process that deposits a specific amount of chocolate onto each bite, passing thousands of ice cream pieces per minute through a chocolate waterfall. Also, the company can ensure packaging better withstands the supply chain and delivery processes, and that high-quality batches can be consistently reproduced at speed and in larger quantities.
Also read: Newell Shares Benefits on Test and Learns in AI Adoption
Unilever’s Ice Cream Strategy
Unilever began the process of creating a standalone business for its ice cream portfolio earlier this year. The new ownership structure will oversee such brands as Wall’s, Magnum, and Ben & Jerry’s. The transition is ongoing, slated to be finalized by the end of 2025
The company has been no stranger to innovation when it comes to ice cream.
Last year, the company introduced an e-commerce app that works alongside AI-based refrigerators to monitor stock levels. Through the app, retail partners can make electronic payments and view discounts and special offers. Unilever also recently added image capture and AI to 50,000 of its freezers to further optimize inventory and order systems.
