News Briefs

Supply chain and demand planning company Demand Chain AI has acquired planning and scheduling software developer Replan from Coolgarif Technologies. 

Replan’s AI tech includes automation capabilities for multi-scenario planning, increasing efficiencies in the supply chain while reducing costs, said the company. Planners can generate complex production sequencing within minutes and apply the appropriate AI algorithm to increase control and visibility of demand forecasting. 

Also read: P&G Taps into AI and Automation in Supply Chain

Through the purchase, Demand Chain expands its end-to-end supply chain capabilities, incorporating Replan technology within Demand Chain’s subsidiary Puls8. Its intelligent planning tech portfolio already includes demand sensing, driver-based forecasting, demand and supply planning, and trade promotion management functionality.

Richard Davis, CEO of Demand Chain AI, said the transaction will further the company’s AI-driven strategy in supporting manufacturers of all sizes as it expands internationally. 

“I welcome this announcement as it will benefit Replan’s existing customers through continued innovation and a broader feature set. Combining Replan and Puls8 Intelligent Planning Solutions will provide manufacturers with a much-needed end-to-end solution to help optimize their S&OP,” said Richie Barter, CEO of Replan.

Technology services company Wipro Limited and supply chain planning company Relex Solutions are working together to create an AI-powered supply chain and retail planning service. 

Through the platform, consumer goods companies, retailers, and wholesalers will gain access to centralized retail and supply chain operations to elevate sales efforts while cutting costs and reducing waste. 

Through AI demand planning, CPGs can optimize internal operations and enhance supplier collaboration across inventory demand and resource planning. The platform will include real-time analytics and streamlined data integration for end-to-end supply chain management.

Also read: Relex Says Digital Channels Dominate, Brand Power Takes Back Seat as Consumers Seek Holiday Deals

“Our clients are increasingly looking to us to help them leverage advanced technologies to better forecast and manage their supply chains,” said Srini Rajamani, SVP and sector head of consumer and life sciences at Wipro Limited. “Through this partnership with Relex we will be able to deploy advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to help our joint retail and CPG clients stay ahead of market.”

Research firm IHL Group has expanded its services to include helping businesses determine if the AI juice is worth the squeeze. 

The new solution is designed to improve the success rate of artificial intelligence projects by providing a framework for businesses to evaluate and prioritize AI opportunities before investing resources. 

• See also: Why businesses stumble getting GenAI out of pilot mode
   

In addition to evaluating potential AI projects based on legal compliance, data readiness, system preparedness, skills assessment, risk factors, and business value, the ClearSight service also IDs gaps in compliance, data issues, and risk, according to IHL. 

Greg Buzek, IHL Group president, said in a statement that identifying potential pitfalls and assessing project readiness across multiple dimensions will empower companies to make informed decisions and significantly increase their chances of AI success before investing.

Ferrero North America is now officially manufacturing chocolate outside of Europe. 

The company cut the ribbon on its expanded Bloomington, IL, facility, which included a $214 million investment to produce the Kinder Bueno brand. In doing so, it marks the CPG’s first-ever non-European chocolate factory. 

The expansion was first announced last year, and Michael Lindsey, president and chief business officer of Ferrero North America, said it will increase the company’s momentum and innovations in the U.S. market. 

• See also: Learn how Mondelez wants to scale generative AI in marketing
   

Kinder, which also includes Kinder Joy, Kinder Chocolate, and Kinder seasonal products, has grown to a half billion-dollar brand in the U.S. since it was first introduced in the market in 2017, according to the company. Kinder Bueno tallied more than $214 million in retail sales in the past year. 

Ferrero North America, which is part of Ferrero Group, also has facilities across Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.  

The Coca-Cola Company in Canada is supporting a new way to tackle plastics floating in the Great Lakes region: drones.  

The company is partnering with non-profit Pollution Probe and its Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup initiative, serving as a sponsor for the PixieDrone remote-controlled mobile waste collector. The drone targets floating debris — including plastic, glass, metal, and paper — and can collect about 42 gallons of waste with a six-hour charge.

The drone was tested on Lake Simcoe in Barrie, Ontario, and will be used at other locations across the Great Lakes region starting in the spring of next year. 

• Related: See how Coca-Cola is reducing the weight of its plastic bottles

The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup initiative currently operates at more than 150 sites across the Great Lakes, and the PixieDrone will join over 135 other plastic capture technologies already deployed. 

Avi Yufest, senior director of public affairs at Coca-Cola, noted that the company recognizes its responsibility to help address the plastic waste crisis: “Projects like this, in addition to packaging innovations and recycling efforts, are one of the ways we are working to help keep our waterways and environment clean from plastic debris."

Qvest is continuing its partnering with NVIDIA to progress on its AI efforts. 

The two are now working together to create advanced AI-driven technology and capabilities that can help increase media companies’ productivity and optimize operations. This includes a generative AI solution that can streamline content management and creation within existing media workflows. 

Capabilities will include automated metadata tagging for audio, text, and vision formats to reduce manual efforts, cutting down on time and costs. Additionally, it will include accelerated content search within the video assets library and content generation for headlines, scripts, and narratives to expedite time to market. 

Also: Learn why Gartner says multimodal intelligence is the future of GenAI

The tech will run on the NVIDIA GenAI microservices platform, which supports computer vision, content generation, audio transcription, and more. Users will be able to host models on the cloud or locally to bolster data security and optimize performance. 

The companies plan to integrate NVIDIA’s Holoscan for Media technology for real-time streaming ingestion and content discovery.