News Briefs

AB InBev is preparing for its next phase of expansion, enhancing its global connectivity and productivity-boosting systems and evolving its digital infrastructure platform to fit with longer-term plans. 

The beer company has tapped Orange Business to spearhead the initiative in Europe. The two companies will work to overhaul legacy systems and improve connectivity between AB InBev’s 70 European locations and its Belgium headquarters. As part of the project, Orange Business will move voice services to SIP-based solutions and transition employees to a Microsoft Teams environment. 

• See Also: How AB InBev Is Tightening Its Grip on Pricing With Analytics

Pieter Bruyland, VP of solutions Europe at AB InBev outlined the beer company’s broader ambitions in the region – including the implementation of smart breweries, expansion of its digital footprint, boosting its cybersecurity infrastructure, and automating more processes across the ecosystem – and expressed optimism about how the renewed partnership with Orange will fit into these plans. 

The brewing company is driving significant expansion efforts into brand partnerships across the globe. Kraft Heinz recently announced plans to implement AB InBev’s BEES e-commerce platform in order to grow its reach within emerging markets in LATAM. Speaking at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) investors conference last month, Rafael de Oliveira, Kraft Heinz EVP and president of international markets described how they aimed to reach more than 1 million potential new points of sales in Latin America alone as a result of the partnership. 

Nestlé is taking the next step in a pilot exploring alternative packaging through refillable cereal vending machines 

Located in Indonesia, this pilot is an extension of one in 2021, in which consumers could purchase cereal products from tricycle carts with refillable dispensing systems. Here, consumers can bring their own containers to two retailers or purchase containers there. Scanning a QR code unlocks access to such product information as ingredients, shelf life, and nutritional values. The machines are said to account for food freshness factors, such as heat and humidity. 

See also: Nestlé Leveraging VR to Create and Test Virtual Product Prototypes

This pilot, which is expected to last four to six months, involves Nestlé Milo and Koko Krunch brands and was developed in collaboration with start-up Qyos by Algramo. 

Gaelle de Mestral, head of R&D packaging at Nestlé, said the company is actively exploring alternative delivery systems such as bulk, reuse and refill options across several product categories. “By undertaking this second pilot for Milo and Koko Krunch, we'll be able to gain new insights that can be applied to our products, as well further assess the refillable system's effectiveness in preventing packaging waste along the supply chain.”

Nestlé, which is the No. 1 publicly owned consumer goods company, has executed more than 20 pilot tests for reuse and refill systems in 12 countries. 

Children’s product company Munchkin is further investing in its digital strategy and online growth, naming Alan Wizemann to the role of chief digital officer. Wizemann, who was entered into the company’s board of directors in early 2022, will be managing technology advancements across the enterprise and monitoring their success. 

He brings an extensive background across IT and the development of software and services, previously serving as chief digital and technology officer at Quip NYC, chief digital officer at Dollar Shave Club, interim chief digital officer at Goop, VP of guest experiences and digital product at lululemon, interim chief product officer at WebMD, and VP of Target.com.

• More leadership news: Under Helm of New CEO Hein Schumacher, Will Unilever Supply Chain See Increased Digital and Sustainable Innovation?

Steven B. Dunn, Munchkin's founder and CEO, said Wizemann will help establish the company as a leading digital, DTC, data-driven, customer-centric organization “with innovative products and solutions at the core.”

"Since joining Munchkin's board, I have been continually impressed with the team, products, and culture built within this organization," said Wizemann in a statement. "The opportunity to expand digital at Munchkin is astounding. I look forward to utilizing my experience and offering fresh ideas to unlock a new phase of growth for the business."

Tyson Ventures, the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods, Inc., has invested in a cloud-based transactional carbon credit inset solution for the livestock sector. The program works to support the reduction of carbon emissions, providing economic incentives to farmers who take action to boost sustainability and enable more eco-friendly practices in their day-to-day work. 

Tyson Ventures has invested in Athian, an analytics tool that captures data points across the dairy and beef value chain, then aggregates, validates, and certifies greenhouse gas reductions. The platform then finally monetizes the reductions and sells them as carbon credits, allowing farmers to earn revenue from carbon reductions. The program is set to launch in the latter half of this year. 

• See Also: Tyson Foods Expanding Smart Factories

Tyson Foods has drilled down on tech investments over the last few years. In a webinar presented by CGT, Devin Graham, VP of cloud and infrastructure at Tyson Foods, outlined some of the company’s key cloud transformations, including plans to reduce manual processes, streamline workflows, and do away with legacy practices, given that Tyson did not start out as a cloud-native or even tech-centric company. In 2021, Tyson also invested in artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, bolstering investments in automation and advanced tech to make jobs safer and cut costs.

Amazon Business announced the launch of 3-Way Match on the Amazon Business mobile app to help business customers automate reporting, taking the old desktop or handheld scanner reporting to the app. 

Now available in the U.S., the new 3-Way Match app enables account administrators and approved buyers to use a mobile device to simply scan the barcode of a package when it arrives and automatically mark the item as received. With this new feature, the nearly 1 million active users on the Amazon Business mobile app in the U.S. have a faster way to close purchase orders.

Amazon Business helps businesses digitize and automate procurement with management controls and analytic tools. Among those tools is 3-Way Match, a common accounting control to ensure that a business’ purchase payments are received, accurate, and complete. Until now, it was cumbersome to use because it was only available on desktop or via handheld scanners. The mobile version adds the extra flexibility of being able to complete a 3-Way Match in real-time from anywhere. A successful 3-Way Match includes matching and verifying the purchase order, the invoice, and the receipt before a payment is made.

“Manual processes cannot be scaled efficiently, especially for large organizations,” said Doug Gray, vice president of technology at Amazon Business. “Integrating our 3-Way Match capability on the Amazon Business mobile app simplifies the process so customers can reconcile their purchases in seconds. At Amazon, we’re driven to find better ways for our customers to work, and our 3-Way Match mobile scan does just that.”

With 3-Way Match, accounts payable and procurement teams can protect their organization from paying for incorrect invoices, items not yet received, or fraudulent purchases. This helps businesses of all sizes improve efficiency and reporting capabilities while also reducing time spent on manual data entry and avoiding payment for damaged or incorrect packages.

Customers can download the Amazon Business mobile app by visiting Google Play store for Android users or the Apple App store for iOS users and get started with 3-Way Match. For more information about 3-Way Match and how to use it, visit https://business.amazon.com/en/find-solutions/3-way-match.

This article first appeared on the site of sister publication RIS. 

Danone North America is investing in its advanced manufacturing capabilities, with benefits expected to help it achieve its sustainability goals.  

The company is spending $65 million over the next two years to open a new bottle production line in Jacksonville, Fla. The location is expected to provide increased flexibility across bottle design, accelerated sustainability initiatives, lower costs, and advanced operational excellence. 

Production for Danone’s coffee and creamer brands, such as International Delight, Silk, and STok, will reap the rewards, which include reduced water consumption, decreased carbon emissions, and improved packaging circularity. 

• Also: Kraft Heinz, Danone Invest In First-Party Data Collaboration

The new facility will create 40 full-time jobs with attractive benefits such as 18 weeks of paid time off for childbirth or adoptions. This follows ongoing trends in the CG space to provide increased flexibility and amenities in the workplace to increase retention rates.

Mike Sloboda, Danone North America's chief operations officer, said the investment will enable it to better serve its customers and operate more efficiently and sustainably, while Shane Grant, group deputy CEO, CEO Americas at Danone, expects it to allow the company to capitalize on consumer demand in key beverage categories, supporting Danone’s long-term growth strategies.