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  • March 2022
  • Case
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Unilever: Remote Work in Manufacturing

By: Prithwiraj Choudhury and Susie L. Ma
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:14
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Abstract

In December 2021, Unilever—one of the world’s largest producers of consumer goods—was in the midst of a pilot project to digitize its manufacturing facilities and enable remote work for factory employees. This was possible because of an earlier project to retrofit a facility in Brazil with state-of-the art sensors on factory equipment to collect real-time data. The data was then analyzed using machine learning applications on the cloud so that key capabilities of the factory could be run remotely on a laptop in a technician’s kitchen. The company hoped expanding this effort would improve efficiency and performance across its network of factories, and result in cost savings and decreased energy consumption for the entire organization. The company’s next step was to explore the possibility of further digitizing factory operations with the creation of a global virtual operations room, where operators working remotely could ultimately oversee production at all of its 200 manufacturing sites around the world.

Keywords

Change; Globalization; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Human Resources; Jobs and Positions; Operations; Education; Training; Manufacturing Industry

Citation

Choudhury, Prithwiraj, and Susie L. Ma. "Unilever: Remote Work in Manufacturing." Harvard Business School Case 622-030, March 2022.
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About The Author

Prithwiraj Choudhury

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Is Hybrid Work the Best of Both Worlds? Evidence from a Field Experiment By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Tarun Khanna, Christos A. Makridis and Kyle Schirmann
  • The Future of Start-Up Chile By: Prithwiraj Choudhury, Ruth Costas and Pedro Levindo
  • Paul Polman By: Elizabeth A. Keenan, Youngme Moon and Susie Ma
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