Future-Proofing Global Value Chains: Country Preparedness and Beyond

Case studies

Total number of case studies

299

Sectors

21

Locations

59

Topics

9

As global competition intensifies in the battery consumer market, manufacturers face growing pressure to deliver higher quality consistency alongside significant cost-performance improvements. In response, EVE Energy Jingmen deployed over 40 digital solutions, applying AIoT, simulation, LLMs, and AI across operations. These systems enabled real-time quality diagnosis, process self-optimization and predictive maintenance, leading to significant performance gains, including reducing the defect rate by 52%, lowering unit conversion costs by 41% and boosting average overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) to 88%.
People's Republic of China | Energy, Energy Technologies, Technology
EVE Energy - Jingmen - Productivity
As Asia’s largest automotive slide production site, Faurecia Yancheng faced persistent challenges from high quality costs and intense market price pressure. To overcome this, the site launched a digital initiative, deploying over 40 advanced use cases, leveraging machine learning, deep learning and generative AI to create a multimodal quality control system. The system was designed to address complex, multi-sensory challenges including noise, leading to a significant reduction in quality costs and overall cost pressure. The system resulted in a cut to customer complaints by 94%, with the associated costs down by 62.5%. Scrap costs were reduced by 75.8% and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) increased by 10.2%.
People's Republic of China | Automotive, Technology
Faurecia Automotive Systems - Yancheng - Productivity
Facing global disruptions, rising customization demands for commercial vehicles and fluctuating market dynamics, Ford Otosan Yenikoy established a fully connected, data-driven value chain. The site deployed over 60 in-house digital solutions, using IoT, AI, machine learning and digital twin technologies within a unified data architecture to enable real-time data flow. This initiative allowed the factory to double its production volume, increase complexity twelve-fold, raise labour productivity by 44% and achieve a 6% quality improvement.
Türkiye | Automotive, Technology
Ford Otomotiv San. - Yenikoy - Productivity
To enhance product reliability and capture China’s healthy drinking water market, Haier Qingdao needed to overcome quality, productivity and cost challenges associated with a complex product portfolio. To solve these, the company deployed AI algorithms and 32 digital technology solutions such as adaptive temperature control for carbon rod sintering and auto-repair for Reverse Osmosis membrane adhesive defects. Along with the use of SKU-level demand forecasts for auto-replenishment, Haier Qingdao achieved a 40% reduction in defect rates, a 72% drop in quality costs and a 53% reduction in inventory turnover days.
People's Republic of China | Technology
Haier Strauss Science & Technology - Qingdao - Productivity
The energy storage battery industry is facing unprecedented pressure: rapid demand growth of 48.5% CAGR, a price drop of more than 60% and the need for cell quality consistency with a performance coefficient of variation (COV) of less than 0.3%. HiTHIUM responded to this challenge by targeting three areas: near-zero defects, cost reduction and intelligent operations. By deploying more than 40 digital solutions – leveraging generative AI, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technologies – HiTHIUM achieved a boost to premium product ratio to 97.6% while cutting conversion costs by 37% and increasing throughput by over 200%. In addition, overall equipment effectiveness rose by 13.4 percentage points.
People's Republic of China | Energy Technologies, Technology
HiTHIUM Energy Storage Technology - Chongqing - Productivity
To meet customers' growing demand for customization and higher product quality despite a rapid decline in market prices, Huafon Chongqing Spandex implemented 62 digital applications. These included AI-driven high-precision process optimization, virtual sensing, AI visual inspection, digital twin technology, robotics, IoT and big data analysis. The site's digital transformation has led to a 35% decline in quality defect rate, a 60% increase in labour productivity and a 113% increase in net profit margin.
People's Republic of China | Technology
Huafon Chongqing Spandex - Chongqing - Productivity
Global food brands' demand for recyclable packaging using mono-materials with freshness protection is rising, as is the need for fast, small-batch delivery. To meet the sector's needs, Suzhou Kunlene, an Indonesian SME in China, developed more than 30 in-house digital use cases, ranging from AI-powered R&D to data-driven process control. The initiative resulted in shortening R&D lead time by 45%, fixing chronic film-break and oil-stain issues and reducing defects by 31%. It also cut the minimum order size by 83% and enabled monthly product launches, showcasing how digital technology can propel SMEs to compete on a global scale.
People's Republic of China
Kunlene Film Industries - Suzhou - Productivity
Driven by the rising new energy vehicle (NEV) market and its need for customized tyres, Michelin Shenyang saw its NEV tyre portfolio grow by 340% to over 250 SKUs. This rapid expansion put pressure on its high-speed automated production line, requiring greater agility, smaller batch sizes, faster new product introduction (NPI) cycles and higher quality. Michelin Shenyang met these challenges by deploying over 30 digital solutions, using AI, machine vision and big data. Its digital transformation boosted flexibility, trial efficiency and quality, resulting in a 71% reduction in minimum order quantity, a 51% cut in trial lead time and a 36% drop in the defect rate.
People's Republic of China | Automotive, Technology
Michelin Shenyang Tire - Shenyang - Productivity
Siemens Numerical Control (SNC) Nanjing operates in a highly variable manufacturing environment, managing high-mix, low-volume orders with monthly line changes and delivery timelines compressed from 45 days to 10. In response, SNC Nanjing launched a coordinated digital transformation, supported by a comprehensive toolkit spanning end-to-end digital twin technology, modular automation, advanced manufacturing operations and more than 50 AI-driven use cases. The initiative reduced lead time by 78%, accelerated time-to-market by 33%, lowered field failures by 46% and boosted productivity by 14%. It also benefitted SNC's sustainability performance thanks to a 28% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions.
People's Republic of China | Technology
Siemens Numerical Control - Nanjing - Productivity
Since 2022, geopolitical tensions have disrupted regional food supply chains, driving an urgent need for fertilizer and complicating the supply of natural gas, a primary raw material. Operating at near-maximum capacity, SOCAR Carbamide needed to improve efficiency to expand output and contribute to regional food security. In response, the plant deployed 42 digitally enabled use cases, supported by an in-house AI-machine learning engine, to enable closed-loop autonomous process control and strengthen workforce support through generative AI and robotics. This initiative increased production throughput by 21% and improved natural gas efficiency by 24%.
Azerbaijan | Chemicals
SOCAR Carbamide - Sumqayit - Productivity
Unilever Pondicherry, a strategic site in South India, faced rising demand and product complexity driven by accelerating innovation cycles. To overcome operational challenges in throughput, quality and flexibility, the site adopted digital solutions such as ML-driven process control and changeover optimization as well as AI-powered autonomous trouble-shooting and manpower forecasting. Its digital transformation enabled 25% volume growth, 23% defect reduction and a threefold increase in product variants within existing production capacity.
India | Technology
Unilever - Pondicherry - Productivity
The textile industry faces rising demands for quality and cost efficiency but remains constrained by labour-intensive, experience-based operations. To comprehensively tackle these challenges, Yueda Textile implemented 23 digital use cases including smart logistics, digital traceability and AI-driven performance management. Its digital transformation enabled the site to move to data-based operations, boosting productivity by 421%, reducing defects by 90% and cutting conversion costs by 26%.
People's Republic of China | Technology
Yueda Textile - Yancheng - Productivity
For the world's largest battery production site, rapid expansion brought a major challenge: rising carbon emissions, high energy use and an increasing value-chain carbon footprint and manufacturing costs. To solve this, the site combined an AI-driven energy transformation, micro-grid photo-voltaic storage, process innovation and low-carbon product R&D. The initiative resulted in a 56% reduction in carbon footprint and helped 13 suppliers achieve carbon neutrality certification, cutting annual Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 16% and Scope 3 emissions per unit output by 45%.
People's Republic of China | Energy Technologies, Technology
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) - Yibin - Sustainability
Foxconn Industrial Internet Viet Nam (Fii VN) is a key hub for the company's supply chain resilience. Yet, it faced net-zero challenges across its value chain, with Scope 3 at 27% upstream – of which 70% come from 128 small and medium-size suppliers (SMEs) – and 36% downstream. Fii's customers aim for 50% material circularity and 100% renewable energy by 2030. To address this, Fii VN Bac Ninh deployed more than 20 digital solutions, including AI-driven green design to reduce the carbon footprint of its bill-of-materials, a generative AI carbon accounting platform for SMEs and Omniverse + AI for energy efficiency. This initiative resulted in cutting Scope 3 emissions by 22% and Scope 1 and 2 by 34%.
Viet Nam | Technology
Foxconn Industrial Internet - Bac Ninh - Sustainability
Operating in the water-scarce region of Kutch, Unilever Gandhidham has implemented a transformation focused on two critical sustainability topics: Climate and Nature. The initiative applied AI, digital twins and IIoT across the end-to-end supply chain to improve water stewardship, enable traceable palm oil sourcing, support sustainable formulations and refrigerants, strengthen disruption management and implement digitally-enabled aquifer recharge. As a result, the site cut water use by 17%, saved 6.12 billion litres of community water, reduced waste by 48%, lowered Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90% through a transition to renewable energy, and contributed to a 12% reduction in Scope 3 emissions in the India Personal Care business, while supporting 24% growth for the site.
India | Technology
Unilever - Gandhidham - Sustainability
AUO Suzhou (AUOSZ), which employs nearly 10,000 staff, experienced high staff turnover. This was attributed to insufficient focus on workers' needs, such as flexible working options, career development and mental health support. High attrition rates put pressure on recruitment, training, production and management. The company responded by implementing a range of digital solutions including AI interviews, digital training programmes, smart scheduling, and LLM-based emotional care. As a result, more than1,000 employees were upskilled in digital capabilities, over 500 digital projects launched, attrition reduced by nearly 70% and employee engagement rose by 11%. What is more, AUOSZ achieved a 29% boost in production, successfully positioning the workforce as a strategic asset.
People's Republic of China | Technology
AUO Corporation - Suzhou - Talent
Schneider Electric increased automation at its Wuhan site by 55% and expanded its product portfolio by 239%, creating major talent challenges. Initially, only 20% of the workforce was skilled in automation, onboarding took 75 days and technician turnover hit 48%. The site responded with digital apprenticeships co-designed with schools, AI-driven personalized upskilling and a genAI-augmented maintenance workforce. These initiatives cut onboarding to 15 days, upskilled 56% of employees and reduced technician turnover by 42% over five years.
People's Republic of China | Technology
Schneider Electric - Wuhan - Talent
Midea Wuhu faced mounting complexity from a five-tier distribution network and small-batch orders, alongside rising consumer expectations for shorter lead times and improved service quality. To address these, the company engineered a direct-to-consumer value chain with the help of 113 digital use cases, 35% of which were AI-driven. Key solutions included real-time customer order management, an AI-enabled advanced planning & scheduling (APS) system and a supply chain 'control tower'. Adding to this were AIGC-powered assistance to enhance delivery and installation service quality. The initiative delivered an improved consumer experience with three major gains: a 39% reduction in end-to-end delivery lead time, a 30% drop in inventory days and an 86% reduction in the market defect rate.
People's Republic of China | Technology
Midea Kitchen & Bath Appliances - Wuhu - Supply Chain Resilience
Traditional multi-tier distribution models face growing constraints in e-commerce environments characterized by volatile demand, compressed delivery timelines and sustained cost pressure. To address these challenges, Unilever Hefei FTC distribution centre transitioned to a factory-to-consumer model, supported by 31 digitally enabled use cases, 65% of which are driven by AI and generative AI. The approach enabled capabilities such as daily demand forecasting, inventory decision-making, intelligent picking and AI-supported warehouse management. This transformation improved forecasting accuracy by 39%, reduced lead times by 75% and lowered operating costs by 24%.
People's Republic of China | Supply Chain & Transportation
Unilever - Hefei - Supply Chain Resilience
Managing a complex portfolio of 164,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) and over 5,000 new custom designs annually, Eaton's Changzhou site deployed digital transformation to improve agility and cost-effectiveness. By applying AI and simulation, Eaton shortened its design cycle. Adopting advanced robotics improved labour productivity and genAI and digital twin solutions enhanced responsiveness. As a result, the company reduced lead time by 39%, increased operational efficiency by 50% and grew revenue by 129%, all without expanding its workforce.
People's Republic of China | Energy Technologies, Technology
Eaton Electrical Equipment - Changzhou - Customer Centric

Future-Proofing Global Value Chains: Country Preparedness and Beyond

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