Hul adds two WEF lighthouses as factories go digital at scale

MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever has won fresh plaudits from the World Economic Forum, with its Pondicherry and LLPL Gandhidham factories named Advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Lighthouse sites. The recognition, part of the WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network, lifts HUL’s total to five such factories, after earlier honours for Dapada (2022), Sonepat (2023) and Doom Dooma (2025).

The two sites deploy 4IR technologies across nearly every process, running more than 50 initiatives across the end-to-end supply chain. Gandhidham, located in the water-stressed Kutch region, was recognised as a Sustainability Lighthouse after using AI, digital twins and the industrial internet of things to cut water use by 17 per cent, save 6.12 billion litres of community water, reduce waste by 48 per cent and lower Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 90 per cent through a shift to renewable energy. The transformation also supported a 12 per cent reduction in Scope 3 emissions alongside double-digit growth over three years.

Pondicherry was awarded the WEF distinction in productivity, after tackling rising product complexity and operational bottlenecks through machine-learning-led process control, AI-driven troubleshooting and smarter workforce forecasting. The overhaul delivered 25 per cent volume growth, a 23 per cent drop in defects and a threefold increase in product variants without adding capacity.

Hindustan Unilever CEO and managing director Priya Nair, said the twin honours underscored the company’s push to blend advanced technology with sustainability and long-term value creation.

Executive director, supply chain Yogesh Mishra said the recognition showed how AI and digitisation can drive environmental gains while strengthening competitiveness.

World Economic Forum managing director Kiva Allgood, said the sites illustrated how intelligence-led operations are redefining industrial resilience and sustainability.