PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest from the process community including operational excellence (OPEX), digital transformation, business process management (BPM), process mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.
This week includes:
- Prominent AI models falling short of European regulations
- HEINEKEN showcases digital transformation
- Sainsbury’s takes big step towards Net Zero operations by 2035
- Ipsen earns second Gold Shingo Prize for OPEX
- ALDI seeks process mining data analyst
- Mars appoints Marina F. Bellini to lead global business services, digital technologies
- Copenhagen hosts International Conference on Process Mining 2024
Prominent AI models falling short of European regulations
Some of the biggest AI models on the market are falling short of incoming EU regulations, according to data seen by Reuters. A new tool has tested generative AI models developed by companies like Meta and OpenAI across dozens of categories, in line with the EU’s AI Act, which comes into force in different stages over the next two years. Designed by LatticeFlow, the framework assesses AI models across dozens of categories including technical robustness and safety, awarding a score 0 and 1, Reuters reported.
A leaderboard published by LatticeFlow showed models developed by Alibaba, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta and Mistral all received average scores of 0.75 or above. However, its Large Language Model (LLM) Checker uncovered shortcomings in key areas, spotlighting where companies may need to divert resources to ensure compliance. Companies failing to comply with the AI Act will face fines of 35 million euros (US$38 million), or 7 percent of global annual turnover.
AI will be the leading investment area for enhancing OPEX and business transformation initiatives in the next 12 months, according to the PEX Report 2024/25.
Lee Bogner, Mars discusses AI and the importance of data
HEINEKEN showcases digital transformation
Multinational brewing brand HEINEKEN showcased its digital transformation successes at the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in London. Wilko Sierksma, director global planning and Corneel Hindriks, global digital and technology manager for supply chain planning shared how the company has deployed AI and machine learning for improved demand planning, reducing complexity by 70 percent through standardized data integrations. The new cognitive demand planning tool, implemented in the Netherlands, outperforms traditional methods, with plans to scale across Europe, according to the pair.
HEINEKEN also won the OutSystems Innovation – High Performance Team Award for hyperautomation. “This award is a huge recognition for our team and extended federated teams that enable us to bring amazing value to the organization leveraging low-code technology,” said Giada Binelli, global product owner at The HEINEKEN Company.
Nao Anthony, Commonwealth Bank and Tariq Munir, PepsiCo reflect on the complexities and challenges of digital transformation
Sainsbury’s takes big step towards Net Zero operations by 2035
British supermarket giant Sainsbury’s took a significant step towards achieving Net Zero in its operations by 2035 by signing a 15-year purchase power agreement (PPA) with Capital Dynamics, an independent global private asset management firm and key player in renewable energy investments. The agreement will see Sainsbury’s procuring 100 percent of the electricity generated by the newly operational 33.6 MW Pines Burn Wind Farm in the UK, according to a press release. The electricity supplied from Pines Burn will meet approximately 8 percent of Sainsbury’s total annual energy needs across the UK, significantly advancing its sustainability strategy, it added.
“A state-of-the-art, sustainable source of new wind power, Pines Burn Wind Farm is helping us take another fantastic step towards reducing our reliance on carbon,” commented Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and EV ventures. “Sainsbury’s was the first UK retailer to start purchasing wind energy directly to power our business back in 2008. Our commitment to the future of Pines Burn, which both enabled its construction and guarantees its long-term viability, builds on our proven track record of investing in sustainable technologies.”
Ipsen earns second Gold Shingo Prize for OPEX
French biopharmaceutical company Ipsen earned its second Gold Shingo Prize for OPEX in recognition of its manufacturing site in Dublin, Ireland. Created in 1988, the Shingo Prize rewards companies across all sectors that demonstrate a strong culture of OPEX. The prize follows a rigorous assessment of the Dublin site – which houses approximately 190 people and produces the active pharmaceutical ingredients for two of Ipsen’s medicines – including its employees, processes and mindset.
“The journey to excellence in our manufacturing sites began in 2015, almost a decade ago,” said Pierrick Lefranc, SVP, head of global manufacturing operations at Ipsen. “I’m really proud of the exceptional level of engagement of all the teams on site. The Shingo Model places a strong emphasis on employee engagement: as a result, every employee understands our strategy and how their daily actions impact it. It’s a powerful illustration of our culture of excellence and impact.”
Pradheep Kileti, National Grid explores balancing operations and innovation
ALDI seeks process mining data analyst
Supermarket chain ALDI is looking to hire a senior data analyst in its process mining and automation team within the national IT department of ALDI stores, based in Prestons, New South Wales. The role’s primary responsibilities are process related analytics and development of data driven solutions to support business processes within the ALDI system landscape, according to the job specification. The role enables end-to-end exposure to all local and international business streams including buying, supply chain, finance and IT, it added.
The successful candidate will be required to utilise data to drive tangible cost savings or process improvement outcomes, demonstrating excellent stakeholder relationships and strong understanding of business processes, ALDI said. “Autonomy will be encouraged to identify opportunities and create visual representation of the key data logs from systems such as SAP S4, Manhattan, SAP TM. You will have a strong technical understanding of process mining and data visualisation capabilities of the Celonis application.”
Mars appoints Marina F. Bellini to lead global business services, digital technologies
American manufacturer of confectionery Mars Inc. announced the appointment of Marina F. Bellini to lead operations, global business services and enterprise digital technologies across the organization. Bellini has more than 25 years of experience leading digital, technology, data and shared services teams in global consumer packaged goods and financial services, having held the role of COO at Itaú Unibanco, Latin America’s largest bank, for the past two years.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Marina to Mars,” said Claus Aagaard, Mars chief financial officer. “She joins us with outstanding experience driving high-impact change across a range of global industries. I’m confident that she’ll continue to transform our GBS organization into best-in-class operations and services – creating further value for Mars.”
Copenhagen hosts International Conference on Process Mining 2024
This week, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Lyngby, Copenhagen, hosted the sixth International Conference on Process Mining (ICPM 2024). “ICPM has solidified its reputation as the leading event where process mining vendors, consultants, customers, end-users and researchers can come together to share insights, foster innovation and explore new frontiers in the field,” said Andrea Burattin ICPM 2024 general chair.
“The conference was packed with hundreds of insightful talks, and I felt truly humbled to be surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the process mining community,” commented process mining expert Urszula Jessen. “The innovation, the passion, the knowledge-Sharing!” Jessen was a speaker at PEX Network's All Access: Future of BPM where discussed the tools, technologies and applications of process mining.
In the same week, Women in Process Mining (WIPM) announced that its community surpassed 2,000 followers on LinkedIn. “2,000 globally, a pool of talents in the field of process mining, all eager to learn, thrive and become the leaders of the next process mining generation,” posted Gabriela Galic, co-founder of WIPM. “This is just the beginning. Let’s grow together.”
Leona Holzbecher, psychologist, organizational developer and thought leader discusses accountability in process management
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