Starbucks CEO vows to fix slow & inconsistent performance, Arsenal FC kicks off digital transformation, Unilever eyes Gen AI-powered productivity - PEX Community News

PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest from the process community including operational excellence, digital transformation, business process management (BPM), process mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.

This week includes:

• New Starbucks chief pledges to tackle slow and inconsistent operations
• Arsenal FC reveals ambitious digital transformation goals
• Unilever targets generative AI-enhanced productivity
• John Lewis uses AI to revive price promise scheme
• Fresh Del Monte Produce appoints new SVP to drive operational excellence
• Formula E races to record-breaking growth
• The Digital Formula podcast explores process intelligence

New Starbucks chief pledges to tackle slow and inconsistent operations

Starbucks’ new CEO has pledged to address recent failings at the company by investing in technology that will enhance partner and customer experiences, improve its supply chain and evolve its app and mobile ordering platform. In an open letter on his second day on the job, Brian Niccol said: “Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent time in our stores, speaking with partners and customers and talking with teams across operations, store design, marketing and product development.” In some places – especially in the US – Starbucks stores aren’t always delivering, he added. “It can feel transactional, menus can feel overwhelming, product is inconsistent, the wait too long or the handoff too hectic. These moments are opportunities for us to do better.”

Under Niccol’s leadership, Starbucks will focus on four key areas of improvement to drive the biggest impact. These are:

• Empowering our baristas to take care of customers.
• Getting the “morning right, every morning.”
• Reestablishing Starbucks as the community coffeehouse.
• Telling Starbucks’ story.

“I’ll spend time in our stores and at our support centers, meeting with key partners and suppliers and working with our team to drive these critical first steps,” said Niccol. “Together, we will get back to what makes Starbucks, Starbucks.”

Arsenal FC reveals ambitious digital transformation goals

Arsenal FC announced that NTT DATA has become its first official digital transformation partner as the English Premier League side seeks to benefit from data analytics tools, machine learning and real-time integrations. This will be underpinned by NTT DATA’s digital transformation capabilities, enhancing the club’s digital platforms and capabilities to support growth, improve performance and deepen supporter connection, according to a press release.

“We’re excited to welcome NTT DATA as our first official digital transformation partner,” commented Juliet Slot (above), chief commercial officer at Arsenal FC. “Our ambition is to strengthen our connection with our supporters around the world so that we can serve them better. Enhancing our digital capabilities is an essential part of this journey where through service and connection to supporters we are able to drive forward our performance and our growth.”

Last month, Slot met with Ulf Persson, CEO of process automation and AI vendor ABBYY, to discuss the role AI technology is playing at Arsenal Women Football Club and in developing the women’s European football (soccer) game generally.

Nao Anthony, Commonwealth Bank, and Tariq Munir, PepsiCo, discuss the complexities and challenges of digital transformation 

Unilever targets generative AI-enhanced productivity

Global products supplier Unilever expanded its partnership with Accenture to apply generative AI to drive efficiencies and improved business agility. Unilever will work with Accenture to establish a foundation for generative AI-powered productivity in areas such as operational efficiency and cost reductions, according to a press release. The collaboration builds on a previously announced effort to explore applications to scale generative AI across Unilever’s business operations.

“We have already introduced 500 AI applications across Unilever, helping us to reach new levels of efficiency,” said Hein Schumacher, CEO of Unilever. “As AI matures and becomes increasingly intelligent and intuitive, we see so much more potential. Now, as part of our action plan to deliver faster growth, drive productivity and dial up performance, we’re going deeper. With the help of Accenture’s world-class tools and capabilities, we will be able to analyze where and how AI can have the highest transformational impact and deliver the greatest returns.”

John Lewis uses AI to revive price promise scheme

British retail giant John Lewis is using AI to revive its famous Never Knowingly Undersold price promise scheme where it price matches products to ensure customers get the most competitive deals. The Never Knowingly Undersold brand promise was a hallmark of customer trust in John Lewis for nearly a century. However, it was paused two years ago following feedback that the process was too complicated while the exclusion of online retailers failed to reflect modern shopping habits.

Never Knowingly Undersold has now been reimagined, using AI technology to check prices at 25 online and high street brands. If a competitive price is lower, it will be matched by John Lewis, the firm stated. “This is a significant and critical milestone in the modernization of our John Lewis customer proposition,” commented Nish Kankiwala, chief executive of the John Lewis Partnership. “It represents further evidence of the retail focused transformation of our partnership and is a very proud moment for our partners and an exciting prospect for our customers.”

Fresh Del Monte Produce appoints new SVP to drive operational excellence

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., a global producer of fruits and vegetables, appointed Danny Dumas to drive operational excellence in North America. Dumas takes on the role as SVP sales, marketing and product management and will oversee business in those three areas, plus technical services and quality assurance for port operations, the firm stated. The appointment underscores Fresh Del Monte’s commitment to sustainable growth, innovation and operational excellence across its North American footprint, which includes a vast network of distribution centers, production facilities and retail partnerships, according to a press release.

“We are pleased to welcome Danny back to Fresh Del Monte,” said Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Fresh Del Monte Produce. “His return comes at a pivotal time as we continue to evolve our North American operations to meet growing market demands.”

Pradheep Kileti, National Grid, discusses balancing operations and innovation

Formula E races to record-breaking growth

Formula E, a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars, has achieved record-breaking growth, solidifying its status as the fastest-growing global motorsport. That’s according to CEO Jeff Dodds, who recognized the organization’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation, thrilling racing and engaging content that resonates with fans.

The highlights of Formula E’s recent growth include:

• A 35 percent increase in global TV audiences, reaching 491 million viewers.
• A 23 percent growth in global fanbase, now standing at 374 million.
• A 20 percent surge in social media following, with over 1 billion impressios.
• A 147 percent increase in video views on digital platforms.

Formula E uses data analytics and business intelligence to support its operational excellence business transformation, as detailed in the PEX Report 2024/25.

The Digital Formula podcast explores process intelligence

In the latest episode of The Digital Formula podcast, Roland Woldt and Michael Idengren discussed the topic of process intelligence. The pair reflected on inconsistent analyst definitions of process intelligence and how it has evolved compared to traditional business intelligence and performance monitoring.

The episode explored how process intelligence creates a holistic view of process analysis that includes execution as well as human-focused and data-driven approaches. It also highlighted how process intelligence can provide new skills, change traditional ways of doing business and be used to calculate returns on improvement opportunity proposals.

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