Kraft Heinz switches up work with the metaverse

Multinational food company Kraft Heinz had to change the way it operated over the pandemic. Suddenly, shops were closed and the habits of consumers were altered.

At the height of the pandemic, Kraft Heinz focused on popular goods to adapt to the changing supply chain capabilities, as well as the needs of consumers.

Carlos Abrams-Rivera, Kraft Heinz President of North America, told CNN that the company managed to increase the production of goods like ketchup effectively, but this process has led to the organization thinking about how to drive more supply chain efficiencies in the future.

As a result of this future focus, Kraft Heinz is making a big investment in the metaverse. The idea is this technology will not only change how the organization’s internal systems work but also how employees operate.

Kraft Heinz and the metaverse

To make the shift to the metaverse, Kraft Heinz is teaming up with Microsoft which will help the company reach its goals.

Discussing the investment in the metaverse, Lorraine Bardeen, CTO of Microsoft Industry Solutions, commented: “We’re really committed to supporting our customers in…what we call the industrial metaverse.

“This means that Kraft Heinz will be able to put their products…into consumers’ hands faster.”

Clarifying this point, Kraft Heinz’s Abrams-Rivera said: “We’re there whenever you need us…regardless of the situation that the world is going through.”

Kraft Heinz’s metaverse investment intends to enable automation and virtual manufacturing facilities to get food to customers faster.

Speaking to CNN, Abrams-Rivera explained that a sudden demand for products can lead to a large number of employees working on tasks that take up time and this process could be automated and streamlined with the metaverse investment.

However, a virtual version of the manufacturing facilities gives leaders a clear view of how processes are carried out, and where improvements can be made.

Additionally, as factories produce multiple goods, the virtualization of processes should enable leaders to see flaws in systems and drive efficiency. This can be done through simulations of the production process.

Like many digital transformations, by reducing time wasted by employees, the metaverse could drive profitability across the business.

The future of work

Better data and analytics in the workplace has enabled many companies to get ahead of issues such as burnout and attrition. With that said, it is essential that the data collected is reliable and put alongside context.

Kraft Heinz will need to not only understand the virtual world that illustrates where the company is against its targets, but also what the situation is on the ground.

By understanding both the digital and physical, the company will be able to see the perspectives of workers, what they need, and how this ties into productivity.

The big question is whether other companies will make this investment in their supply chain.