To improve coordination between manufacturing, packaging and distribution, automation and AI-driven alerts are implemented throughout new product launches at Whitman.
“ We are standardising workflows and strengthening our data foundations so that packaging is fully connected to upstream and downstream processes,” says Maria Genouzos, VP EMEA & APAC Manufacturing at ELC.
“ Robotics and automation play a role in improving execution – particularly in repetitive or precision tasks – but the bigger shift is in how the system works end to end. The outcome is not just efficiency – it is better responsiveness. We can bring products to market faster, adapt to changes more easily and maintain a high level of quality and consistency across increasingly complex portfolios.”
A collaborative operation Demonstrating just how integrated automated lines and robotics have become, one of the collaborative robots which aids with heavy lifting tasks has been named JoBot, and is described by Maria as“ a nice reflection of how people and technology really work side by side here”.
86 September 2026