We're seeing tremendous value in supply chain digitisation: General Mills India digital & tech head

General Mills India, a division of US-based General Mills Inc., known for popular food brands, including Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, and Nature Valley, views India as a key centre for growth and innovation. The General Mills India Center (GIC) in Mumbai has been a vibrant hub since 1996, employing over 2,000 skilled professionals today who contribute to the global organisation across various critical business functions. In an interview with TechCircle, Ashish Mishra, Head of Digital & Technology at GIC, discusses how the digital and technology team is leveraging technology to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and drive growth. Edited excerpts:

Which technologies currently excite you the most, and what specific areas within technology will you prioritise this year?

Technology is constantly evolving, and I find it incredibly exciting to be at the forefront of this transformation in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) space. This year, the technology that excites me the most is Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Agentic AI. The potential for Agentic AI to enable deeper enterprise insights and drive intelligent automation is transformative. By leveraging this technology, we can move beyond traditional analytics to build systems that proactively solve problems, enhance decision-making, and optimise processes in real-time.

One area where we’re already seeing tremendous impact is supply chain digitisation. With AI, we can create interconnected, responsive, and resilient supply chains that adapt to changing market dynamics while improving efficiency and reducing waste.

At our GCC in India, we are focused on innovating and driving these AI-led initiatives while maintaining a customer-centric mindset. The goal is to harness these technologies to deliver measurable value for the organisation and create a sustainable future for our business and the communities we serve.

What exactly does General Mills' GCC in India do in terms of driving value?

General Mills' Global Capability Center (GCC) in India drives innovation and operational excellence by leveraging advanced technology and practices. We explore AI, automation, and cloud computing to address global challenges through rapid experimentation and scalable solutions.

By leveraging local talent with deep technical expertise and a global mindset, we ensure seamless execution of large-scale technology initiatives. Our contributions range from enabling supply chain digitisation to streamlining data-driven decision-making processes, ensuring that we deliver consistent value to our global operations.

Can you provide details regarding the size of your technology team in India, including their skill sets?

We have a significantly large digital and technology (D&T) organisation based in India. This diverse team excels in areas such as digital core, data and analytics, automation, cloud & infrastructure, enterprise digital capabilities, and cybersecurity. Within data and analytics, we have skilled data architects, data engineers, AI/ML (Machine Learning) and data scientists driving innovation and insights. Our focus remains on strengthening expertise across these domains while expanding and evolving our capabilities to align with emerging technologies and strategic business priorities.

Can you give a few examples of how the India tech team contributes to increasing your business revenues or enhancing customer experience?

The India GCC serves as a key value enabler for General Mills, driving digital transformation across the enterprise by leveraging process automation, data analytics, integration, and AI. Let me give you a few examples that highlight the team’s contribution to enhancing business revenues and improving customer experience. 

Firstly, in the area of supply Chain Optimisation, the India GCC has been pivotal in transforming supply chain planning operations by creating end-to-end visibility. This transformation leverages robust data analysis to proactively identify optimisation opportunities, enabling faster decision-making. Additionally, our logistics flow (ELF) platform, powered by AI and digital twin technology, provides comprehensive supply chain visibility, allowing dynamic order processing optimised for cost, customer timelines, and sustainability metrics. 

Another area is Customer Experience in Martech where the India team made a major contribution. The India GCC has enhanced customer engagement through innovations like our mobile loyalty platform. The recent integration of retailer single sign-on allows consumers to directly accumulate loyalty points when purchasing GMI products, whether online or offline. This has significantly increased the number of active users and boosted the average basket size for GMI products.

When assessing competitor performance, which critical technology areas do you believe require improvement?

In today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape, most organisations, including competitors, are focusing on similar areas of emerging technologies such as AI, cloud solutions, data-driven decision-making, automation, and cybersecurity. As the pace of innovation continues to move quickly, the General Mills Digital & Technology team prioritises staying agile and having a forward-thinking mindset to stay ahead of the curve. We are focused on scaling automation, enhancing our data and analytics capabilities, strengthening cybersecurity resilience, and leveraging emerging technologies to drive operational excellence and deliver value to our stakeholders. This commitment enables us to stay competitive while continuously evolving with the industry.

What kind of tech-led initiatives are planned for the Indian market over the next 12 to 18 months?

The Indian Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector is witnessing a transformative shift, and General Mills’ D&T team is playing a pivotal role in driving this change. We are implementing advanced digital solutions across sales, marketing, and supply chain to enhance growth, efficiency, and innovation. For instance, our Distributor Management System is being upgraded to improve customer service and enable data-driven decisions that drive profitability. Additionally, our custom app, 'Bakers of India', is undergoing enhancements to empower bakeries nationwide with a wealth of knowledge and direct insights from industry-leading chefs.

At our Nashik plant, we’re advancing improvements to the reliability of our operations as well as continuing our focus on safety. Over the next few quarters, we will scale advancements, introducing features such as product traceability and automated maintenance activities. Through this integrated approach, we aim to streamline operations, elevate productivity, and strengthen our leadership in the Indian FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) market.