Podcast: Hershey and Nestle execs weigh in on AI, data for frontline workers, and candy

We're about a week away from Halloween, and what could be scarier than the technologies that are disrupting manufacturing—artificial intelligence and connected-worker technologies. The 4th Annual Connected Worker Manufacturing summit in the Chicago suburbs this month gathered tech leaders from dozens of large manufacturers to discuss the impacts of data tools, wearable technology, tablets and other connected devices.

What does that have to do with Halloween? Well, there were a lot of food people there, including digital transformation executives at Hershey and Nestle, and we spoke to them about their efforts. Participating on this podcast are:

• Robert Schoenberger, editor-in-chief at IndustryWeek
• Logan McNear, digital manufacturing program lead for The Hershey Company's Lean Production System
• Mike Brauckman, head of focused improvement for Nestle

Below is an excerpt from the podcast:

RS: Logan, the Super Bowl for the candy industry, Halloween, is just a couple of weeks away here. Can you tell me a little bit about how important that is to Hershey, just the most general terms?

LM: When you think about candy and the economics around candy, it's there's the seasons are a big deal. And so we anchor on occasions and Halloween is a very big occasion for really anchoring on the sentimental value behind our product. That like it's more than just a candy on a shelf, but it's an experience that like we often look back on fondly as you grow up and that was your time to grab candy and you get to really indulge in something that you wouldn't normally get to. And that's something that we take pride in, being part of that moment.

RS: You've been talking today about some of the challenges that you've experienced doing Lean and the technology side of Lean within the factory. You mentioned during your presentation that you've seen a lot of the wrong ways of doing things. So kind of getting into the spooks and ghouls and ghosts section of Halloween. Can you share just any lessons you've learned from things that people shouldn't be doing when they think digital transformation and connected worker?

LM: I'll start with saying that digital is not scary and that's that's often the perception. And usually that anxiety comes with the lack of information. So just bringing people into the fold in the process and letting them be a part of the design really alleviates a lot of that scare. And we've taken an iterative approach where We know roughly the end that where we're going to, what our vision is, but we've left enough space for the people actually doing the work to help design the work. And that balance of having vision but also having flexibility is what's making our deployment go as well as it's been going.

RS: One thing I've seen about a lot of technology people when they talk about factory improvements is they often leave the people element out. But you're coming in from the lean side where, you know, respect for people, talking to people, that's a key element. Can you talk about bridging those two things? How you make sure that you're getting that, the personal connection?

LM: From a lean perspective, we're on year 10 of a lean transformation where we're going through and revisioning our systems and really reevaluating our requirements based off the context of today's world. In parallel, we had digital factory initiatives that were creating better data management systems, better tools that are on the floor. But it took the combination of both to really meet people where they're at, to understand what their pain points are and how to match those up with the solutions that ultimately you'll find that people are resourceful and they'll find a solution. But those solutions aren't sustainable if they're not supported with the greater organization's vision for what the future will hold.

RS: I remember from my college years learning that if you give people an incentive, they'll find a way to it. But it might not be in the best interest of the company. It can damage your equipment. It can be a safety risk, things like that. So having to get the incentive in, getting the control around it are two critical things.

LM: Yeah, and the incentive going beyond pure compliance, because I can check a box to make compliance look good, but am I really getting at the value that the system is intending on? So it's linking the utilization to the performance and getting a better picture of the whole package and making it seem fun. Making it interactive in a way that like it's not happening to you as an end user, but you get to be a part of the journey.

RS: Can you give me like an example something you've done on the shop floor to give that individual line worker more information or more control?

LM: I'll give a very specific one. I had a packaging operator that really leaned into the digital transformation for her specific unit. And when she was able to see previous performance on the shift before, she already had handoff information, but she lacked the data behind it. And to be honest, not the most technically savvy operator, but you don't need to be if we can present the data in a way that it can be actionable.

She's able to look at the previous shift, and she brags about how she'll see what stuff they're struggling with on the shift before, call out the maintenance personnel to fix whatever problem or get the necessary people there, and pride herself on having the best shift on her line across all shifts because she's able to use data to make that happen. So if we could just get like a piece of that from every operator that they're looking at data, they're connecting it to the problems on the floor and connecting it to the right people to solve those problems, Man, we'd be in a whole different era of production and a different level of digital engagement.

RS: One last question: What is your favorite Halloween product from Hershey?

LM: That's a tough one. I mean, the go-to is... It's the different Reese shapes we have between the pumpkin shape and the white chocolate ghost. But man, you can't go wrong with any of our products, I tell you.