Global Lighthouse Network 2026

High-impact vertical AI applications deployed at Lighthouses FIGURE 20 Note: NPI = new product introduction. Source: McKinsey & Company, examples from 2025 Lighthouse cohort.45Streamlines engineer -to- order (ETO) bidding, configuring bids fr om 50k+ modules with r etrieval- augmented generation (RAG) algorithms to interpr et requir ements, recommend solutions and automate bid documentation.Knowledge graph and LLM for ETO bidding .p.p01 + Win rateChangzhou, China LLM-power ed planner agent str eamlines highly complex scheduling, using mixed integer programming (MIP) to automate SKU-level r esour ce pr ep, enabling one-click, constraint-optimized schedules.LLM-enabled planner agent for seasonality +23% Peak daily throughputWuhu, China AI assistant power ed by LLMs generates r eal-time insights, natural language reports & automated alerts by integrating ERP , MES and IIoT data. Low-code tools help design KPI dashboar ds; system tracks actions for continuous improvement.Low-code continuous improvement +4.8p.p. On-time in-full deliveryYancheng, China Platform with LLM assistant helps suppliers calculate emissions, improving transpar ency and enabling advanced analytics to identify nearly 1,000 opportunities and supporting hundr eds of AI projects for energy contr ol & material r ecycling.Shared supplier carbon platform with GenAI +65p.p. Emission data visibilityQingdao, China Shanghai, China Accelerates complex NPI process with AI-driven assist for new pr oduct design. Platform leverages extensive data to generate industrial designs fr om text inputs, integrating market, customer & manufacturing insights.Functions ProcurementSupply chain planningManufacturing R&D Customer service Type Employee copilots (e.g. Microsoft 365 Copilot, Google Workspace AI, Zoom AI companion) Chatbots (e.g. ChatGPT , Gemini, Claude) Supply risk assessor Idea generator Negotiation assistant Support assistant Inquiry assistant Demand for ecaster Resesarch curator Proposal generator Parameter optimizer Insights pr ovider AIGC-power ed virtual design assistantHorizontal applications Enterprise-wide Vertical applications Function-specific +67% Design output In-house developed GenAI-enabled multi agent system automates approvals, pr epopulates suggestions and adjusts terms using past data & market insights for compliant, competitive contracts.Multi-agent contract strategy optimization -30% 3rd party spendRas Laffan, Qatar Digital twin contr ol tower integrates sensor data for 50+ risk types to monitor disruptions. GenAI chatbot provides r eal-time risk mitigation recommendations for cross-functional interventions.Supply chain risk mitigation assistant -85% Order to ship lead timeMonterr ey, Mexico AI agent automates issue resolution cycles in r eal- time (r eporting, r oot cause analysis, meeting facilitation, action plan gover nance) & standar dizes knowledge in LLM-power ed database for continuous self-lear ning.Shopfloor performance management agent -80% Issue resolution lead timeHefei, China GenAI assistant integrates 25+ systems & 15 function- specific AI tools using model context pr otocol (MCP), enabling cr oss- functional collaboration on a single platform for faster, impactful decision-making with data.Field performance management AI agent -58% Loss from customer rejectionsShirwal, India Changzhou, China Configuration advisor uses AI to analyse 1 million+ combinations acr oss 140+ countries, identifying attribute corr elations to recommend optimal configurations & generate drawings with one click.Configuration advisor for complex products +46% Configuration first-time rightLighthouse examples Global Lighthouse Network: Rewiring Operations for Resilience and Impact at Scale 32