Putting Talent at the Centre An Evolving Imperative for Manufacturing 2025

Western Digital – Prachin Buri, Thailand (continued) TABLE 2 Site Change storyTalent innovations Description Impact Western Digital – Prachin Buri, ThailandWestern Digital’s Prachin Buri plant faced significant challenges due to a technological shift and a shortage of skilled labour. To overcome these challenges, the site embarked on a transformation journey focusing on automation, intelligent work redesign and employee upskilling.Developing digital leadersDevelopment of multidisciplinary curricula for Fourth Industrial Revolution manufacturing through university collaborations Enhanced workforce competency and labour productivity –A 200% increase in hours invested in training per employee –A 49% increase in frontline workers trained in IIoT fundamentals and technology adoption –A 26.8% increase in the number of employees promoted due to upskilling and reskilling Building a strong talent pipelineEnhanced talent attraction and onboarding through partnerships with universities and a focus on sustainability- related projects –A 1,033% increase in internship applications –A 500% increase in number of events and engagement activities –A 16% decrease in time-to-fill days Unilever – Kilbourn Chicago, USA TABLE 3 Site Change storyTalent innovations Description Impact Unilever – Kilbourn, Chicago, USAUnilever’s Chicago site faced significant challenges due to a shift in consumer preferences, evolving workforce preferences and declining performance. To address these challenges, they embarked on a people transformation journey focused on improving culture, employee engagement and operational efficiency.Performance- driven rewards and recognitionRewards employees for meeting factory KPIs and demonstrating desired behaviours Encourages a culture of accountability and performance excellence –A 48% decrease in absenteeism –A 16% increase in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) –A 34% decrease in finished goods business waste Empowering employees through flexible schedulingMobile app that enables employees to access and manage their schedules, reducing scheduling errors and improving work-life balance –A 100% reduction in grievances related to scheduling errors –A 75% decrease in work hours to schedule Adapting to change: a dynamic organization structureFlexible organizational structure that is continuously evaluated and adjusted to meet the needs of the business –A 600% increase in new positions created –A 33% increase in top talent retention Cultivating a culture of continuous improvement and engagementCulture of continuous improvement that encourages employees to identify and address problems on the shop floor –A 50% decrease in sampling waste –A 33% decrease in line C start-up loss –A 100% decrease in giveaway waste 30 Putting Talent at the Centre: An Evolving Imperative for Manufacturing