Kimberly-Clark to set up global digital tech centre in Bengaluru.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation, makers of personal-care brands such as Huggies diapers, Kotex sanitary napkins and Kleenex tissue, has chosen Bengaluru to house its global digital technology centre (GDTC).

The centre will serve to digitise its global supply chain, create AI-equipped sales tools, and leverage robotic process automation for its customer service operations.

Located in Benguluru’s CBD, the global centre will have up to 200 experts specialised in AI technologies, automation, data management, and user experience design.

Digital transformation

Key global roles such as the heads of enterprise architecture, supply chain, marketing and data, as well as several key regional technology leadership roles for the Asia-Pacific region will be housed here.

Rich Dobbs, Vice-President, Global Technology, said, “As new technologies shape consumer experiences and enable next generation product innovations, we are looking to accelerate our digital transformation by building global centres of digital excellence. Our Bengaluru centre, which is one of two, globally, is a key investment in this capability. We are excited by the pool of high quality digital talent available in this city and look forward to tapping into that potential.”

The opening of the GDTC marks a further commitment by Kimberly-Clark to expanding its footprint in India. In September 2017, it announced ending its joint venture with Unilever in India, ‘Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd’, and the setting up of a wholly-owned subsidiary, ‘Kimberly-Clark India’, to accelerate growth.

Since the demerger, the company has significantly ramped up its sales and distribution infrastructure, launched category-leading innovations and invested in talent development. The company’s manufacturing facility in Pune is currently being expanded to build further capacity.

Achal Agarwal, President of Kimberly-Clark Asia Pacific, said, “India is an important investment market for Kimberly-Clark and the decision to base a global centre further concentrates our energies and interests here. While the Centre will serve enterprise-wide needs, we expect that the India business will benefit from the proximity and will be a test bed for many of the new capabilities we create here.”

HBL