Unilever's Mannheim Site: Leadership in Lean & Industry 4.0
Unilever’s manufacturing site in Mannheim, Germany, has undergone significant evolution since its beginnings as a soap factory in 1899.
Today, it operates as a world-class facility producing Dove Bars and serves as a key distribution hub for products across its Home Care, Personal Care and Beauty and Wellbeing divisions.
The site exemplifies Unilever’s continued investment in advanced technology and digital transformation, enabling the company to meet changing consumer demands and support sustainable business growth.
“This global powerhouse is setting the pace for operational excellence," explains Factory Director Silvia Rissel.
"By deploying cutting-edge technologies, we’re continually improving productivity and efficiency. We’re able to respond to shifts in customer and consumer demand, equip our workforce with digital skills and limit our impact on the environment.”
The Mannheim site: Defined by digital technology
Mannheim plays a pivotal role within Unilever’s global network of four production sites that supply Dove Bars across the globe. Digital twin technology links these sites, enabling the exchange of real-time data to optimise operations.
Operating round the clock, the factory has adopted automation and digitalisation to become more streamlined and efficient, continually improving overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) – a crucial productivity metric.
A notable innovation involves digital technology to monitor production by counting the number of Dove Bars on the production line and coordinating this with incoming packaging supplies. This automated system guarantees precise stock management and uninterrupted production.
Recent investments have further boosted the factory’s capabilities, including solar power initiatives to enhance energy efficiency and revamped packaging lines that now use 100% paper packaging for Dove Bars.
This change helps eliminate approximately 500 tonnes of plastic waste each year.
Ensuring exceptional quality
Unilever ensures the Mannheim site is at the forefront of quality assurance programmes aimed at upholding the highest standards for Dove Bars in markets worldwide.
A major initiative involves testing AI-powered cameras that can inspect up to 800 bars per minute, exceeding the speed of current production lines. These cameras are set to be fully operational later this year.
"We believe in crafting unmissably superior products and our Dove Beauty Bar is a great example," says Marcela Melero, Chief Growth Officer for Dove Personal Care, North America and Dove Masterbrand.
"While ordinary soaps can strip skin of essential moisture, Beauty Bars contain moisturising cream to hydrate the skin alongside mild cleansers to wash away dirt and germs.
"Our production sites are essential in creating these iconic bars and ensuring we get them into the hands of consumers in more than 180 countries around the world.”
A leading distribution hub in manufacturing
Mannheim is home to one of Unilever’s largest and most advanced distribution centres.
Originally a simple storage facility, it was upgraded by Unilever in 1999 into a modern warehouse featuring an automated management system that tracks and controls inventory with minimal operator involvement.
The facility has the capacity to store more than 36,000 pallets and manages goods from 30 plants across Europe. At full capacity, it can process four million cases (24 million units) and ship 320,000 pallets (more than 60 million units) annually.
The centre boasts a 99.8% customer case fill on time (CCFOT) rate, significantly surpassing the typical logistics benchmark of around 95%. This performance is vital for ensuring product availability in stores, supporting Unilever’s growth.
Looking ahead, Unilever is investing in new 'layer picking' automation to further enhance efficiency. This cutting-edge system, which picks full product layers instead of individual cases, is set to be operational by 2026.
The upgrade is expected to boost picking capacity by 50% during peak seasons and deliver annual savings of more than €1m (US$1.04m).
“We’re accelerating digitisation and new technologies across our operations to enhance productivity and deliver products quicker, with the same unmissable quality that our consumers have come to trust," adds Silvia.
"With initiatives like plastic-free products, solar energy and apprenticeships fostering young local talent, there’s a bright future for our manufacturing site at Mannheim.”
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