Adis Sulejmanovic, head of digital supply chain transformation and strategy at Kraft Heinz, details the company’s efforts to create a “self-driving” supply chain.

Five years ago, Kraft Heinz set out to boost the resilience of its supply chain. In pursuing the goal of making planning an autonomous, or “self-driving” function, it envisioned an organization that would be more predictive and responsive to changes in the marketplace.

Key to the success of that effort has been the adoption of agentic artificial intelligence. Kraft Heinz’s choice of software vendor, after a lengthy selection process, was OMP. “Ultimately, it comes down to a best-of-breed approach,” Sulejmanovic says.

Implementation presented a complex challenge. Kraft Heinz operates a network of more than 30 factories and 100 distribution centers in North America. It was imperative, Sulejmanovic says, that the company adopt the right approach to change management in seeking to transform the organization. Constant communication and collaboration across all functions, both with OMP and internally, was essential. “It starts with people first,” he says.

Today, Kraft Heinz is significantly more responsive in its planning efforts. AI agents are executing specific tasks, with the ultimate goal of creating a fully autonomous supply chain — “agents making decisions with human audit on top.”

OMP, which presented Kraft Heinz with a customer innovation award as a result of the engagement, remains in the picture as the company moves closer to achieving a self-driving planning organization. Sulejmanovic sees many additional opportunities for automating key processes. “Partnership starts after go-live,” he says. “Once you do that, the real work begins.”

Sponsored by OMP, a leader in AI-powered supply chain planning. Want to learn more? Visit omp.com.