Technology forms the backbone of the world’s most prominent brands.
The world’s best-known brands, many that traditionally fell outside of the technology sector, increasingly demonstrate that, today, every company is a tech company.
Consider Colgate-Palmolive, DHL and Goodyear, none of which are considered true tech companies; however, each embraced innovative processes and digital tools to transform the ways they approach all aspects of their business, using AI, robotics and automation to improve consumers’ lives and reap a wide range of rewards.
Technology propels businesses across the full spectrum of industries, as companies in non-technical fields seize the opportunities digital transformation affords. From smart sensors that improve dental health to soybean tires that promote a cleaner planet, or robots advancing ultra-efficient shipping, companies that adopt tech-enabled solutions also understand those shifts make solid business sense.
Colgate-Palmolive
Colgate-Palmolive leverages technology that improves the health of people, pets and the planet, while continuously pursuing innovation.
A CES® 2022 Innovation Awards winner, Colgate-Palmolive pushes the envelope in dental hygiene with a smart toothbrush that uses sensors to track duration and frequency of brushing. Colgate also brought the world’s first recyclable toothpaste tube to market. The company’s 800-plus Global Technology specialists work across seven Global Technology Centers, making it a true tech leader in its sector. In a typical year, teams are granted more than 1,000 global patents.
DHL
Supply chain and logistics represent make-or-break challenges for global business. Knowing that, DHL applies a range of technologies to optimize logistics and delivery. Innovation Centers tackle shipping hurdles through workshops, events and more, to identify, define and prioritize value-adding actions through data analytics, AI, robotics and IoT.
Through industry-specific technologies and advances, DHL minimizes delays and damage. The DHL Resilience360 platform employs AI and machine learning to precisely classify global disruptions that impact package handling and delivery, allowing businesses to quickly assess and mitigate risks of disruption. DHL SmartSensor provides the end-to-end monitoring required for highly sensitive life sciences and health care freight. EffiBOT promotes hands-free warehouse efficiencies with a fully automated trolley that accompanies order-pickers throughout the warehouse, collecting items and automatically dropping them off after they complete an order.
Goodyear
Tire and rubber giant Goodyear has adapted advanced mobility solutions to ensure a safer and more sustainable automotive industry. The company’s AndGo vehicle servicing platform combines predictive software with a national service network that allows consumer fleets to deploy whenever needed. The company also prioritizes safety and reduces emissions in the manufacturing process through Goodyear Innovation Centers, which develop and test products and services to optimize fuel efficiency and other performance measures. In an industry first, Goodyear has added compact and fully dynamic driving simulators to its manufacturing process.
As part of Goodyear’s commitment to sustainability, all petroleum-derived oils will be replaced by 2040. And thanks to a bio-based soybean oil compound, its popular Metro Miler city transit tires will incorporate surplus and readily available soybean oil, a food-applications byproduct that otherwise is discarded.
Better Tomorrow
Despite unprecedented global obstacles, CTA members are relentless in their pursuit of excellence. These examples demonstrate how authentic commitment to a better consumer experience can improve efficiencies, quality and competitive position
