How Coke Bottlers Save Millions with AI

Retailers around the country rely on a network of nearly 70 independent Coca-Cola bottlers to manufacture and ship cases of liquid refreshments. It's a finely tuned supply chain, and it ultimately serves customers well. But getting a consolidated view into the millions of paper-based billing and shipping documents was a major headache for the network–that is, until an innovative use of computer vision and NLP technology helped digitize it. Starting around 2007, Coca-Cola North America worked to "refranchise" its bottling and shipping operations, which spans 51 production facilities, 350 distribution centers, and involves more than 55,000 employees. The company says the goal of this refranchising effort is to "bring the heart of Coca-Cola back to the local bottler," which in some cases are multi-generational companies more than 100 year's old. A key player in all this is the Coca-Cola Bottler's Sales and Services Company.