Pernod Ricard India and Accenture: Leading A Spirited Reinvention in Manufacturing

In a rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape, enterprises are tapping into the potential of the digital age while reinforcing their core strengths to drive long-term success and inspire innovation. Pernod Ricard, a multinational alcohol-beverage company, embraces this transition head-on through an innovative partnership with Accenture. Accenture’s Industry X practice, which combines powerful digital capabilities with deep manufacturing expertise to help enterprises reinvent for the future, is the driving force behind this collaboration. It is helping Pernod Ricard India implement a strategy that uses technology to reinvent how products and services are designed, manufactured, and supported.

In the latest episode of BT-Accenture Leadership Dialogues, Business Today’s Sakshi Batra, Senior Associate Editor & Anchor is in conversation with Vijay Kumar Baliyan, Managing Director and Lead – Industry X, Accenture in India; Amneet Singh, Managing Director and Lead – Products, Accenture in India & Gagandeep Sethi – Senior Vice President- Integrated Operations and S&R (Sustainability & Responsibility), Pernod Ricard India.

Pernord Ricard, the largest Indian spirits maker in India, in terms of revenue and advancing landmark investment, is leading with the Pernod Ricard Integrated Manufacturing Excellence (PRIME) initiative – a strategy to focus on premiumization and innovation, an industry-first initiative towards a greener tomorrow. Says Gagandeep: “The key differentiator for Pernod Ricard India lies in the capabilities we are developing—not just in our people, but also in our processes and systems. PRIME, in particular, stands out as a significant differentiator for us.” 

The discussion in the episode centres around how Accenture’s digital and automation capabilities help the alco-bev major optimize its manufacturing processes with the PRIME initiative, aiming to drive productivity, sustainability, and overall operational growth.

Accenture's role in this partnership is to drive the transformation of the sector to the next level, leveraging advanced digital capabilities to enhance efficiency and innovation. As Amneet Singh adds, "If you overlay what is happening in the digital side, the disruption driven by technology, driven by gen AI – then the challenge in front of consumer companies is massive. But one big source of competitive advantage for organizations is manufacturing excellence and integrated operations which can become a new performance frontier for them.”

Vijay Kumar Baliyan, who leads Industry X at Accenture in India, emphasizes the company’s robust commitment to digital capabilities, particularly in manufacturing. As Vijay explains, "In India, we have 30,000 people dedicated to advancing this capability and driving the practice forward.”

Industry X, Accenture's digital transformation platform, assists Pernod Ricard by enabling significant improvements in their manufacturing operations through advanced digital technologies. It allows them to optimize production processes, enhance efficiency, and gain a competitive edge by leveraging data analytics to better understand consumer trends and tailor their product offerings accordingly. All this while integrating digital capabilities across the entire value chain from design to distribution.

Accenture's Industry X is also driving India's economic growth by helping businesses embrace cutting-edge digital solutions. By integrating smart manufacturing, automation and AI, it enhances productivity and streamlines supply chains. Industry X also promotes sustainability through energy-efficient technologies and supports workforce upskilling, creating new job opportunities. 

Looking towards the future, Pernod Ricard and Accenture see potential for the PRIME model to be adopted by other organizations in the consumer packaged goods space. Vijay Baliyan envisions a future where the technology could be offered to other enterprises for them to leverage their local strengths while benefiting from a sophisticated digital platform.