Automation exists to bear the brunt of repetitive work so that skilled professionals can focus on applying ingenuity toward innovation. But people and automation must now work together to achieve this balance.

Coca-Cola Beverages Florida LLC is leaning on people and automation to streamline operations and revamp production, according to Terrence Gee (pictured, right), senior vice president of technology and enterprise transformation at Coca-Cola.

Capgemini’s Rob Kennedy and Coca-Cola’s Terrence Gee discuss people and automation.

“We try to make sure that we can bring technology and the use of data through all of those major capabilities,” Gee said. “The way we make the products is a complicated process. But our ability to draw insights from those processes to bring that process and those capabilities to life in a more streamlined and efficient way is what we’re all about.”

Gee and Rob Kennedy (left), client account director at Capgemini Services SAS, spoke with theCUBE Research analyst Dave Vellante and co-host Rebecca Knight at UiPath Forward 2024, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed how Capgemini helped Coca-Cola Beverages Florida implement automation for cost savings and build a stronger relationship with the company’s culture. (* Disclosure below.)

Working with Capgemini to merge people and automation

Coca-Cola has 5,000 employees as part of its Florida operations. In the state, the company focuses on B2B activities, selling Coke products to large retailers and ensuring smooth logistics. In a business of this scale, there are significant technological hurdles. Coca-Cola is using technology to streamline everything from manufacturing to warehousing and merchandising.

“One of the things that we do spend time on is trying to understand what are the big value drivers,” Gee said. “It’s not too surprising that AI and automation are two of the things that we’re spending quite a bit of time focusing on and bringing them to bear in those key parts of our business.”

Despite the surge in AI and automation, people are at the heart of business transformation, not technology. Successful automation and technological adoption depend on getting the workforce to buy into the process. Capgemini integrated into Coca-Cola’s workforce and unique use case before proceeding to help drive business transformation within the company, according to Kennedy.

“We just blended right in, and now we feel like we are one team,” he said. “I think that made a big difference because, without the people connection, you’re not going to get the true value realization that you’re looking for. I think it was all about us just learning that culture, getting ourselves imbued in there, and now we feel like we’re all one big team.”

Adoption isn’t just about rolling out new systems; it’s about getting people on board from top-level leadership down to the frontlines. Transparency and fluency as two pillars of this strategy, according to Gee. Transparency means being upfront with employees about why changes are happening and how they fit into the larger business goals combining people and automation.

“That is part of the work that we’re trying to do … to make sure that people understand that there’s not only individual productivity, team efficiency and effectiveness, but then also true enterprise value,” Gee said. “These are the areas that if we spend time focused on them and we can use the new technology to bring that to life in a more effective way, then we all benefit.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of UiPath Forward 2024: 

(* Disclosure: UiPath Inc sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither UiPath nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.) 

Photo: SiliconANGLE