Procter & Gamble and Siemens expand global AI quality inspection

Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Siemens are expanding the global use of an artificial intelligence-based quality inspection system across P&G’s manufacturing operations. The solution, known as the Visual Inspection Cockpit, utilizes P&G’s deep learning models combined with Siemens’ industrial edge computing hardware to perform real-time inspections at full production speeds.

The technology is designed to handle complex manufacturing environments where materials like diapers and wipes may shift, stretch, or wrinkle, challenges that traditional rule-based machine vision systems often struggle to manage. By identifying defects in real time, the system allows for defective products to be removed before further resources are wasted.

According to the companies, the implementation has reduced scrap rates by 10% to 20% on active lines. Additionally, the new AI-driven deployments can be commissioned five to ten times faster than traditional vision systems, as plant engineers can configure and update models without requiring on-site data science teams. This initiative is part of P&G’s Supply Chain 3.0 program, which targets up to $1.5 billion in cost savings.