Consumers take as a given that every Pringles chip in that canister will be perfect, identical, delicious. It’s not easy, is it? Kellanova’s Kutno, Poland, factory spent more than a year and $4-5 million employing artificial intelligence and digital twin technology to ensure customers can continue to take that perfection for granted.

The Wall Street Journal on Aug. 5 published a story detailing the project between Kellanova, which is now owned by Mars, and automation firm Siemens. Sensors and live machine data were integrated to create live digital versions of the dough, capturing minute variances in raw materials.

That data now feeds into an AI model that suggests how to tweak the machines to account for those variances, ensuring every chip is consistent and flawless -- because “Every potato batch you get is going to be different,” Cedrik Neike, CEO of Digital Industries at Siemens, told the Journal.

The digital twin project is delivering a 10% improvement in the quality of Pringles produced, a 13% reduction in waste and an overall 40%-plus return on the few millions the company invested in the project. The system will be expanding to Belgium, with plans for it to arrive in the U.S. in 2027.

The story is a good read; see it here (registration is required, but we read it for free).