Yili Group welcomed outstanding employees from around the world to its second Global Elite Summit, held in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, from July 7–10. The four-day gathering brought together 52 high-achieving team members from Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia. Created to strengthen collaboration across regions, the event combined cultural experiences, visits to company facilities, and interactive team-building programs to reinforce connections among Yili's international workforce.

Chairman and President Pan Gang joined the event to greet participants and take part in the traditional "dragon eye-dotting" ceremony, a symbolic ritual representing new beginnings and renewed energy. During the ceremony, he presented commemorative gifts to attendees and reaffirmed the importance of Yili's global talent in supporting the company's long-term vision.

Addressing the participants, Pan Gang emphasized that international expansion continues to be a central focus of Yili's development strategy. He noted that as the company broadens its global operations, it will continue creating greater opportunities for overseas employees to advance their careers and achieve professional growth.

One of the summit's standout experiences was a guided visit to the Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley. Employees explored every stage of the dairy production process, gaining insight into how advanced digital technologies, intelligent manufacturing systems, and extensive research and development work together to maintain Yili's high standards for quality and food safety. The visit underscored the company's shared commitment to delivering trusted products to consumers worldwide.

An employee from Indonesia described the experience as highly motivating, saying that witnessing Yili's dedication to quality firsthand inspired them to apply the same standards in their own market and continue providing premium products to local customers.

Beyond the business-focused activities, the summit also highlighted cultural diversity and international friendship. Participants experienced traditional Chinese customs, toured Hohhot, and showcased the music, dance, and traditions of their own countries, creating opportunities for meaningful cross-cultural exchange.

Among the event's most memorable activities was a collaborative dragon dance project. Teams worked together to design, build, and perform with a traditional dragon, demonstrating how cooperation, creativity, and mutual support can overcome language differences and strengthen teamwork.

Reflecting on the experience, one Chinese employee observed that although participants spoke different languages and came from diverse backgrounds, the spirit of mutual respect and care united everyone throughout the event.

The Global Elite Summit represents an important part of Yili's long-term talent development strategy. By fostering an inclusive, multicultural workplace where employees from different regions can thrive, the company continues to strengthen its global workforce while encouraging professional growth and collaboration.

As Yili looks to the future, it plans to build on these shared experiences to inspire innovation, deepen international cooperation, and contribute to the continued advancement of the global health industry.

Lenovo’s manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico, has earned a place among the World Economic Forum’s newly added 12 Global Lighthouse Network sites. This brings the total to 201 manufacturers recognized worldwide for their pioneering adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. The Monterrey plant is the second Lenovo facility to receive this distinction — following the company’s Hefei, China site, which was honored in January 2023.

The Global Lighthouse Network is a select community of production sites and value chains that demonstrate global leadership in leveraging advanced technologies. These “Lighthouses” exemplify how 4IR innovations can transform manufacturing and operations, generating significant financial, operational, and sustainability improvements across their business ecosystems.

Established in 2008, Lenovo’s Monterrey site is among its most advanced smart manufacturing plants. It also houses an integrated development lab that fosters close collaboration between engineering and production teams. This setup ensures that Lenovo’s latest innovations are efficiently brought from design to market, accelerating product delivery and enabling customers to access cutting-edge technology faster.

According to the World Economic Forum, Lenovo’s Monterrey site stood out for its comprehensive use of digital transformation technologies. As Lenovo’s largest North American operation, it coordinates with 2,000 global suppliers and manages over 52,000 SKUs across 80 markets. Through the deployment of more than 60 4IR solutions—over half incorporating AI and generative AI—the site has achieved remarkable outcomes: an 85% reduction in lead time, a 42% drop in logistics costs, a 56% decrease in quality-related losses, and a 30% cut in carbon emissions, all while improving productivity by 58%. The facility now serves as a global benchmark for Lenovo’s digital manufacturing excellence.

Lenovo’s vision of delivering “Smarter AI for all” extends beyond its products to its internal operations, where artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in boosting efficiency, resilience, and sustainability across its global supply chain. The Monterrey facility has become a hub for AI-driven R&D and next-generation manufacturing, earning three patents in intelligent manufacturing technologies.

Key AI-enabled innovations at the site include:

Lenovo operates more than 30 manufacturing facilities across 11 countries spanning Asia-Pacific, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Its supply chain is consistently ranked among the best worldwide—placing eighth on Gartner’s list of the Top 25 Global Supply Chains and first in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Global Lighthouse Network, an initiative by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with McKinsey & Company and guided by an advisory board of global industry leaders, recognizes sites selected by an independent panel for their exemplary innovation and technology integration shaping the future of manufacturing.

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