Laying the Foundation for AI Transformation in FMCG

Overview

The client is a Dutch, private equity-backed manufacturer and distributor of consumer products with over 600 employees, distributing across multiple European markets under complex logistical and regulatory requirements.

The strategic question

Individual employees had been experimenting with AI tools for some time. The results were promising but fragmented and without clear business impact. Before committing to a multi-year transformation, the board wanted proof that a structured approach could deliver impact in their specific context.
The question became how to design an AI Center of Excellence that would prove value, build the technical foundation, and create internal capability all at once. Several use cases would need to be selected, tested, and where viable taken to production within ninety days.

The approach

Latitude set up the AI Center of Excellence as the strategic backbone for the transition. We prioritized use cases together with leadership based on business case strength and a realistic path to production. Five pilots were launched within the ninety-day window, covering compliance documentation, region-specific regulatory cross-referencing, and market trend analysis.
In parallel, we built the underlying AI infrastructure: a secure, scalable environment with an in-house GPT solution that gives the organization access to multiple language models through a single platform. This became the basis for both the production-grade tools and broader AI adoption across the workforce. Knowledge transfer ran through every step. Internal teams were trained to take ownership of what came next.

The results

Three of the five pilots reached production within ninety days, with measurable impact:

That proof unlocked the next phase: expanded resources, a broader roadmap, and a pipeline of new use cases. Latitude’s role can now scale down as the internal team scales up.