In January, the World Economic Forum added 17 manufacturing facilities to its Global Lighthouse Network. The network, which now totals 189 factories worldwide, was created to recognize innovative companies that have harnessed digital technologies at scale to achieve exceptional performance in productivity, supply chain resilience, customer centricity, sustainability and talent.

Two of the new Lighthouse facilities are in the United States: the Novelis aluminum factory in Uhrichsville, OH, and Nucor Corp.’s steel mill in Sedalia, MO. The others are located in the United Arab Emirates, China, Germany, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Morocco.

“Across our Global Lighthouse Network, digital technologies are revolutionizing production ecosystems,” says Kiva Allgood, head of the forum’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains. “From AI-driven control towers to zero-code workflows, Lighthouses exemplify sustainable innovation, setting benchmarks millions can follow to drive transformational change.”

On average, the new Lighthouses reported a 53 percent boost in labor productivity and a 26 percent reduction in conversion costs attributed to various digital technologies, such as AI, machine learning and advanced analytics. For the value chains flowing through Lighthouse sites, these approaches delivered 50 percent reductions in new product introduction times, 30 to 50 percent reductions in emissions, 30 percent reductions in material waste, and 25 percent reductions in energy and water consumption.

In an era when industrial activities contribute to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the urgency to bridge the gap between sustainability commitment and action has never been more important. Sustainability Lighthouses are responding to supply chain risk and demands for lifecycle sustainability by taking a close look at their product portfolios and value chain stewardship. They are deploying advanced approaches to improve sustainability, including data platforms for comprehensive visibility and intelligence, tools for rapid product design, and circularity technology to reduce life cycle emissions.

The two U.S. factories were specifically lauded for their sustainability efforts. 

The aluminum from Novelis’ factory is produced with 97 percent recycled content, significantly reducing its reliance on energy-intensive primary production. This was achieved through advanced scrap segregation, procurement strategies and digital tools. Emissions from bauxite mining and primary aluminum production make up 85 percent of Novelis’ carbon footprint. With a greenhouse gas intensity of only 1.1 metric tons of carbon dioxide per metric ton of aluminum—far below the industry average of 5.8 metric tons—the site contributes 25 percent of Novelis’ North American sales and advances its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The steel industry contributes 7 to 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. In January 2020, Nucor launched a $250 million electric arc furnace mill in Sedalia, achieving zero Scope 2 emissions via a 75-megawatt power purchase agreement with Evergy Energy. Additionally, Scope 1 emissions were reduced by nearly 60 percent through the preheating of scrap steel with waste heat and an innovative micro mill technology.

The latest cohort of Lighthouses includes several assembly plants. For example, Valeo’s auto parts assembly plant in Shenzhen, China, implemented 42 use cases for Industry 4.0 technologies, including AI for troubleshooting production and fully automated, “lights-off” production lines. These innovations reduced finished goods defect rates by 46 percent, cut lead times by 34 percent, increased productivity by 60 percent, and lowered unit energy consumption by 27 percent.

Another assembly plant that made this year’s list is Midea’s refrigerator factory in Chongqing, China. Facing a surge in custom orders—from 31 percent to 87 percent—Midea deployed a variety of Industry 4.0 technologies, including machine learning, augmented reality and simulation. This enabled a “batch size 1” make-to-order delivery model, optimizing product configuration, intelligent design, agile production and adaptive quality assurance. These measures reduced configuration lead times by 81 percent, design lead times by 45 percent, and after-sales failure rates by 31 percent.

To learn more about this year’s lighthouse facilities, click here.