SLMG Beverages Pvt. Ltd., the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in India and South West Asia, has transformed from a traditional bottler into a technology-first FMCG leader. Driving this change is Executive Director Prakash Ladhani, whose vision has put innovation at the core of the company’s operations — from smart manufacturing and AI integration to pioneering cloud-based ERP systems. In this exclusive Machine Edge Global interview, he discusses SLMG’s early adoption mindset, the balance between legacy and innovation, and the future of AI, IoT, and cloud in beverage manufacturing.
SLMG has transitioned from a traditional bottler to a technology-first FMCG player. What sparked this transformation and how did the journey begin?
At SLMG, technology has always been at the core of our DNA, not a recent shift. We’ve always run as a technology-first FMCG player, with strong backend and frontend systems that give us the controls we need to operate smarter. These systems have helped us streamline processes, make faster, better decisions, and deliver the year-on-year growth we’re proud of.
What sets us apart is our proactive approach, we’re consistently the first to bring in and invest in new technologies that strengthen our core, whether it’s in manufacturing, supply chain, sales automation, or consumer engagement. That early-adoption mindset has shaped the way we work and kept us ahead of the curve, while creating real value for our partners and consumers.
From day one, our vision was clear: to integrate and streamline our large-scale operations for seamless efficiency. With 9 manufacturing plants, over 2,000 distributors, 8,000+ employees, and more than 1.5 million retail outlets, we knew early on that the only way to manage and grow at this scale was to put technology at the heart of everything we do. This culture of early adoption has shaped our journey.
As the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in India, how do you balance legacy operations with new-age innovations?
SLMG has been operating for over 30 years, and in that time, there hasn’t been a single year without growth. That consistency is what has made us the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in India and South West Asia. We take great pride in the balance we’ve built within the organization — whether it’s an older territory we’ve managed for three decades or one we’ve acquired in the last ten years, our operational standards remain the same.
Every new territory benefits from the best practices we’ve refined over the last three decades, ensuring the same efficiency, quality, and performance across our entire footprint. At the same time, we keep a strong focus on innovation. Our approach is to pilot new ideas in select zones or plants, study the impact, and if the results are clear, roll them out across the system. This way, we preserve the strength of our legacy while making sure we’re always evolving and improving.
SLMG has implemented a range of smart manufacturing initiatives. What was your vision behind integrating technologies like SCADA, MES, and AI into the production process?
Our vision with integrating technologies like SCADA, MES, and AI was simple — to build a production ecosystem that’s smarter, faster, and more reliable. With the scale at which SLMG operates, efficiency and precision aren’t optional, they’re essential.
SCADA has given us real-time visibility into every part of our manufacturing process, allowing us to monitor, control, and respond instantly to changes on the line. MES connects the shop floor to the top floor, ensuring every decision is backed by accurate, up-to-the-minute data. The goal wasn’t to replace people with machines, but to empower our teams with better tools and insights.
Ultimately, these initiatives reflect our commitment to continuous improvement. By bringing in world-class technology, we’ve created a manufacturing environment that’s not only more productive, but also more sustainable, agile, and ready for the demands of the future.
Could you elaborate on the AI-powered online inspection system? How has it impacted quality control and efficiency?
While AI as a whole is still in its early stages, we see its potential to transform the way we operate. At SLMG, we believe AI delivers its true value only when the other aspects of technology — systems, data, and processes — are already in place. We’re very close to that stage, and have begun integrating AI where it makes the most immediate impact.
One example is our use of AI-powered EHS tools like Province X and Intenseye, which leverage computer vision to identify safety hazards in real time. These tools help us spot risks that might otherwise go unnoticed, streamline workflows, and give our safety teams the insights they need to act quickly and effectively.
On the commercial front, we’re developing an in-house image recognition tool designed for our sales teams. By analysing cooler images, the system can identify our products, flag any purity issues, and highlight missing SKUs so sales staff can place orders on the spot.
This is just the start of our AI journey. As our broader tech infrastructure matures, AI will play an even greater role in driving efficiency, safety, and market execution across our business.
SLMG was the first Coca-Cola bottler in Asia to fully implement Microsoft D365 ERP on the cloud. What drove that decision, and what benefits has it delivered?
When we decided to move to Microsoft D365 ERP on the cloud, it was a strategic choice driven by scale, speed, and control. Managing a network as large as ours with multiple plants, vast distribution channels, and millions of retail touchpoints meant we needed a system that could tie everything together seamlessly, in real time.
Our legacy systems had served us well, but as the business expanded, we saw the need for a platform that could handle complexity without slowing us down. D365 gave us exactly that — a single, cloud-based environment that integrates operations across manufacturing, logistics, finance, and sales.
The benefits have been clear. Our teams now work off one unified data source, reducing duplication and improving accuracy. Reporting cycles have shortened dramatically, giving leadership faster insights to make sharper decisions. It’s also improved coordination across territories, which is critical for us when integrating new markets or launching new initiatives.
More than anything, D365 has made us strengthen our fundamentals, which in turn has made us future-ready.
With so many layers of tech integration, how do you ensure seamless collaboration and visibility across all your plants?
At SLMG, seamless collaboration and visibility aren’t just outcomes — they’re designed into the way we work. Our cloud-based Microsoft D365 ERP has been a game-changer here, giving us a single, unified platform where every function — from manufacturing and logistics to sales and finance — connects in real time. This ensures that whether it’s a plant manager on the shop floor, a sales rep in the field, or our leadership team at headquarters, everyone is working off the same accurate, up-to-the-minute data.
We’ve paired this with smart manufacturing tools like SCADA and MES, which give us real-time visibility into production, link shop-floor operations to top-floor decision-making, and enable instant responses to any shift in demand or production status. AI-powered systems further enhance this by identifying risks, flagging quality issues, and helping teams act faster and more effectively.
The result is a network where information flows freely, silos are broken, and decisions happen quickly — ensuring consistency, agility, and high performance across all nine plants and every territory we serve.
How do you see the role of AI, IoT, and cloud computing evolving in FMCG and beverage manufacturing over the next decade?
In FMCG and beverage manufacturing, AI, IoT, and cloud computing are no longer fringe technologies — they’re becoming core enablers of growth, efficiency, and competitiveness. Over the next decade, I see these three working together to completely reshape how companies like ours operate.
In AI, the big leap will be in decision-making and predictive capabilities. Today, we’re already seeing how AI can help in quality control, demand forecasting, and even sales execution. In the years ahead, AI will be able to predict market shifts, optimize production in real time, and personalize consumer engagement at scale. At SLMG, this will mean everything from predictive maintenance on our manufacturing lines to automated order recommendations for retailers based on sales patterns and local demand.
IoT will be the connective tissue. Every cooler, every delivery truck, every production line component can be a data source. With IoT, we can monitor equipment health, track product movement, and even measure product availability at the point of sale instantly. This level of visibility will allow us to respond faster and reduce losses.
Cloud computing will continue to be the backbone. It enables real-time access to data across our 9 plants, thousands of distributors, and millions of retail outlets. For a business of our scale, the cloud ensures that whether it’s a sales rep in a rural market or our leadership team at headquarters, everyone is working off the same accurate, up-to-date information.
At SLMG, our focus will be on integrating these technologies in a way that strengthens our fundamentals which are efficiency, quality, speed, and market execution while building the agility to adapt to whatever the next decade brings.