- Lenovo’s factory in Monterrey, Mexico, has been recognized as one of 12 additional sites added to World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network.
- Lenovo’s factory in Monterrey, Mexico, becomes Lenovo’s second site recognized in World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network.
One of Lenovo’s global manufacturing sites in Monterrey, Mexico, has been recognized as one of 12 additional sites added to World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network of 201 leading manufacturers, each chosen for their leadership and integration of fourth Industrial revolution technologies (4IR). This is the second site in Lenovo’s global manufacturing footprint to be recognized by World Economic Forum, the first being the company’s site in Hefei, China, that was recognized in January 2023.
The Global Lighthouse Network is a community of production sites and value chains that are world leaders in the adoption and integration of cutting-edge technologies. Lighthouses are manufacturers showing leadership in applying 4IR technologies at scale to drive step-change financial, operational, and sustainability improvements by transforming factories, value chains, and business models.
Established in 2008, Lenovo’s factory in Monterrey, Mexico, is one of Lenovo’s most advanced smart manufacturing plants in the world. The plant also includes a co-located development lab, which ensures close collaboration between product development and manufacturing, making sure Lenovo’s innovative new products can be built and shipped efficiently ensuring cutting-edge technology gets into customers’ hands faster.
Lenovo’s Mexico factory was recognized for its integration of technologies, World Economic Forum stated in its report: “As Lenovo’s largest site in North America, the Lenovo Monterrey site regularly managed 2,000 overseas suppliers and 52,000 SKUs across 80+ markets, alongside increasing emphasis on quality and evolving labor dynamics in Mexico. By deploying more than 60 4IR solutions, over half of them AI and GenAI-enabled, the site reduced lead time by 85%, logistics costs by 42%, quality losses by 56%, and carbon emissions by 30%, while boosting productivity by 58%. Today, the site serves as a global digital model factory for Lenovo.”
Lenovo’s mission to bring Smarter AI to every household and every industry applies equally to the digital transformation of its own business operations, where AI plays a central role in enhancing efficiency and building long-term resilience across global operations and the company’s supply chain. Monterrey’s focus on R&D and beacon for advanced AI-driven end-to-end manufacturing technologies – with a particular focus on sustainability – has resulted in three authorized patents in the field of intelligent manufacturing.
- AI-based Supplier Connected Planning: To fix issues like missing parts, excess inventory, and manual inefficiencies, the Monterrey plant uses AI to manage over 5 million parts from more than 2,000+ tier 1 and 3,000+ tier 2 suppliers. The system checks part readiness, simulates order changes, and automatically assigns parts to keep inventory balanced and production smooth.
- AI-based End-to-End Transportation Tracking & Disruption Control: Shipping is complex due to many rules, poor container use, and unreliable delivery times. A deep learning AI engine improves route planning, container loading, and real-time tracking, while identifying and resolving delays. This cuts logistics costs and improves delivery accuracy.
- Digital Twin enabled Supply Chain Control Tower: To handle delays from supply chain disruptions, teams use a digital twin—a virtual model of the supply chain—that gathers data from over 50 sources and monitors 40+ risk types. Powered by AI, it provides real-time advice through a chatbot, helping teams respond quickly and keep operations on track.
Lenovo’s supply chain spans over 30 manufacturing sites in 11 markets across the Asia Pacific, China, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, North America, and South America regions. Lenovo is highly regarded globally for its manufacturing and supply chain, with Gartner ranking it #8 amongst the world’s top 25 supply chains, and #1 amongst supply chains in Asia Pacific.
The Global Lighthouse Network is a World Economic Forum initiative. The initiative was co-founded with McKinsey & Company and is counselled by an advisory board of industry leaders which are working together to shape the future of global manufacturing. Sites and value chains that join the network are designated by an independent panel of experts. More information can be found here.