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India’s Thriving Tech Hub Fuels Kimberly-Clark’s Digital Transformation

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Kimberly-Clark Expanding Investments in India

BENGALURU, India, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Kimberly-Clark, a global leader in essential personal and family care products, continues to increase its commitment to India through its Global Digital Technology Center (GDTC) in Bengaluru.

Established in 2018 with an initial investment of $2.5 million, the Bengaluru GDTC has seen remarkable growth, expanding its size by eight times in just five years. The center focuses on key areas and digital capabilities such as Data and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) including Generative AI, Machine Learning (ML), Cloud Transformation, Global Digital Operations & Automation, Digital Sales and Marketing, and Digital Supply Chain – all of which help drive efficiencies and improve customer experiences. Over the next three years, the GDTC plans to continue its expansion, focusing on advancing AI/ML capabilities and developing innovative digital solutions to boost operational efficiency and customer engagement. These capabilities further enhance Kimberly-Clark’s ability to deliver on its global Powering Care strategy – shared earlier this year – and, in turn, strengthen its longstanding commitment to consumer-centricity.

While the Bengaluru GDTC is driving Kimberly-Clark’s technological advancements, it’s also contributing to India’s broader tech and innovation ecosystem. By collaborating with local startups, academic institutions, and industry partners, the center aims to foster cutting-edge solutions.

“Our Bengaluru GDTC is a testament to Kimberly-Clark’s deep-rooted commitment to innovation and the immense breadth of Indian talent,” said Zack Hicks, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Kimberly-Clark. “In just five years, the center has evolved into a key growth engine for our digital strategies, delivering AI-powered commercial and supply chain solutions, and pioneering advancements in modern manufacturing. Looking ahead, we remain focused on further investing in India, leveraging the country’s outstanding talent and technological expertise to shape the future of Kimberly-Clark and pioneer industry-leading innovation in our core categories.”

The integration of data and advanced analytics is at the core of the Bengaluru GDTC’s success. By leveraging AI/ML algorithms built on their enterprise data lake, the team is also optimizing sales predictions, refining pricing strategies for e-commerce, and automating routine tasks such as order entry and invoice processing. In 2024, efforts in Gen AI platforms originating from the GDTC improved the employee productivity by up to 25%, and the development of AI-powered sales and revenue analytics drove a 10% improvement in sales execution across regions like Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These innovations not only streamline operations and reduce costs but also boost accuracy and efficiency.

One of the center’s major achievements is the development of Maestro, an AI-powered supply chain orchestration platform that has delivered more than $20 million in global savings for Kimberly-Clark. Another transformative innovation is the Warehouse Automation Platform, which seamlessly integrates warehouse robotics with supply chain systems, reducing new solution deployment timelines from 18 months to 4 months, and generating savings exceeding $50 million. The GDTC’s collaborative efforts have also resulted in the creation of Procuree 3.0, an inhouse Source-to-Pay chatbot powered by Generative AI that enhances Kimberly-Clark’s procurement processes across 42 countries and 14 languages.

Recently, the GDTC held its third Digital Hackathon under the theme ‘UNLOKC 2024,’ bringing together Kimberly-Clark employees and technology partners to develop digital solutions that contribute to business opportunities in areas such as supply chain, marketing, and finance. Over 130 innovative ideas were submitted within four weeks, and the 7 project finalists were awarded by the Digital Technology global leadership team during the Hackathon’s final event in Bangalore. These finalists will receive support to develop their projects in the near future.

As Kimberly-Clark’s largest technology hub, the Bengaluru GDTC is positioned to remain a critical driver of growth and innovation on a global scale. With plans to continue attracting top-tier talent and expanding its technological capabilities, the center is set to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the company and its global tech ecosystem.

About Kimberly-Clark:

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people’s most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what’s important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies(R) by Ethisphere for the sixth year in a row and one of Fortune’s Most Innovative Companies in America in 2024. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company’s 150-year history of innovation, visit the Kimberly-Clark website.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2587797/Kimberly_Clark.jpg

 

 

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Shoplazza Launches the World’s First AI-Native Commerce Operating System with a Unified Suite of AI Agents

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TORONTO, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shoplazza, a leading global commerce platform, announced the launch of the world’s first AI native commerce operating system recently, along with a unified suite of AI agents designed to execute across the entire ecommerce lifecycle. The release marks a major step forward in the company’s evolution from a traditional software platform to an AI-driven commerce infrastructure built for global scale.

At the core of the system is Shoplazza AI Store Builder, an intelligent agent that fundamentally changes how online stores are created. Instead of configuring tools manually, merchants can now generate fully functional, ready to sell storefronts through simple natural language input. By interpreting product information, target markets, and customer profiles, the system automatically builds site architecture, generates localized content, and provides initial go to market recommendations. What once required weeks of setup can now be completed in minutes, with a complete store and launch ready foundation.

Shoplazza also introduced LazzaStudio, an AI powered visual creation agent that streamlines how merchants produce content at scale. From product imagery to marketing creatives and campaign visuals, LazzaStudio transforms traditionally complex production workflows into a prompt driven process. With built in brand learning capabilities, the system generates consistent, high quality assets tailored for global audiences, enabling merchants to deploy content seamlessly across storefronts and advertising channels while significantly reducing production time and cost.

To complete the growth loop, Shoplazza launched AdValet, an AI advertising agent that automates campaign execution end to end. AdValet translates product data and market signals into audience targeting, creative generation, media planning, and campaign deployment. During live campaigns, it continuously monitors performance and dynamically optimizes outcomes through real time feedback and model iteration. This shifts advertising from manual, experience based trial and error to a system of continuous, AI-driven performance optimization.

These agents operate together within Shoplazza’s AI-native commerce operating system, where merchant intent is translated directly into coordinated execution. By unifying store creation, content production, and marketing into a single system, Shoplazza replaces fragmented workflows with an integrated layer of automation that enables faster, more predictable growth.

Shoplazza currently supports more than 650,000 merchants worldwide. With its AI-native architecture, the platform brings together previously disconnected capabilities into a single intelligent system, delivering improvements in efficiency, scalability, and operational reliability for businesses operating in increasingly complex global markets.

Looking ahead, Shoplazza will introduce Athena very soon, an AI admin agent designed to extend automation into day to day business management. Covering areas such as product management, order processing, analytics, and content operations, Athena allows merchants to interact with the system conversationally while orchestrating multiple agents in the background. This will complete a fully connected agent ecosystem spanning store creation, creative production, marketing execution, and ongoing operations.

“Commerce has reached a point where adding more tools no longer solves the problem,” said Jeff Li, Founder and CEO of Shoplazza. “What merchants need is a system that can understand intent and execute across the entire business. That is what we are building with our AI native commerce operating system. It is not just about making things easier. It is about making outcomes more predictable, scalable, and aligned with how modern commerce actually operates.”

About Shoplazza

Shoplazza is a global AI-native commerce operating system that enables brands to build, launch, and scale their online businesses. Built on an AI agent-native framework, Shoplazza integrates storefronts, marketing, payments, and operational workflows into a unified system designed to support scalable, long-term growth across global markets. Learn more at https://www.shoplazza.com/.

 

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SOURCE Shoplazza

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Pricer and JRTech Solutions sign 51 MUSD digital store transformation deal with Sobeys in Canada

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MONTREAL, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – Pricer AB, a global leader in digital shelf-edge solutions, announces that its Canadian partner JRTech Solutions has signed a major agreement with Sobeys, one of Canada’s leading supermarket chains. The contract includes the deployment of Pricer’s latest electronic shelf label (ESL) technology and the cloud-based platform Pricer Plaza across an estimated 300–350 stores.

The agreement covers the supply of multicolor electronic shelf labels and the necessary store infrastructure, with a total hardware and infrastructure value of approximately 51 MUSD (excluding Pricer Plaza). The deployment is scheduled for an 18-month period starting in May 2026.

“We are very grateful for the trust and that Sobeys has once again chosen Pricer as its long-term strategic partner,” says Mats Arnehall, Chief Growth Officer at Pricer. “This deal confirms our leading position in the North American market and the value of our high-performance system in high-density retail environments. Our scalable cloud platform, Pricer Plaza, will be the intelligence behind every label, enabling Sobeys to act faster and work smarter.”

“After years of close collaboration and shared success, we’re proud to grow our partnership with Sobeys even further with an expanded rollout,” says Diego Mazzone, President and CEO of JRTech Solutions. “That momentum is driven by our ability to consistently deliver reliable, high-quality solutions in complex retail environments. Together, we are positioning our digital smart labels at the heart of a broader digital transformation, driving operational excellence, unlocking real-time intelligence, and creating meaningful value for both Sobeys and their customers.”

Orders will be included in Pricer’s order intake as they are received.

About JRTech Solutions
JRTech Solutions Inc. is the leading North American turnkey Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) provider and the largest worldwide distributor of Pricer ESLs, involved in over 2,000 store installations since 2008. JRTech Solutions is the exclusive Canadian provider of AI-powered inventory scanning robotics powered by Brain Corp for automated inventory management.
For further information: www.jrtechsolutions.com

About Pricer
Pricer is a pioneer and partner for in-store communication and digitalization in the rapidly evolving retail tech landscape. As a global technology leader, we empower leading retailers worldwide to shape effortless and inspiring shopping experiences that fundamentally change buying behaviors, boost sales, and drive operational efficiency. Leveraging cutting-edge innovation, we deliver scalable, high-performing solutions that easily integrate with existing systems, are energy-efficient, and user-friendly. Founded in Sweden in 1991 and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Pricer has delivered over 380 million electronic shelf labels in more than 28,000 stores across more than 80 countries.
For further information, please visit www.pricer.com

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SOURCE JRTECH SOLUTIONS INC.

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Mitate Zepto Technica Joins JST’s Next-generation Edge AI Semiconductor R&D Program as Social Implementation Partner

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– MZT to Lead Product Commercialization through Its Genome-analysis Accelerator “RASEN” –

TOKYO, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mitate Zepto Technica, Inc. (hereinafter “MZT”), based in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, announced on April 20 that it has joined the national research initiative “Next-Generation Edge AI Semiconductor Research and Development Program” promoted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). MZT participates as a designated social implementation and commercialization partner for the research theme “Accelerating Edge Intelligence for AI for Science” (Principal Investigator: Makoto Taiji, Program Director, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN).

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202604167540-O1-5Sz6I68Q 

This research theme aims to achieve advanced computational infrastructure through the integration of AI technology and next-generation edge semiconductors, with genome analysis as one of its key application domains. MZT participates as an organization responsible for the productization and social implementation of research outcomes through its proprietary genome-analysis accelerator “RASEN.”

Background

Since its founding in 2020, MZT has pursued a distinctive approach to genome analysis: purpose-built ASIC acceleration. Following technology validation through joint research with Tohoku University and other partners, MZT now participates as an R&D institution responsible for social implementation under this research theme.

MZT’s Role in the Program

Within this research theme, MZT will integrate AI research outcomes from RIKEN and Tohoku University into the RASEN architecture, and lead the R&D work toward social implementation through ASIC development and productization. As the industrial partner bridging research and real-world deployment, the company targets social implementation by 2029.

Program Overview

Research theme: Accelerating edge intelligence for AI for science
Promoting agency: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Principal investigator: Makoto Taiji, Program Director, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN
Participating institutions: RIKEN, Tohoku University, Keio University, Mitate Zepto Technica
MZT’s participation start: April 2026 (FY2026)
JST program period: FY2025 onwards

Comment from Keisuke Harashima, President & CEO, Mitate Zepto Technica:
“It is a tremendous honor that we can lead the social implementation of this research theme through the acceleration of genome analysis via dedicated semiconductors — a challenge we have pursued since MZT’s founding. RASEN is at exactly the right inflection point, transitioning from research to real-world deployment. We will use this participation to accelerate commercialization across healthcare, drug discovery, and research infrastructure.”

About RASEN

RASEN is MZT’s proprietary genome-analysis accelerator under development, built on a purpose-designed ASIC architecture. In internal validation, RASEN has demonstrated the ability to complete whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis in approximately 5 minutes on a standard workstation — without the need for supercomputers or high-performance computing infrastructure. In independent validation studies conducted with Tohoku University, RASEN achieved 99.8% concordance with conventional analysis methods across 12 samples, confirming that its speed advantage does not come at the cost of accuracy.

About Mitate Zepto Technica

Mitate Zepto Technica is a Japanese deep-tech startup developing purpose-built semiconductor solutions for genome analysis. By harnessing cutting-edge chip technology, MZT aims to deliver transformative speed improvements in genomic computation –contributing to the resolution of global challenges in healthcare, food security, and energy through its proprietary products.

Website: https://mitatezeptotechnica.com/en/company/ 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mitate-zepto-technica-joins-jsts-next-generation-edge-ai-semiconductor-rd-program-as-social-implementation-partner-302746768.html

SOURCE Mitate Zepto Technica, Inc.

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