2021 Edelman Finalist: Lenovo

Advanced Planning and Scheduling in Large Manufacturing Plants Using Reinforcement Learning

Lenovo’s in-house manufacturing facilities are foundational to its leadership position in the PC, smartphone and data center industries. As the world becomes faster, more demanding and more competitive, it is imperative to run these facilities more efficiently even when faced with increased complexity and an ever-growing product portfolio. Through the integration of deep reinforcement learning with operational research, Lenovo’s revolutionary AI-enabled production planning and scheduling system has significantly improved utilization and customer fulfillment rates while simultaneously increasing production volumes. Since the deployment of this innovative deep learning system, production efficiency has increased by 18% in Lenovo’s largest PC factory leading to higher profitability and improved customer experience.