The Magnum Ice Cream Company has chosen Accenture and HCLTech to help build its independent technology estate as it prepares to separate from Unilever, in one of the most far-reaching carve-outs in the consumer goods sector.
The company has also named Kinaxis, Microsoft, Salesforce and SAP as core software providers in a programme designed to replace services currently delivered under Transitional Services Agreements, which are due to end by 2027. The aim is to give the busines...
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s its own systems across supply chain, sales, finance, procurement and collaboration functions.
According to the company’s announcement, Accenture will lead the deployment of core enterprise platforms, together with artificial intelligence, data and cyber security capabilities, while HCLTech will handle infrastructure rollout and end-user services. The new architecture centres on four main platforms: Kinaxis for supply chain and sales and operations planning, Microsoft for cloud infrastructure and workplace tools, Salesforce for customer relationship management, and SAP for enterprise resource planning across finance, supply chain and operations.
The platforms will be introduced in phases over the next 18 months, with the work focused on business continuity, change management and delivery discipline before the TSA arrangements expire. A key element of the plan is the consolidation of multiple ERP instances into a single global SAP Rise environment, which the company says should improve consistency in planning and reporting.
The project also includes AI-assisted forecasting and weather-based demand insights, reflecting the realities of running a global ice cream business, where temperature, seasonality and route-to-market complexity can all affect sales and distribution. The company said it reviewed processes across the organisation before opting for systems it regarded as simpler and more intuitive, with the intention of improving visibility, collaboration and execution across markets.
Sandeep Desai, chief supply chain and operations officer at The Magnum Ice Cream Company, said in a statement that establishing the group’s own technology stack was “a significant milestone”. He added that the roadmap was intended to give teams better visibility, planning and decision-making, and said the goal was to create the digital backbone needed to “make, move and serve ice cream” for customers around the world.
HCLTech, in its own statement, described the deal as a multi-year partnership to design, build and manage TMICC’s IT infrastructure, while saying it planned to use its AI Force platform to embed more artificial intelligence across the environment. The company also said the work would support more autonomous operations over time.
The scale of the exercise underlines how complex separations from parent groups can be. For Magnum, the challenge is not simply switching off inherited systems, but building a coherent operating model that can support day-to-day commercial activity while the business moves towards full independence.
Source: Noah Wire Services
