Master Data Governance for ABInBev: Structuring Complexity with AI
Client Overview
AB InBev, a global leader in the FMCG sector
AB InBev, a global leader in the FMCG sector, manages an incredibly vast and complex Supply Chain, spanning 200+ plants across APAC, Africa, MAZ, NAZ & SAZ and operating with 11 different ERP systems. With 3.25 million materials in its database and a diverse set of multilingual data – including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, and French – ensuring data consistency and accuracy was a major challenge.
To improve efficiency and support strategic decision-making, AB InBev needed a robust Master Data Governance framework capable of structuring and harmonizing its material data at scale.
The Challenge
A Complex and Fragmented Data Landscape
Managing a database of millions of materials across multiple plants and languages created several pain points:
- Unstructured and ambiguous data, making it difficult to find and manage materials efficiently
- Cryptic, domain-specific descriptions, leading to inconsistencies and procurement inefficiencies
- Poor taxonomy and low categorization quality, affecting reporting and spend analysis
- High reliance on free-text entries, resulting in incomplete or incorrect material information
- Excess and non-moving inventory, leading to unnecessary costs and operational bottlenecks
These challenges impacted not only procurement operations but also inventory management, reporting accuracy, and overall Supply Chain performance.
The Solution
AI-Driven Data Governance with TAM
To address these challenges, AB InBev partnered with Creactives to implement TAM, our AI-powered solution for Material & Service Master Data Governance. With TAM, we helped AB InBev transform its material data landscape by:
CLASSIFYING AND CATEGORIZING 532K SPARE PARTS
Based on the Their Material Group structure, ensuring a minimum 4-level category per item.
STANDARDIZING AND STRUCTURING MULTILINGUAL DATA
Across English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and more.
IDENTIFYING AND ELIMINATING DUPLICATE MATERIALS
Improving data integrity and reducing inefficiencies.
ENHANCING PART SEARCHABILITY
Enabling procurement teams to find the right materials faster.
PROVIDING ACCURATE AND RELIABLE REPORTING
Supporting better decision-making.
REDUCING EXCESS AND NON-MOVING INVENTORY
Minimizing unnecessary stock accumulation.
IMPROVING PROCUREMENT EFFICIENCY
Limiting maverick purchases and unlocking OEM to MRO conversion opportunities.
By applying AI combined with Knowledge Engineering, we provided AB InBev with a trusted Data Foundation, essential for optimizing Procurement and Supply Chain processes.
The Results
Tangible Business Impact
The implementation of TAM delivered measurable results across AB InBev’s operations:
- 40% reduction in new Material Master Data (MMD) requests within the first year
- 15% duplicate materials identified across 11 ERPs, improving data accuracy
- €100M+ in excess inventory identified and optimized, reducing operational costs
- Less equipment downtime and fewer maverick purchases, driving procurement efficiency
With a structured, harmonized, and AI-powered Master Data, AB InBev gained the control and visibility needed to optimize its Procurement and Supply Chain operations – turning data complexity into a strategic advantage
GET TO KNOW THEM
Case studies
Creactives has use cases in many industries, but with a common pain: Large and complex multilingual datasets.
