Royal Canin's Shanghai facility becomes world's first pet food lighthouse

France-based pet health and nutrition company Royal Canin's Shanghai manufacturing plant was named to the World Economic Forum's Global Lighthouse Network with Distinction in Customer Centricity on Monday, making it the first Mars facility — and the first pet food site worldwide — to receive the honor.

The Global Lighthouse Network benchmarks the world's most advanced manufacturing and supply chain operations. The Distinction in Customer Centricity recognizes technological breakthroughs in customized production and delivery efficiency, with only eight enterprises selected globally in the latest cohort.

"The newest Lighthouse sites show how intelligence is becoming embedded into the fabric of operations, enabling organizations to respond faster, learn continuously, and unlock new levels of performance across their value chains," Kiva Allgood, managing director of the World Economic Forum, said.

The Shanghai plant has deployed more than 40 advanced solutions across its end-to-end value chain. In partnership with the Academy of National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration, it runs a satellite-powered model to predict wheat mycotoxin risks one month before harvest. AI-optimized drying processes reduce energy consumption and improve product consistency, while its "Smart Eye" data control tower streamlines nationwide distribution.

These digital upgrades have cut in-line defects by 70 percent and maintained service levels above 98 percent.

Operational since 2010, the plant follows unified global manufacturing standards with a clean record of zero food safety incidents and zero microbial non-compliance. It has also retained Mars' highest rating for 820 consecutive weeks.

Royal Canin entered China in 1995. Xu Juan, general manager of Royal Canin China, described the designation as a new starting point. The company will build on the Shanghai plant's benchmark role to scale up digital expertise and broaden technology application via its Shanghai-Tianjin dual-facility layout to advance high-quality development of China's pet industry.