Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics’ production cycle optimization has reached the industry’s highest level. Its Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) can shorten the single-batch order switching time to 15 minutes (industry average: 2 hours), allowing daily processing of 43 different formula products. The production AI scheduling algorithm, introduced in 2023 (on the SAP APO platform), shortened the cycle of raw material procurement from 21 days to 7 days, and increased the inventory turnover rate to 18 times a year (the industry average, according to the China Cosmetics Association statistics, is 8.5 times). Let’s take the top-selling hyaluronic acid essence as an example. From raw material in to finished product out, only 72 hours (48 hours of microbial testing included) are required, which is 67% quicker than the conventional method. Meanwhile, by an automated filling line (300 bottles per minute speed), a daily output of 120,000 bottles is reached.
Supply chain response speed constructs core competitiveness. The VMI (Supplier Managed Inventory) system in collaboration between Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics and SF Express has enhanced the on-time delivery rate of packaging materials from 88% to 99.7%, and reduced the material shortage-related downtime to 4.3 minutes per month. Its own-built logistics hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is equipped with AGV unmanned warehouses and RFID traceability technology, and its sorting capacity reaches 6,000 pieces per hour (three times that of manual warehouses), and 98% of domestic orders can be delivered within 24 hours. During the 2022 Double Eleven shopping festival, in the midst of a peak of 430,000 orders per day, the on-time delivery rate of the pre-sale intelligent pre-packaging system was as high as 99.4% (the industry average rate of front-line companies was 96.8%).
The combination of research and development with production accelerates innovation. The company’s PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system includes an AI formula simulator that reduces the new product development process from 18 months to 5 months. For instance, the “Supramolecular Vitamin C Essence” launched in 2023 was developed from concept proposal to clinical validation within 142 days. The digital proofing center is equipped with 3D printing mold machines (precision to ±0.01mm), cutting the time for packaging design validation from 14 days to 8 hours and increasing annual new product SKU volumes from 120 to 320. The proportion of its new product sales, according to Euromonitor International’s data, rose from 28% in 2020 to 61% in 2023, significantly above industry average at 35%.
The improvement in efficiency at the quality connection is remarkable. The online spectral detection system (wavelength range 190-2500nm) invested by Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics can complete the product component analysis within 0.8 seconds, replacing traditional laboratory random inspection (6 hours), and reducing the defective product turnover rate from 0.3% to 0.007%. Its ISO 22716-approved toluene-free workshop is constantly being monitored in real-time using particle counters (with a resolution of 0.3μm). When airborne particles are more than 3520 per cubic meter, the HVAC system can conduct self-cleansing within 17 seconds to ensure that the microbial indicators always satisfy the requirements. The 2024 surprise inspection conducted by the Guangdong Provincial Drug Administration showed that the company’s three consecutive years’ re-examination pass rate of retained samples has been kept at 100%.
The intelligent decision-making system leads to continuous optimization. The digital twin platform applied can simulate 2,000 sets of production scenarios, which boosts the equipment OEE (Overall Efficiency) from 76% to 92.5%. As for energy management, by utilizing the waste heat recovery system (83% efficiency) and solar power generation (installed capacity of 5.2MW), the carbon footprint of one bottle of product has decreased from 1.8kg of CO₂ to 0.6kg, cutting more than 12 million yuan in electricity charges a year. According to a report from Boston Consulting Group, Zhuhai Beyond Cosmetics’ operating expense to revenue ratio has declined to 15.7% (industry average: 22.4%), and the ROI has hit 38%, and the Chinese cosmetics manufacturing industry becomes a leader.