Nestle: Tech & Consumer Focus for Growth

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) FMCG Major Nestle India is amplifying focus on technology with a customer-centric approach and the company expects a "healthy volume growth" in locations where it is setting up new factories, Manish Tiwary, the company's new Chairman & Managing Director, said.

Tiwary, who aspires to serve consumers "more aggressively", has charted out three important priorities for Nestle, including a "consumer-first thinking", whether it's for manufacturing, sales, or marketing.

"Second, our growth must be volume-led. It is not just about value growth, but about how many more meals our consumers enjoy with Maggi, how many more cups of coffee they drink, how many more KitKats they taste," Tiwary said in an interview with PTI.

Moreover, Nestle "must accelerate growth" by investing in its brands, some of which are legendary and market leaders in their segments as Maggi, Kit Kat, Nescafé, among others.

"India offers enormous headroom. For example, coffee consumption is rising rapidly, and Maggi noodles still have only about 20 per cent monthly penetration. To capture this opportunity, we need to fuel our brands through advertising, pricing, and innovation," he said.

Tiwary also hinted at some acquisitions by Nestle India going forward, if there is "something promising in the market" that addresses a consumer need it cannot currently serve.

"I would certainly be open to looking at it. But the bulk of our growth will continue to come from driving what we already have. In this business, fewer, bigger, bolder is very important. Resources, whether people or capital, are finite. I would rather focus on fewer initiatives and execute them well than spread ourselves too thin. That said, we remain open to the right opportunities," he said.

Nestle, which has been operating in India for over 113 years, had a sales of Rs 20,077 crore in FY25 and invested close to Rs 3,900 crore as capex in the last two financial years.

Tiwary, a computer engineer, said he has "discovered the true power of technology" while working with Amazon, where he was the country manager for the e-commerce major's India market.

"Yes, I am bringing some of those learnings here; that's precisely why I was given this opportunity. The one area I am particularly focused on accelerating is the role of technology," said Tiwary, adding that it will "enhance both efficiency and effectiveness" of the FMCG major.

According to Tiwary, this is not just about adopting new tools but fundamentally changes how we work and how processes are run across the company.

"Driving this acceleration is the contribution I am most excited to bring to Nestle India," he said.

In October, the CEO of Nestlé SG, its Swiss patent entity, announced plans to cut 16,000 jobs globally in the next two years. Even in India, the number of permanent employees on the rolls of Nestle India fell 3.8 per cent in FY25, to 8,419, though the company has increased its capex and is investing in new capabilities and capacities.

Asked whether Nestle's focus on technology, which includes increased automation in production, would also lead to job losses in India, he said the "role of technology is not about reducing people but about enhancing the capability of the people we already have".

However, he also added, "Growth does not need to follow a linear correlation with headcount. As we grow faster, we do not necessarily need more employees; instead, we need our existing teams to deliver a far greater impact by leveraging technology.