Brands
Coca-Cola aims $2.5 bn target in India by 2020
MUMBAI: Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) has announced its plan to become a $2.5 billion FMCG company by 2020. The company’s plan includes manufacturing and selling a wide range of beverages and modifications to its operating structure. It is also apportioning more resources to its frontline and field, both financial and human. This includes setting up of the premium division to service customer requirements around niche and premium beverages – smartwater, frozen fruit desserts, mixers and tonic water etc. and amalgamating the existing alternate beverages division to the mainstream distribution system.
HCCB has achieved significant scale in the sale and distribution of an extensive range of juices under the Minute Maid and Maaza brands and also sparkling and dairy products. As a part of its growth plan, the company aims to open 1 million new outlets by 2020. It currently distributes its products in 2 million outlets across 25 states.
The 2020 plan focuses on being consumer and customer centric, driving revenue growth, building a strong and agile system that has efficiency as its core and digitising the enterprise and unlocking the power of associates (employees).
In order to better flex and respond to changing consumer demands, HCCB will now operate under seven zones instead of the current five and will also reorganise its corporate centre resources to serve in the zones and factories. The company will have a leaner corporate office and a much-strengthened sales and supply chain organisation, thereby creating several hundred new jobs.
HCCB expects to fill most of these new jobs from within. The re-organisation will, however, make a few existing jobs redundant, the incumbents of which will be encouraged to apply for the new jobs that have been created.
“In my time as CEO, I have focused on listening to our employee base,” says Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages CEO Christina Ruggiero. “It was very clear from our research, conversations and market data that today we are not structured in a way that allows us to fully leverage our scale and market capabilities. Changes of this nature take time to seep in, but our associates are committed to ensuring that HCCB is key fixture in India’s consumer landscape and delivering the growth that we know is possible in India.”
By refining the operating structure and simplifying processes, HCCB solidifies its investment in India’s future with an infrastructure capable of favourable long-term impacts.
Brands
Netflix acquires Ben Affleck’s AI film-tech firm InterPositive
Streaming giant picks up production startup to streamline digital filmmaking
LOS ANGELES: Netflix has officially acquired InterPositive, an AI film-technology startup founded by actor and director Ben Affleck. The move marks a significant investment by the streaming service into assistive AI tools designed to support the technical side of movie production. While many AI companies focus on generating new images or scripts, InterPositive focuses on the logistical challenges of filmmaking. The firm’s technology is designed to handle technical tasks that often delay post-production, such as correcting lighting inconsistencies and ensuring visual continuity across different takes.
The acquisition is not about replacing human actors or writers. Instead, Netflix intends to use the technology as a digital assistant for directors. The software understands cinematic logic, meaning it can automatically adjust background elements or environmental effects to ensure a film looks polished and consistent without months of manual editing.
In a Netflix post on Thursday, Affleck emphasised that the project was born out of a desire to support the craft rather than automate it. “I knew I had a responsibility to my peers and our industry, to protect the power of human creativity and the people behind it. In creating InterPositive, I sought to do just that,” Affleck wrote. “From the invention of the moving image to the transition to digital, from motion capture to virtual production, technology has evolved alongside the artists who use it. Our shared commitment to continuing this legacy makes joining together a natural next step.”
Netflix chief product and technology officer Elizabeth Stone said, “Our approach to AI has always been focused on meaningfully serving the needs of the creative community. InterPositive’s technology is purpose-built for filmmakers and showrunners to naturally support their visions. We’re excited to welcome the team to Netflix and continue building a future where technology enhances storytelling, while people remain at the core.”
Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria added, “New tools should expand creative freedom, not constrain it. Ben and his team are part of a long tradition of artists leading innovation in storytelling. Their work gives filmmakers more choices, control, and protection for their vision.”
The deal coincides with a broader partnership between Netflix and Artists Equity, the production company led by Affleck and Matt Damon. Following the success of their recent projects on the platform, this acquisition cements Affleck’s role as both a creative and technical advisor to the streamer. Affleck noted that the partnership was a logical fit due to “Netflix’s decades of experience applying and scaling technology responsibly.” He will serve as a senioradvisor for the integration of the technology, ensuring the tools remain focused on helping filmmakers.
For the film industry, this acquisition signals a shift in strategy. Rather than just buying finished movies, Netflix is now owning the specialized technology used to build them. By bringing these tools in-house, the company aims to reduce the rising costs and lengthy timelines associated with high-budget original films while giving their productions a technical edge in speed and visual quality.
