【环时记者手记】苏州智能运营中心，是欧莱雅为应对市场灵敏度做出的努力
[Global Times Correspondent's Notebook] The Suzhou Intelligent Operations Center represents L'Oréal's efforts to enhance its market responsiveness.
四月谷雨之时，记者一行来到位于苏州的欧莱雅智能运营中心。此时的运营中心虽然刚刚运营，但刚走进厂区，伴随着机器的轰鸣声，偌大的运营中心内，就看见运输履带上一个个从眼前划过的快递箱以及地面上穿梭的自动引导车（AGV）。一时间有些恍惚，这真的只是欧莱雅自己的物流中心？这样的阵仗将它认为是某个大电商平台下的快递运营中心也不足为怪。
During the Grain Rain period in April, a group of reporters visited the L'Oréal Intelligent Operations Center in Suzhou. Although the operations center had just commenced operations at that time, upon entering the plant area, accompanied by the roaring of machinery, we were greeted by a vast scene within the operations center: conveyor belts carrying countless express delivery boxes that flashed by in front of our eyes, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) shuttling across the floor. For a moment, it felt surreal – was this really just L'Oréal's own logistics center? It wouldn't be surprising to mistake such a grand setup for a delivery operations center belonging to a major e-commerce platform.
据现场工作人员介绍，该智能运营中心位于江苏省苏州市苏州工业园区，占地面积46000平方米。中心配备了自动化和信息技术系统，提升了履单效率——每小时能处理逾7000个D2C（直达消费者）订单，每年可处理5000万个D2C订单及1700万个商业客户订单。
According to the staff on site, the Intelligent Operations Center is located in Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and covers an area of 46,000 square meters. Equipped with automation and information technology systems, the center has enhanced order fulfillment efficiency, capable of processing over 7,000 D2C (direct-to-consumer) orders per hour and handling 50 million D2C orders and 17 million business customer orders annually.
“中国如今已是欧莱雅全球的第二大市场，欧莱雅也成为中国第一大美妆集团。建设这样庞大的运营中心，主要是为了匹配欧莱雅在中国日益增长的线上电商业务。”欧莱雅北亚总裁及中国首席执行官博万尚讲到。据悉，2023年欧莱雅中国高达62%的业务来自蓬勃发展的电商平台，其中大部分是D2C（直面消费者）订单。
"China is now the second-largest market for L'Oréal globally, and L'Oréal has become the largest beauty group in China. The construction of such a vast operations center is mainly to match L'Oréal's growing online e-commerce business in China," said Vincent Boinay, President of L'Oréal North Asia and CEO of L'Oréal China. It is reported that in 2023, up to 62% of L'Oréal China's business came from the thriving e-commerce platform, with the majority being D2C (direct-to-consumer) orders.
智能运营中心的主要作用，是订单的分拣和包装。除了包装功能外，目前智能运营中心已经实现高度自动化，机械臂将包裹捡出仓库后，系统将产品和产品的运输筐自动绑定。员工扫描筐上二维码，即可查看产品所需的包装盒（如是否需要礼品定制包裹、使用的包裹大小等）。
The primary role of the intelligent operations center is order sorting and packaging. Beyond its packaging capabilities, the intelligent operations center has now achieved a high level of automation. After the robotic arms retrieve packages from the warehouse, the system automatically associates the products with their shipping containers. By scanning the QR code on the container, employees can view the required packaging for the products (such as whether a customized gift wrapping is needed, the size of the box to be used, etc.).
欧莱雅智能运营中心负责人也表示，中国电商领域日益增长，通过整合前沿的数字化和物流技术，该中心提升了欧莱雅供应链的灵活性和能力。对于欧莱雅集团而言，全新的苏州智能运营中心不仅是一项重大投资，还是一个集尖端自动化技术与数字化解决方案于一体的创新物流枢纽。这一举措将峰值单能效提升至传统方案的两倍。
The head of L'Oréal's intelligent operations center also stated that with the growing e-commerce sector in China, the center has enhanced the flexibility and capacity of L'Oréal's supply chain by integrating cutting-edge digital and logistics technologies. For the L'Oréal Group, the new Suzhou Intelligent Operations Center is not only a significant investment but also an innovative logistics hub integrating advanced automation technology and digital solutions. This initiative has doubled the peak order processing efficiency compared to traditional solutions.
事实上，这并非欧莱雅在中国的唯一一家智能运营中心。2023年，欧莱雅拟在南通投建高档化妆品智能运营中心，主要服务高档化妆品部，包括兰蔻、YSL圣罗兰美妆等品牌。而本次4月26日启用的苏州智能运营中心，则主要服务大众化妆品部、皮肤科学美容部和专业美发产品部。换言之，位于江苏省的两个智能运营中心，将涵盖欧莱雅中国的全部业务部门。
In fact, this is not L'Oréal's only intelligent operations center in China. In 2023, L'Oréal plans to invest in the construction of a intelligent operations center for prestige cosmetics in Nantong, which will primarily serve the Luxe Division, including brands like Lancôme and YSL Beauté. The Suzhou Intelligent Operations Center, which was inaugurated on April 26th, mainly serves the Consumer Products Division, Dermatological Beauty Division, and Professional Products Division. In other words, the two intelligent operations centers located in Jiangsu Province will cover all business divisions of L'Oréal China.
目前，欧莱雅在全球共有37家工厂，152个运营中心。在中国，欧莱雅在中国的郑州、沈阳、成都多地均有分销中心，4月26日投入运营的是目前欧莱雅中国规模最大的智能运营中心，主要服务长三角地区。凭借全国的多个运营中心，目前欧莱雅已覆盖中国1亿消费者。
Currently, L'Oréal has a total of 37 factories and 152 operations centers worldwide. In China, L'Oréal operates distribution centers in Zhengzhou, Shenyang, Chengdu, and other locations. The intelligent operations center inaugurated on April 26th is currently the largest of L'Oréal China's intelligent operations centers, primarily serving the Yangtze River Delta region. With multiple operations centers across the country, L'Oréal currently covers 100 million consumers in China.
值得注意的是，虽然目前苏州运营中心主要覆盖华东市场，服务于上海及周边地区，但是该中心有能力将服务辐射至其他地区。欧莱雅北亚总裁及中国首席执行官博万尚称，智能运营中心项目未来的目标，是将其技术和经验服务中国、北亚乃至全球的运营网络。
It is worth noting that while the Suzhou operations center currently primarily serves the East China market, including Shanghai and surrounding areas, it has the capacity to extend its services to other regions. Vincent Boinay, President of L'Oréal North Asia and CEO of L'Oréal China, stated that the future goal of the Intelligent Operations Center project is to leverage its technology and experience to serve the operations networks in China, North Asia, and even globally.
不过，对于苏州智能运营中心的投入运营，不少业内人士认为，欧莱雅此举在于提升公司在中国市场整体的精准度与敏捷度。随着化妆品行业电商渠道销售额的攀升，行业透明度和内卷程度都在提升，行业发展更需要提供针对性产品，满足精细化需求，功能性护肤品将继续保持增长，美妆行业可能面对更加激烈的竞争。
However, regarding the opening of the Suzhou Intelligent Operations Center, many industry insiders believe that L'Oréal's move aims to enhance the company's overall precision and agility in the Chinese market. As sales through e-commerce channels in the cosmetics industry climb, industry transparency and competition are both intensifying. The development of the industry increasingly requires the provision of targeted products to meet refined needs. Functional skincare products will continue to grow, and the beauty industry may face even fiercer competition.
而且在小红书、抖音等社交平台的催化下，国内消费者的美妆风尚变化会越来越快，消费者的需求也会更加精细化，美妆产品也要更多地与消费者情绪价值相匹配。对于市场的变化，博万尚也表示：“如今，面对中国独特的市场速度和规模，我们将聚焦于发挥自身优势战略，精准布局。该中心将满足中国消费者日益增长的需求，同时强化我们在中国的运营能力。我们已服务超过1亿中国消费者，未来有望进一步触达5亿。”
Moreover, fueled by social platforms such as Xiaohongshu and TikTok, the changes in domestic consumers' beauty trends will accelerate, and their demands will become more refined. Beauty products must increasingly align with consumers' emotional values. Commenting on the market changes, Vincent Boinay said, "Today, facing the unique speed and scale of the Chinese market, we will focus on leveraging our strategic strengths and making precise layouts. This center will meet the growing needs of Chinese consumers while strengthening our operational capabilities in China. We have already served over 100 million Chinese consumers, and we aim to further reach 500 million in the future."
欧莱雅日前公布了去年全年财报和今年一季度财报。数据显示，2023年欧莱雅在中国市场实现销售净额增长5.4%，零售额增长7.7%。其中高档化妆品部的增速高达市场平均水平的3倍；皮肤科学美容部较市场平均水平的增速高达6倍。而今年第一季度，欧莱雅中国业绩增长了6.2%，公司方面表示，这得益于其全方位的布局（品类、渠道、定价）以及创新。
L'Oréal has recently released its full-year financial report for last year and its first-quarter financial report for this year. The data reveals that in 2023, L'Oréal achieved a 5.4% increase in net sales and a 7.7% growth in retail sales in the Chinese market. Notably, the Luxe Division witnessed a growth rate three times that of the market average, while the Dermatological Beauty Division saw a growth rate six times higher than the market average. In the first quarter of this year, L'Oréal China's business grew by 6.2%. The company attributed this to its comprehensive layout (across categories, channels, and pricing) and innovation.
博万尚也在此前在2023/2024年度发展战略沟通会表示，投资中国就是投资未来。今年2月，欧莱雅集团宣布对中国本土高端香水香氛品牌观夏TO SUMMER进行少数股权投资。不少人据此猜测，香水产品或许是欧莱雅自眼霜产品后下一个在中国市场打造的爆品。
During a strategic communication meeting for the 2023/2024 fiscal year, Vincent Boinay also expressed that investing in China is investing in the future. In February of this year, L'Oréal Group announced a minority equity investment in TO SUMMER, a local Chinese high-end perfume and fragrance brand. Based on this, many people have speculated that perfume products may be the next potential blockbuster for L'Oréal in the Chinese market, following its eye cream products.
