PepsiCo to roll out telepresence

New technology expected to improve collaboration between firm and its partners

PepsiCo hopes to reduce its travel costs and environmental impact with telepresence

PepsiCo will start a rollout of telepresence technology to “reinvent the way it works” by spending less on travel while reducing its carbon emissions.

BT and Cisco will deploy the equipment. The drinks manufacturer has not disclosed how much is being spent on the project, but telepresence units tend to cost between £65,000 and £250,000.

By using high-definition video and audio, telepresence technology tries to emulate physical meetings.

The technology will be rolled out across PepsiCo’s main offices and expected benefits include an improvement of cross-company collaboration between the firm and its key distributors and retailers.

"Global virtual meeting collaboration will mean we can travel less, allowing for greater productivity and a smaller environmental footprint. In this day and age, it’s simply a smarter way of going about our business,” added Robert Dixon, senior vice president and global chief information officer for PepsiCo.