Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – Thursday, October 16, 2025: Nestlé Cuts 16,000 Jobs – An OPEX Perspective: Untangling the “Spaghetti” of Global Information Flow.
Điểm Tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) Mỗi Ngày – Thứ Năm, Ngày 16/10/2025: Cắt Giảm 16.000 Nhân Sự, Nestlé Dưới Lăng Kính OPEX: Gỡ “Sợi Mì Rối” Trong Dòng Thông Tin Toàn Cầu.
Welcome to my unique weekday article for the paid subscriber-only edition.
Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – issued on weekdays (Monday to Friday).
Điểm tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) hằng ngày (phát hành các ngày thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu).
This is the bilingual post in English and Vietnamese. Vietnamese is below.
Đây là bài viết song ngữ Anh-Việt. Tiếng Việt ở bên dưới.
Don’t forget the unique BizDecoded series.
🔍 20 Brands, 20 Deep Dives: The Business Behind the Money Machine
Starting from August 20, 2025, get ready for a masterclass like no other.
English
Part 1: Official Announcement
On October 16, 2025, global food and beverage giant Nestlé officially announced plans to lay off approximately 16,000 employees worldwide, primarily from senior office and middle-management positions.
The move is part of a global restructuring strategy that Nestlé described as an effort to “simplify our organizational model, streamline management layers, and enhance operational efficiency.”
According to reports from international outlets such as The Times and Reuters, most of the job cuts will occur across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region, focusing mainly on regional administrative and support functions. Nestlé emphasized that production facilities and customer-facing operations will not be significantly affected by this restructuring.
A Nestlé spokesperson stated:
“We are simplifying our management system to respond more quickly to market changes, reduce overlap between regions, and empower local teams with greater decision-making authority.”
This marks Nestlé’s largest restructuring in nearly a decade, following its strategic pivot toward nutrition, health, and premium food products. The global landscape—characterized by rising operational costs, growing competition from agile smaller brands, and rapidly shifting consumer preferences—has forced major corporations to act decisively to maintain profitability and agility.
Analysts note that the plan is not merely a cost-cutting measure, but a reflection of a shift in Nestlé’s management philosophy:
• From centralized control to regional agility.
• From multi-layered decision-making to a flatter, faster structure.
From an Operational Excellence (OPEX) perspective, this move can be seen as an attempt to redesign Nestlé’s internal information flow — eliminating redundant management layers to shorten the distance between strategy and execution.
Although large-scale layoffs always spark debate, operationally, this restructuring helps Nestlé standardize workflows, improve coordination, and accelerate decision-making across its complex global system.
The “16,000 jobs plan” is more than a line item in a cost-reduction report — it symbolizes the transformation of a global giant striving to become leaner, faster, and more effective in today’s highly competitive operational landscape.