Abstract
Unilever is a multinational, employing some 300,000 persons working for about 500 companies in seventy-five countries all over the world. Its wide range of activities includes consumer goods, industrial products, animal feeds, tropical plantations and various service industries.
The company's operations are decentralised, as are also its data-processing and information functions. Their organisation is described, both for the company as a whole as well as for its research establishments. One of these laboratories is located at Vlaardingen, The Netherlands. It is among the largest, with a total staff of about 1,000. This paper describes the organisation of computing and information management, the information systems available, and the progress being made in the introduction of office automation.