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Analogue processes are not up to the task In the midst of all this change, companies often rely on antiquated technical infrastructure and processes riddled with inefficiencies. For example, an Innovation team may


be using their own product management or innovation portfolio tool. At the same time, Product Development may be using Microsoft Excel for product tracking, all while researchers are working from stacks of paper binders. All of that disparate,


siloed data needs to be compared against cost information and historical trends, which are usually found in an ERP system. Only once all that data is synthesised can final product decisions be made. At Selerant’s 2019 User Conference, a


billion-dollar cosmetics and personal care customer shared best practices for using a PLM system like Devex to harmonise the product launch process across a massive global product portfolio. The unified approach of brand launch


through Devex included Product Development, Packaging, Operations, Procurement, Transportation, Commercialization, Manufacturing, Quality and Set Assembly—as well as the Marketing, Product Development, and R&D teams. “Everyone is collaborating inside


Devex and everybody is participating,” the Executive Director of New Product Development said. There is a very clear definition to new projects and a naming convention that everyone adheres to. The where and when of the launch is no longer a mystery. This executive director’s conclusion: “Now no matter which brand you’re supporting, you receive the same information in the same format. Devex was key in implementing our launch gate which is also our cost gate. [It helps] get everything put together so we can finally move forward with our launches.” Most brands simply do not have all this


data in one place. Formulations are locked away in those binders and may as well be locked in a far-off castle. Meeting new timeline challenges requires cross- departmental collaboration that simply is not possible without a drastic overhaul of tools and processes. The search for a single source of truth takes on supreme importance. Otherwise, product lifecycle costs, innovation priorities, and market health suffer. As a result, countless brands are


starting to invest in tools and technologies that automate open data workflows and track status changes, tasks, and documents.


August 2020


Managing new ingredients with Product Lifecycle Management New products that result from fresh consumer insights rely primarily on new ingredients, especially fragrances and functional actives. Product lifecycle management solutions like Selerant’s PLM allow manufacturers to better manage new ingredients, beginning in the early stages of innovation. Efficient management of experimental raw materials can shorten the innovation cycle. Contrast that vision with the reality that


exists at many cosmetic brands today. Typically, new products and innovation requests live in months-long email chains (a technology which has not fundamentally changed in more than 30 years). Once Marketing pulls an idea from the pile and compiles supporting documentation, the idea goes to an Innovation Board for approval. If the idea is approved, a project is established and concept development and testing begins. Only then is a brief generated for R&D, and that brief contains the entirety of the context that R&D has access to. The rest is buried in emails and meeting notes. Given that chaotic flow, it can be hard to


understand the priority and status of innovation requests. That lack of context can be downright confusing not just for R&D and Quality teams, but for marketers who were not in on the original email to begin with. PLM systems allow formulators to search a repository of existing formulas and prototypes to avoid having to conduct a new validation process from scratch. Instead, it is possible to rely on previously assessed data. PLM systems centralise innovation requests, making them much easier to


manage. Such systems can also provide that much-needed context. New projects, for example, can be linked to past samples and specifications. Historical data can be combined with present testing outcomes and available ingredients and raw materials. In the end, decision-making is not only more informed, but also


exponentially faster. That centralisation also eliminates


inefficiencies in testing. Once R&D requests ingredient samples from suppliers and begins testing, results are again stored in a central database, making subsequent iterations and substitutions easier to track. In a PLM solution, formulators can try new ingredients in their formula and only promote them to active ingredients if the trial and tests are successful. R&D departments can simulate experiments to find out how certain product attributes might impact the resulting formulation,


ensuring early compliance and avoiding


unnecessary time spent on formulas that cannot go to market due to regulatory constraints. Again, decision-making benefits. Selerant’s PLM formulation tool also


allows for product property tracking against predetermined ranges for cost, sensory, and chemical properties. This can be done prior to testing and sample creation, which means that research teams can be confident that they have found the best combination of ingredients, and that those ingredients meet all product attributes and regulatory requirements, before trial testing. Research and development timelines accordingly shrink down to size. The system acts as the single repository


for all raw material sources and variations of past and current formula trials and BOMs. In determining which materials to use, R&D groups can leverage institutional knowledge from past projects to efficiently create new product versions. They also have access to historical data which can be useful when validating a brief. Formulators can generate ingredient


specifications within a workflow, track experimental ingredients through every stage of development, and track test results on ingredients and formulas, which are all linked to ingredient data. Likewise, if ingredients need to be


substituted or formulation is required for expanding product lines, the system can easily recall all the formulation varieties that are using those ingredients for global substitutions. Stability testing is tracked in the same place as formulation development. Formulation data can then be used to generate packaging and labelling documents. Stability testing is also a source of


significant efficiency gains in a PLM system. PERSONAL CARE GLOBAL

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