Danone Knocking Down Research Silos
As consumer goods companies continuously adjust to and refine operations within today’s new working environments, it’s required them to explore new options when it comes to efficient collaboration.
Danone, the No. 23 publicly owned CG, is one such firm investing in its internal collaboration capabilities to knock down internal silos. It has tapped enterprise insights platform provider Stravito to centralize all of its research projects for unified and transparent collaboration.
Danone has typically used email to collaborate, Joanna Dumont, VP of strategy, insights and innovation, told CGT, and they sought a system that afforded everyone across the business to “speak one Danone language.”
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“[We wanted] a tool that would encourage transparency and collaboration, where individuals can showcase what they are working on, see what others are working on, and have access to all the partners, tools and relationships we have around the globe,” she noted.
The tech, which includes built-in chat capabilities, uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to help teams efficiently manage research projects from a single, secure location. Initial results show gains in greater efficiency in initiating and collaborating on designing and commissioning a new research project, said Dumont, and they’re also finding value in the ability to make adjustments to briefs, communicate with suppliers, and track final documents.
Reckitt also recently invested in the technology, according to Stravito, and has created a central hub for market and consumer insights. Via machine learning, files are auto-categorized with the company’s taxonomy when they’re uploaded.
Multiple teams are expected by Danone to benefit, including global, country, and procurement teams, as well as their suppliers.
“The insights team will see the biggest advantages,” said Dumont, “particularly the researchers we have sitting in 30 countries completing studies every month.”
