How Mars Is Evolving Its Centers of Excellence to Meet Modern Consumer Needs
Mars is no stranger to innovation. In the past year alone, the company has unveiled seaweed-based sustainable packaging, generative AI-powered product development, advanced computer modeling to expedite testing and prototyping, and more.
These innovations have stemmed from the company’s centers of excellence, which have grown with Mars throughout the years. Traditionally, they were focused on core product formats and brands, Matt Kradenpoth, senior principal scientist at Mars, tells CGT. Today, they’ve grown far beyond that.
"We’ve focused on constants like the pan coating technology for M&M’S, or how we’re cooking caramel and nougat for our chocolate bars. However, as snacking is redefined, we need to go beyond core technology to incorporate new processes and types of products into what we do,” says Kradenpoth.
The digital transformation has resulted in an expanded focus on fulfilling more modern consumer needs, bringing new technologies into the fold and carefully considering ingredients, sustainability, and environmental impact.
Research Hubs Bring New Efficiencies
Mars has been experimenting with ingredients, techniques, and formulas, using flexible technologies and processes that can adapt.
At its Chicago-based global research and development hub, for example, the company taps a flexible bar line with plug-and-play adaptability to fulfill the needs of three different chocolate configurations — filled bars, baked bars, and bite-sized candies — while using different technologies depending on the product and ingredient formula needs.
“The same line that can make M&M’S can also make a Twix bar, which was previously unheard of. The line can also make 100 bars per minute, or approximately 6,000 per hour — helping us anticipate what a full-scale run would look like before it goes to the factory,” says Kradenpoth.
While the company continues its work with M&Ms and bars at the Chicago R&D hub, Kradenpoth says Mars is starting to tap into acquired brands Tru Fru, Kind, and Nature’s Bakery to see how the facility can support their R&D projects.
Within Mars’ new R&D innovation studio in New Jersey, announced earlier this year, the company is testing sustainable packaging materials, eliminating waste and instead recycling, reusing, or composting as it increases the speed of innovation to meet evolving consumer preferences. It also taps existing technology from other areas of the business such as virtual testing and prototyping to simulate packaging innovation via computer modeling technology.
The pilot plants allow Mars to do a significant amount of testing and optimizations without interrupting operations at its factories. It can then send its innovations to the factory line once they have been honed and perfected, reducing instances of error and increasing efficiency — and that means a faster go-to-market time.
“We’re embedding more discipline and rigor around the types of data we’re collecting, including implementing automated and real-time capture versus manual at sites such as our Global R&D Hub in Chicago,” he says. “Quality data is another essential factor in getting new products to market more quickly.”
Innovation Can Come With Growing Pains
Of course, the innovation process doesn’t come without its challenges. For a company with a significant network of global pilot plants, streamlined operations are a must.
“We must make a concerted effort to consolidate expertise in what we do globally,” says Kradenpoth. “For example, in India and the Middle East, our R&D teams have found a way to create heat-resistant chocolate due to the warmer climate in these regions.”
Expanding these efforts to other areas requires investment in training and resources, tapping the knowledge of the R&D associates who created the technology to adopt it correctly at another hub.
For those looking to modernize their centers of excellence, Kradenpoth recommends evolving based on their strengths.
“At Mars, we excel at chocolate bars, so who’s to say we can’t look at energy bars, or maybe chocolate bars with a new type of filling? You don’t need to make giant leaps and completely overhaul your portfolio in a year; just focus on building new foundations based on what you know you do well,” he says.
When jumping into new formats and products, Kradenpoth suggests companies first invest in their workforce development. “If your people are empowered to push boundaries, try new things, and experiment, there’s no ceiling on innovation.”
