Manufacturer

CGT Editor Alliston Ackerman gives you a sneak peek into the trends and topics discussed in this month's issue.

When Energizer Personal Care acquired Playtex, it adopted a TPM system to standardize processes. But the task of harmonizing brands while implementing the application came with user adoption issues.

The Keurig single cup coffee brewing system was not an overnight success. Little research predicted that it would be a consumer success. But, this disruptive innovation proved to be the exception to the rule. Why? The answer lies in the entrepreneurial, risk-oriented innovation philosophies of the company behind the brand.

The new Goodies Co. box, created by @WalmartLabs, underscores Walmarts commitment to e-commerce and its use of social innovations to create new offerings for consumers.

By adopting leading practices in S&OP, Seventh Generation expects to improve forecast accuracy by 10 percent at the SKU level, decrease inventory by 15 percent, while maintaining historically high service levels.

Unilever expects to take advantage of new functionality, one of them being the possibility of collecting photos through the SFA system while doing surveys.

Smartphones will soon become the most ubiquitous piece of hardware to rule the planet. Naturally, consumer goods organizations are connecting their brands to shoppers and consumers over smartphones, wherever they are.

The company expects to achieve gross cost savings of approximately $200 million, approximately a quarter of which will be used to increase investment in brand building and innovation, and enable investments in IT systems.