Mars Doubles Down on Innovation With New R&D Studio
Mars, Inc., is investing $70 million in manufacturing, opening a research and development (R&D) innovation studio with a test kitchen, chocolate production facility, and packaging lab.
The location in Hackettstown, New Jersey, will serve as a space to advance food safety, test sustainable packaging materials, and launch product innovations. The collaborative space will help expedite product development that better meets changing consumer trends while contributing to the company’s circular initiative of recycling, reusing, or composting materials.
In addition to new product launches, Mars said the facility will support the production of several of its well-known U.S.-made brands, including M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, Skittles, Starburst, Extra, and Altoids.
An Enterprise-Wide Push on Digital Innovation
The innovation studio will allow the company to progress on its packaging research, such as the recent virtual testing and prototyping leveraging simulation and computer modeling technology from Ansys.
That effort is providing Mars with packaging insights that include how wrapping affects fulfillment, how products respond to drops, and how to reduce packaging failure.
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The company also opened a global research and development hub on its Goose Island campus at the start of the year, furthering its commitment to scaling innovation across its portfolio. The $42 million-dollar investment from Mars is focusing on chocolate and nut testing, and research and innovation.
"At Mars, our commitment to quality and innovation has been at the center of our business for more than a century," said Anton Vincent, president of Mars Wrigley North America and Global Ice Cream. "The continued investment in our Hackettstown site re-affirms our commitment to innovation in New Jersey and upskilling our associates with best-in-class facilities to create more moments of everyday happiness for our consumers."
More Industry R&D News
Unsurprisingly, major consumer goods companies are investing heavily in their research and development efforts this year. According to CGT’s 2023 Sales & Marketing Report, 17% of CGs reported a lack of key or cleansed datasets as a top roadblock to sales and marketing success, while 10% reported a lack of market research and consumer insights.
At the end of last year, Unilever launched initiatives across its tech-powered innovation labs, including Horizon3 Labs and the Datalab Ecosystem, and gained access to data and AI experts, tapping into a network of ongoing AI innovations
While the Nestlé Health Science (NHSc) R&D Accelerator program launched in 2022, this past December the company reported early success, allowing it to test concepts in various business areas of opportunities and fuel its innovation pipeline with short- and mid-term ideas.
More recently, Wilson’s Sporting Goods introduced new efficiencies into its product development and manufacturing processes by tapping 3D printing, elevating the company’s R&D efforts.
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