Mars Taps Simulation Tech in Innovative Packaging Effort
Mars., Inc., parent company to brands like M&M’s, Royal Canin, and Snickers, is taking a new approach to packaging, leveraging simulation technology that will allow it to perform virtual testing and prototyping.
The initiative is being launched first across the company’s snacking business, leveraging multi-physics, computer modeling tech from Ansys to reduce the need for significant physical testing during the packaging process.
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Computer modeling software being used within Mars’ packaging efforts. Credit: Mars -
Computer modeling software being used within Mars’ packaging efforts. Credit: Mars -
Computer modeling software being used within Mars’ packaging efforts. Credit: Mars
This will allow Mars to access insights related to production, such as how wrapping affects fulfillment, how items respond when dropped, and how the company can minimize instances of packaging failure.
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Praveen Moturu, global vice president, enterprise digital platforms at Mars, Inc. will be co-chair of the event, being held May 1-3 at The Drake Hotel in Chicago. Moturu will be diving into the theme of the event and encouraging attendees to engage with presenters who are taking us through some of retail and consumer goods’ most successful and innovative analytics use cases.
Mars researchers are already reporting success in expediting packaging processes as a result, reducing development time by up to 40% and slashing the plastic materials needed for testing by about 246 tons.
Darren Logan, the company’s vice president of science research at Mars, touted the positive impact he expects the collaboration to have on the future of Mars’ business. He tells CGT that the simulation technology will allow the company to “further revolutionize our packaging process, making it even more eco-friendly and efficient.”
In fact, the company said it will move the needle forward on its end goal of using 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging across its product offerings.
The digital-first approach is introducing new efficiencies that will trickle down to the company’s R&D teams and packaging ecosystem, which includes redesigning more than 12,000 packaging types across the food and pet care portfolio to better fit within present-day and future recycling infrastructures.
"In the world we want tomorrow, no packaging becomes waste," said Qing Qi, vice president of R&D global innovation at Mars Snacking, in a statement. "This vision is at the heart of our multi-billion dollar ‘Sustainable in a Generation’ plan and will only become a reality by taking unconstrained strides, leveraging breakthrough science, innovative thinking and partnerships to push the boundaries of what's possible.
Fabiano Lima, global SVP of Mars Snacking, posted about the efforts on LinkedIn, stating the “pioneering simulation tech allows us to explore every aspect of packaging development — from wrapping techniques to drop tests — all without the carbon footprint of actual production runs.
