Supplier Side

Georgia-Pacific redesigns its Innovation Institute

Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific Corrugated, a manufacturer and marketer of corrugated packaging materials, said it redesigned its Innovation Institute. The institute was originally built in 1992 for research and development purposes.

“Since then, our capabilities — and purpose — have evolved,” said Brian Reilly, vice president of research and technology, Georgia-Pacific Corrugated. Our team is dedicated to finding innovative ways to reduce supply chain cost, increase shelf velocity and improve sustainability efforts for brands in a wide variety of segments.”

The latest renovation included upgrades to the institute’s environmental chambers. The chambers allow the company to evaluate packaging performance under extremely high and low temperatures and humidity levels. The redesign also allows the packaging testing laboratories to evaluate the performance of different types of paper and corrugated board to determine how the company could use less fiber, energy and resources, Georgia-Pacific said. Additionally, the redesign was meant to foster the creativity of Georgia-Pacific’s teams, as well as collaboration between the company and its customers.

“The Innovation Institute is a one-stop shop for our customers where they can brainstorm with a team of experts, explore ideas and test customized solutions to improve packaging and strengthen their brands — all in one location,” Reilly said.

For example, the institute recently developed brand-ready packaging (BRP) for retailers’ store brands as an alternative to industry-standard retail-ready packaging options. Focus group testing found that more than 80 percent of consumers agree that BRP makes it easier to find products on store shelves, and four out of five prefer BRP because it is organized and easier to access, the company stated.

“As we collaborate with retailers and their private brands, our solutions can help influence consumer preferences … and help our customers see greater success,” Reilly said.
— M. Escobar

Absolutdata launches market research tool

San Francisco-based Absolutdata, a data analytics firm, said it released NAVIK Concept Test, a tool that lets brand managers, product managers and market researchers go to market with new ideas faster and with more confidence.

NAVIK Concept Test first allows users to choose from test types such as new product development, new packaging design, price sensitivity evaluation and more. Concepts to be tested then are uploaded as images, video, text or audio. Goals and key performance indicators are set, and the target group to be surveyed is defined. The user can either upload his or her own database of test panelists or select from panel partners as recommended by the product. The testing is conducted online, and users are able to track real-time results via the Field Status dashboard. Research is typically completed within two weeks, a significant reduction from the standard six weeks, the company stated.

Once the data collection is complete, NAVIK Concept Test presents clear “Go/No Go” recommendations for execution, along with detailed analytics behind the results, Absolutdata said. A deep dive into “winning” concepts shows the analysis and rationale behind those recommendations in a number of sharable forms, including pie charts, bar graphs and word clouds.

Available to retailers, manufacturers and suppliers, the tool allows the user to test new trends, designs and prices while also identifying which ideas are unique compared to the competition and which ideas are more likely to gain market share, Absolutdata noted.

“Technology like NAVIK Concept Test is changing the research world,” said Anil Kaul, CEO, Absolutdata. “By making research teams more efficient, analytics talent can deliver more results faster and focus on applying their intellect and creativity while letting tools like NAVIK Concept Test do the heavy lifting.”
— M. Escobar