P&G is looking for new approaches and technologies that can help them to address key business challenges/opportunities. The following innovation briefs will provide a high-level overview of specific business goals and needs, as well as a high-level overview of what they are looking for in a solution.
If you would like to submit a solution to one of the following four briefs, please submit responses at the associated link AND submit here and we'll try to to help you get status on your application.
Submission Link: https://3lrx1d1zl8i.typeform.com/to/wXFSXzTS
Business Background:
For several years, P&G has talked about the possibility of a world without ads as we know them today. The last year has massively accelerated systemic changes in the way customers access and consume content. Those changes have heightened the need to rethink how we advertise and engage consumers to build our brands and use data to deliver targeted and relevant messages that truly matter.
COVID-19 sped up changes in media and content consumption and altered consumer habits in an unexpectedly rapid way. E-commerce and online shopping became the norm. More than 40% of millennials use ad blockers and an increasing number of consumers are subscribing to OTT streaming services that have no advertising. At the same time, consumer privacy demands are at an all-time high and the demise of third-party cookies, along with Google’s recent decision not to enable new, individual level targeting ID capabilities, creates challenges for robust audience creation, forcing brands to rethink their communication and data strategies.
Business Challenge / Needs Definition:
P&G’s top brands in North America would like to explore the future of advertising and rethink how our company engages consumers so our brands are more useful and more interesting to consumers, and overall remain top of mind in consumers’ hearts. We are seeking to create novel brand experiences, test new communication and delivery methods, work without cookies, etc. We want to partner with new solutions that can help us navigate and be successful in the future of a world without ads.
There are 4 key areas where we would like to focus on finding innovative solutions:
Relevant technology domains may include, but are not limited to:
The Ask:
If you have ideas and supporting technologies that you believe can deliver disruptive solutions to this challenge, we want to hear and partner with you. Where there is a good fit, we are looking to drive agile in-market pilots in North America with the goal of scaling successful solutions. All ideas and submissions will be fully reviewed by our team.
Note: Startups applying must have a presence/ability to immediately activate in North America.
Submission Link: https://3lrx1d1zl8i.typeform.com/to/QAqnWGap
Recently, P&G has focused many initiatives on bringing more automation into their supply chain. This particular business challenge focuses on reducing touches in the diaper manufacturing line. By doing so, P&G can increase productivity and reduce the manpower effort required to run each line. Currently, the process is as follows:
P&G is looking for technology that will reduce the number of touches required to receive, load, thread and unload rolls onto a splicer. It is important to note that each line has multiple splicers, and each material has a set threading procedure that must be followed. Each line has a set rate of material consumption, but the set rate varies based on the size of the lines.
An ideal solution will meet the following requirements:
The regional focus of this brief is North America and pilot activations will initially be focused the United States.
Startups applying must have a presence or the ability to immediately activate in the United States, but ideally have the ability to activate at scale in Europe as well.
If you have ideas and supporting technologies that you believe can deliver disruptive services & solutions to this challenge, we want to hear/partner with you. Where there is a good fit, we are looking to drive agile in- market pilots in the United States with the goal of scaling successful services & solutions. All ideas and submissions will be fully reviewed by our team.
Submission Link: https://3lrx1d1zl8i.typeform.com/to/IYH5HPFG
When liquids production (making) and bottle filling (packing) processes start up after being shut down, it takes some time before the product being made meets specifications for packing and sale to consumers. Also, when the product to be packed is changed, all equipment containing the old product needs to be flushed with the new product to remove the old product. These processes generate out-of-spec product which is sent to storage tanks and gets classified as “reblend”. This reblend is fed back to the production process at a very low rate, to avoid scrapping it while also having no impact on finished product quality.
We are very interested in both reducing the amount of reblend production due to the processes mentioned above, and increasing the amount of reblend that can be recycled back to the process without affecting finished product quality. We would like to identify, test and eventually scale up technologies which can drive a step change in this area.
The regional focus of this brief is Europe and pilot activations will initially be focused on Europe. Startups applying must have a presence or the ability to immediately activate in Europe.
If you have ideas and supporting technologies that you believe can deliver disruptive services & solutions to this challenge, we want to hear/partner with you. Where there is a good fit, we are looking to drive agile in- market pilots in Europe with the goal of scaling successful services & solutions. All ideas and submissions will be fully reviewed by our team.
Submission Link: https://3lrx1d1zl8i.typeform.com/to/y3gxxT2q
P&G has an initiative to improve reliability in their supply chain. This initiative focuses on understanding the location of undue stress and strain in papermachine fabrics at different points. Understanding the location of undue stress and strain would extend belt life and drive life, which would ultimately help avoid unnecessary downtime.
The papermachines have forming wires and drying belts that incredibly long and very wide. They can be very expensive due to proprietary woven patterns and material construction. When in use, the fabrics are subjected to varying levels of moisture, temperature, pressure and high-speed conditions on each revolution. Multiple rolls and nips drive and create drag throughout the process, which leads to strain on the fabrics.
P&G is looking for technology that will visually measure strain and stress in the fabrics at different points of the process. In doing so, the technology would enable better drive tuning and prevent undue strain cycles on each revolution. A mark of known static length can be added to the belt and then measured to understand the stretched length in the machine. The business challenge is focused on understanding the measurement of stress / strain in the physical system; digital twins or representational models would not meet the business challenge needs. The team has the ability to modify the belts if needed but have a strong preference for ready-to-use solutions.
The regional focus of this brief is North America and pilot activations will initially be focused on the United States.
Startups applying must have a presence or the ability to immediately activate in the United States.
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