Altair Case Studies Unilever's Journey to Optimizing Packaging Designs & Reducing Prototype Costs with IoT

	Unilever's Journey to Optimizing Packaging Designs & Reducing Prototype Costs with IoT Altair

Unilever's Journey to Optimizing Packaging Designs & Reducing Prototype Costs with IoT

Altair

Applicable Industries	Life Sciences Packaging
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Intelligent Packaging Manufacturing Process Simulation
Challenge	Unilever, a global leader in the consumer goods industry, was seeking ways to maintain its innovative edge in the male grooming market. The company was particularly focused on differentiating its Lynx (Axe) brand from competitors. The challenge was to design a new deodorant packaging concept that would stand out in the market. However, Unilever lacked the necessary in-house expertise to adopt a simulation and analysis approach for the design and testing of the new can. They needed a development partner to assist with the design and testing of the new packaging concept. Read More
About Customer	Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company with a strong presence in over 190 countries. The company's product portfolio includes food, beverages, cleaning agents, and personal care products. Unilever is known for its commitment to innovation and constantly seeks ways to differentiate its products from competitors. In this case, the company was focused on enhancing its Lynx (Axe) brand, a popular male grooming product line. The challenge was to design a new deodorant packaging concept that would stand out in the market, but Unilever lacked the necessary in-house expertise to adopt a simulation and analysis approach for the design and testing of the new can. Read More
Solution	Unilever partnered with Altair ProductDesign to tackle this challenge. The initial deodorant can design concept was created by Unilever, with Altair ProductDesign conducting optimization to define material layouts for stiffening the cap’s button and optimizing the load path through the can’s side walls. A more detailed model was then developed to investigate a series of ‘what if’ scenarios such as loading values, geometry changes, and material options. This process identified areas for reinforcement throughout the cap and measured the effects of different material properties on stiffness and stress. These were then ranked against manufacturing cost, providing valuable metrics for material selection decisions. Altair ProductDesign also equipped Unilever with a set of new process tools developed specifically for packaging design. The ‘Atlas’ system, developed over a 4-5 year period in close collaboration with Unilever’s Capability Development team, allows Unilever’s CAD and concept designers to perform analysis studies very early in the design process. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Applicable Industries

Life Sciences

Packaging

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Intelligent Packaging

Manufacturing Process Simulation

Challenge

Unilever, a global leader in the consumer goods industry, was seeking ways to maintain its innovative edge in the male grooming market. The company was particularly focused on differentiating its Lynx (Axe) brand from competitors. The challenge was to design a new deodorant packaging concept that would stand out in the market. However, Unilever lacked the necessary in-house expertise to adopt a simulation and analysis approach for the design and testing of the new can. They needed a development partner to assist with the design and testing of the new packaging concept.

About Customer

Unilever is a multinational consumer goods company with a strong presence in over 190 countries. The company's product portfolio includes food, beverages, cleaning agents, and personal care products. Unilever is known for its commitment to innovation and constantly seeks ways to differentiate its products from competitors. In this case, the company was focused on enhancing its Lynx (Axe) brand, a popular male grooming product line. The challenge was to design a new deodorant packaging concept that would stand out in the market, but Unilever lacked the necessary in-house expertise to adopt a simulation and analysis approach for the design and testing of the new can.

Solution

Unilever partnered with Altair ProductDesign to tackle this challenge. The initial deodorant can design concept was created by Unilever, with Altair ProductDesign conducting optimization to define material layouts for stiffening the cap’s button and optimizing the load path through the can’s side walls. A more detailed model was then developed to investigate a series of ‘what if’ scenarios such as loading values, geometry changes, and material options. This process identified areas for reinforcement throughout the cap and measured the effects of different material properties on stiffness and stress. These were then ranked against manufacturing cost, providing valuable metrics for material selection decisions. Altair ProductDesign also equipped Unilever with a set of new process tools developed specifically for packaging design. The ‘Atlas’ system, developed over a 4-5 year period in close collaboration with Unilever’s Capability Development team, allows Unilever’s CAD and concept designers to perform analysis studies very early in the design process.

Impact #1	The partnership with Altair ProductDesign and the implementation of the 'Atlas' system resulted in a wide range of benefits for Unilever. The design optimization and detailed analysis process allowed Unilever to explore a wide range of previously unknown design options. The new, automated design environment meant that Unilever could perform its own future design studies which took material use, performance, and cost into account at every stage and in a highly efficient manner. This not only reduced the need for expensive prototypes but also empowered Unilever to make informed decisions early in the design process, thereby saving time and resources.

Impact #1

The partnership with Altair ProductDesign and the implementation of the 'Atlas' system resulted in a wide range of benefits for Unilever. The design optimization and detailed analysis process allowed Unilever to explore a wide range of previously unknown design options. The new, automated design environment meant that Unilever could perform its own future design studies which took material use, performance, and cost into account at every stage and in a highly efficient manner. This not only reduced the need for expensive prototypes but also empowered Unilever to make informed decisions early in the design process, thereby saving time and resources.

Benefit #1	Significant reduction in the need for expensive prototypes
Benefit #2	Efficient material use, performance, and cost consideration at every design stage
Benefit #3	Ability to perform own future design studies

Benefit #1

Significant reduction in the need for expensive prototypes

Benefit #2

Efficient material use, performance, and cost consideration at every design stage

Benefit #3

Ability to perform own future design studies

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Overview

Unilever's Journey to Optimizing Packaging Designs & Reducing Prototype Costs with IoT

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit