Study to Examine Product Life-Cycle Management

WASHINGTON — The Grocery Manufacturers Association has selected Accenture and Information Resources Inc. to conduct an in-depth study of successful product life-cycle management (PLM) processes. Sponsored by the GMA Information Systems Committee, the study will examine the entire life cycle of a product, from conception through discontinuation, and the importance of working across departmental lines in winning PLM strategies.

“An effective PLM strategy enhances company performance by ensuring that CPG makers are delivering the products consumers want and scaling back or retiring items that are no longer in demand,” GMA president and chief executive officer Pamela Bailey said in a statement.

Accenture and IRI will conduct both online surveys and in-depth interviews with experts in consumer and market research, research and development, manufacturing, marketing, IT and category management. The study will also consider what new product introductions were most successful in recent years and why.

The final report will recommend successful PLM practices and cross-functional collaboration models specific to the CPG industry. The study will also identify solution-based roles that IT professionals can play in the successful conception, launch, development and completion of the overall PLM process.

“If we can more fully understand the collaborative role all departments play in PLM, we will be better equipped to serve them,” said Gerrit Schutte, chief information officer and senior vice president, ConAgra Foods. Schutte is also a member of the GMA IS Committee.

Tentatively titled “CPG Innovation and Growth: The Impact of Product Lifecycle Management Processes and Information Technology Strategies,” the study is slated for release next month, with the major findings scheduled for presentation at the GMA Information Systems/Logistics Distribution Conference, April 5-8, in Miami.

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