CGT Reveals 2013 Business & Technology Award Winners
During an awards ceremony at the 2013 Consumer Goods Business & Technology Leadership Conference last week, CGT announced the winners of its annual Business & Technology Leadership Awards, which year after year recognize a handful of consumer goods companies for unmatched, transformational business and technology initiatives in the areas of supply chain, customer management and mid-market growth.
Nominations in three award categories were collected from the CGT community throughout 2013. These nominations were then narrowed down to a group of three finalists by CGT's editorial staff based on multiple award criteria, like project scope, goals and results realized thus far. This shorter list was then sent to CGT's 45 advisory board members, which elected one “winner” in each category.
So with the votes tallied, CGT would like to proudly reveal the Business & Technology Award winners for 2013.
CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT AWARD
The Customer Management Award is presented to the consumer goods firm that is best leveraging technology or business process change to manage customer relationships, trade promotions, marketing and/or consumer insights.
WINNER: Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG) transformed its mobile sales force from order takers to consultative sales professionals by deploying a suite of tools called MyDPS. The solution builds a selling story for a specific customer, leveraging actionable analytics and visually exciting sales collateral that are all available in real-time. Promotional information is now entered into a single portal, which then distributes the relevant promotions to the field sales persons iPad contextually aligned by customer. Sales teams carry a single device that contains all information they need, making them more efficient and letting them spend more time with customers.
**Finalists in this category are Conair Corporation and Ferrero.
SMB MARKET AWARD
The SMB Market Award is presented to the small to mid-sized consumer goods firm that is best utilizing technology or business initiatives to achieve substantial growth in size and/or revenue.
WINNER: TalkingRain
For more than 26 years, TalkingRain has stayed true to its vision and its commitment to community by continually creating great tasting, refreshing beverages for people who desire a healthier lifestyle. The company is proof positive that taking a new approach to an established brand is well worth it. Rather than spending its resources on developing new trendy beverages, TalkingRain reinvested in technology, recipe, design and marketing behind the 20-year-old SparklingICE brand. As a result, the company experienced an explosion in sales, increasing branded business revenue 500 percent in two years. Sparkling Ice was selected as a Food & Beverage "Rising Star" in the SymphonyIRI Group's 2011 New Product Pacesetters report. The drinks are now the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverage brand in the United States. SparklingICE is launching two new flavors this year, as well as a separate line of Lemonades, and projects its SparklingICE brand to post retail sales of well over $400 million in 2013.
**Finalists in this category are Blue Diamond Growers and Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt.
DICK CLARK SUPPLY CHAIN AWARD
In honor of the late supply chain visionary Dick Clark, this award is presented to a consumer goods firm for excellence in executing improvements in supply or demand planning, warehouse management, transportation management, S&OP processes or supply chain network design.
WINNER: Crocs, Inc.
In 2012, Crocs celebrated its 10th anniversary and reached $1 billion in annual sales for the first time in the company’s history. Largely contributing to this success has been Crocs’ best-in-class supply chain. Effective global supply chain management has been integral to Crocs’ continued growth and ability to meet rising consumer demand. Strategic initiatives include:
**Finalists in this category are The Clorox Company and Shell.
Congratulations to all of our 2013 finalists and winners. For in-depth coverage on each of these stories, read CGT’s upcoming December issue.
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Nominations in three award categories were collected from the CGT community throughout 2013. These nominations were then narrowed down to a group of three finalists by CGT's editorial staff based on multiple award criteria, like project scope, goals and results realized thus far. This shorter list was then sent to CGT's 45 advisory board members, which elected one “winner” in each category.
So with the votes tallied, CGT would like to proudly reveal the Business & Technology Award winners for 2013.
CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT AWARD
The Customer Management Award is presented to the consumer goods firm that is best leveraging technology or business process change to manage customer relationships, trade promotions, marketing and/or consumer insights.
WINNER: Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPSG) transformed its mobile sales force from order takers to consultative sales professionals by deploying a suite of tools called MyDPS. The solution builds a selling story for a specific customer, leveraging actionable analytics and visually exciting sales collateral that are all available in real-time. Promotional information is now entered into a single portal, which then distributes the relevant promotions to the field sales persons iPad contextually aligned by customer. Sales teams carry a single device that contains all information they need, making them more efficient and letting them spend more time with customers.
**Finalists in this category are Conair Corporation and Ferrero.
SMB MARKET AWARD
The SMB Market Award is presented to the small to mid-sized consumer goods firm that is best utilizing technology or business initiatives to achieve substantial growth in size and/or revenue.
WINNER: TalkingRain
For more than 26 years, TalkingRain has stayed true to its vision and its commitment to community by continually creating great tasting, refreshing beverages for people who desire a healthier lifestyle. The company is proof positive that taking a new approach to an established brand is well worth it. Rather than spending its resources on developing new trendy beverages, TalkingRain reinvested in technology, recipe, design and marketing behind the 20-year-old SparklingICE brand. As a result, the company experienced an explosion in sales, increasing branded business revenue 500 percent in two years. Sparkling Ice was selected as a Food & Beverage "Rising Star" in the SymphonyIRI Group's 2011 New Product Pacesetters report. The drinks are now the fastest-growing non-alcoholic beverage brand in the United States. SparklingICE is launching two new flavors this year, as well as a separate line of Lemonades, and projects its SparklingICE brand to post retail sales of well over $400 million in 2013.
**Finalists in this category are Blue Diamond Growers and Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt.
DICK CLARK SUPPLY CHAIN AWARD
In honor of the late supply chain visionary Dick Clark, this award is presented to a consumer goods firm for excellence in executing improvements in supply or demand planning, warehouse management, transportation management, S&OP processes or supply chain network design.
WINNER: Crocs, Inc.
In 2012, Crocs celebrated its 10th anniversary and reached $1 billion in annual sales for the first time in the company’s history. Largely contributing to this success has been Crocs’ best-in-class supply chain. Effective global supply chain management has been integral to Crocs’ continued growth and ability to meet rising consumer demand. Strategic initiatives include:
- Streamlined Distribution Centers: In 2012, Crocs shifted relevant responsibilities, such as value-added packaging and markings on footwear from distribution centers to manufacturing locations. These changes have resulted in 8 percent to 10 percent total product cost savings.
- Management of Excess Inventory: Crocs places an emphasis on getting a read on consumer product receptivity early and frequently, both in stores and online. This allows the company to more accurately meet consumer demand by manufacturing additional popular items and scaling back on production of items that are selling more slowly, greatly reducing its inventory levels.
- Reducing Concentration of Manufacturing Facilities: During the past 12 months, Crocs has undertaken an effort to reduce the concentration of manufacturing facilities in any single country.
- ERP Implementation: Crocs is in the initial stages of implementing SAP ERP, which is expected to impact the global supply change process.
**Finalists in this category are The Clorox Company and Shell.
Congratulations to all of our 2013 finalists and winners. For in-depth coverage on each of these stories, read CGT’s upcoming December issue.
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