Our client is a leading international player
in the food and beverage service sector and
wanted to develop an innovation pipeline
covering multiple food service channels.

Our client asked:

Our client also wanted a technology roadmap – straddling both digital and
breakthrough electromechanical elements – to underpin this pipeline, with both
elements having a five-year timescale.

A key challenge was to build organisational alignment behind the proposed plans.

The project story:

We started by identifying key market trends, including consumer behaviors,
customer (retailer) needs, and competitive activity.

We assessed the client’s portfolio and identified how it could gain competitive
advantage through specific innovations. We then worked with the client to
develop a pipeline for each food service channel – split into short, medium and
long-term plans.

In an iterative process, we examined a range of enabling technologies – digital
and breakthrough electromechanical – from which we developed a five-year
technology roadmap.

Results: deliverables and outcomes

This was the first time that the client’s R&D division was able to propose a
fully integrated pipeline and technology roadmap across multiple food service
channels. Previously, each product line had its own roadmap but – with the
growing importance of digital – it was essential to have an integrated plan, with
a single digital platform and complementary digital functionality at its core.

The process involved collaboration with senior stakeholders across the
organisation. This involvement helped ensure high level buy-in to the final
outputs from the project.