Christopher Yows & Dr. Pepper Case At The Structural Packaging Summit
The “Structural Packaging Summit,” is approaching in Feb/March of 2012 and Marc Drucker, President of Newlogic will be discussing patent reform coming and the dramatic change it will have on R&D. As we ramp up for the summit, we thought we’d interview some of the other presenters.
Christopher Yows is a 17 year veteran a R&D/Leverage, and runs its Structural Brand Development Business unit. He will be co-presenting with Patrick George Director of Engineering at Dr. Pepper Snapple Group on the topic, Rapid Refresh in 28 weeks – An “Idea to tool” process.
John: Your Company is both a manufacturing and design company. What inspired your company to work on both areas?
Christopher: R&D/Leverage started as a job shop for the packaging industry, and initially produced mold & tooling components. Until 5 years ago, we were an engineering, package development, and mold manufacturing company that focused on the food & beverage, home & personal care, and healthcare industries. We decided to develop a business model that allowed us the opportunity to engage in projects during the brand identification stage, resulting in a quicker product launch into retailers.
Looking back we realized there was often a gap in communication between ourselves and the brands. To get closer to the action, we created our own structural brand development offering and our teams now develop consumer preferred designs that incorporate an engineering voice. Today we work direct with disciplines such as marketing, consumer/shopper insight, design, engineering, and operations to make sure all voices are part of the process. We saw this gap in the market space and decided to act upon it.
John: What did you learn from the design process for manufacturing?
Christopher: We’ve learned that success is a balance of both the creative & technical disciplines when moving through a product development process. When this happens, new insights are generated, form factors developed, and innovation pops-up everywhere. Again, the key is balancing the different disciplines and working together towards a common goal.
John: Can you describe the “idea to tool,” process?
Christopher: It’s a tag line for what we do. For example, marketing generally arrives to us with an idea or brief. We touch consumers through our discovery phrase; unlocking all their needs & desires, which then transform into form studies. We work in both 2D & 3D when turning those form studies into reality. Once design intent is created; RDL brings the pack to life by creating molds/tooling; whether it’s for development, pre-production, or full scale production. Our “idea to tool” process brings life to ideas.
John: What are some of your highlights in your upcoming presentations at the Structural Packaging Summit?
Christopher: It’s a co-presentation with RDL and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. We’ll be reviewing a case study for the 20oz single-serve pack that Dr. Pepper Snapple Group uses across multiple brands. The presentation will highlight some of the methodologies used to glean insights and will review both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the program.
John: What’s your background in the industry?
Christopher: I was educated in the engineering world and created some balance by acquiring an MBA. I was hired into our organization 17 years ago through the engineering door and now drive our structural brand development offering. With my background, it was a natural fit to transition into our new division and help bring it to life.
The "Structural Packaging Summit" takes place from February 28 to March 1st in St. Augustine Florida. Go to the structural packaging summit's website if you're interested in registering .
Compiled by Greg Covelle & John Cass