In a rapidly changing environment, innovating increasingly requires the ability to adapt to new technologies. The new Formula Development Laboratory of Natura, inaugurated in July in Cajamar, features a fully adaptable infrastructure system for innovations that we don’t even know are coming yet. Furthermore, the new laboratory brings greater speed, accuracy, and flexibility to the development of formulas and prototypes, reducing the time it takes for each product to reach the market.
Spanning an area of over 800m², the Laboratory is equipped with plug and play technology, allowing for different configurations of the space. Mobile technological kiosks, connected to an overhead infrastructure system, enable the plugging and unplugging of installations that are usually fixed, such as water, sewage, compressed air, and electricity conduits. This system can traverse all the laboratory benches, which are also mobile, increasing the flexibility of the installations and fostering innovation.
The space also features a new “pilot plant,” with industrial equipment in reduced proportions, capable of simulating the production stages of the factory with small volumes, making it easier and more efficient to scale up the production of a prototype. “Previously, we would make one kilogram of product and take it to the factory to produce tons. Now, the accuracy is much greater,” explains Daniel Gonzaga, Director of Product Innovation at Natura.
In addition to a higher degree of accuracy in formula development and flexibility for product development, the new laboratory is also expected to increase the speed at which Natura brings innovation to its portfolio.
Currently, the company develops over two thousand prototypes in parallel and launches an average of 250 new products every year. Roseli Mello, Director of Expanded Innovation, explains that the new laboratory will help reduce the time to market, the time between the development of a new product and its sale to the end consumer. “Moreover, the optimization of workflows and the flexibility to operate will allow researchers to focus even more on innovations that bring sensory experiences and exclusive benefits, such as the newly launched Chronos Acqua Biohydrating,” she concludes.
The Formula Development Laboratory is part of the new Innovation Center of Natura in Cajamar, which will also include areas dedicated to advanced research, prototyping, co-creation, experimentation, and testing of new products.
See also the article published in Revista Exame on the subject.
