We believe that better solutions are created through better collaboration. Our unique approach to Co-Development is combined with our breadth of capabilities – including recipe creation, pilot testing and sustainable sourcing – to help optimize your product and strengthen your business. All of this is delivered in the strictest confidentiality.
From better understanding to flexible launch
Throughout the Co-Development process our team of specialists are there when it counts – in-person and virtually – to walk your value chain and solve the unique challenges and opportunities that may arise – from plant to brand. Put simply, AAK’s approach to Co-Development is driven by your needs, built on a collaboration, and geared for better success rates. We strive to ensure that we are Making Better Happen™.
A Co-Development process in six steps
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We start by understanding your needs and business opportunities, and we collaborate all the way throughout the launch of your product. 1. Understand better 2. Ideate 3. Create 4. Prove 5. Implement 6. Launch |
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1. Understand better
A dialogue about your business, products, and value chain
The Co-Development process starts with our passion to understand what better means for you.
AAK specialists walk the relevant parts of your value chain – from plant to brand – to evaluate improvement possibilities. Specially designed tools and techniques are used to help identify your existing pains and potential gains.
Business opportunities are identified in partnership. The outcome is an aligned understanding of what better looks like, and a shared definition of success criteria for our project.
2. Ideate
Collaborative ideation sessions
We build a team with a depth and breadth of experience in your market segment, and a true understanding of your business, products, and processes.
Ideation sessions are facilitated in close collaboration to identify business opportunities and potential solutions. The core team can access relevant specialists and technical knowledge from the global AAK cross-functional network as required – either in person or virtually. We look to other areas of our business and use their experience with similar challenges as inspiration.
Our opportunity management system helps screen ideas and secure joint commitment to the ideas we wish to move forward. Together, we prioritize ideas of greatest benefit to both partners. Win-win is an essential criterion for a successful Co-Development relationship.
3. Create
From idea to potential solution
We use prioritized ideas as the starting point to create and construct potential solutions. We do this by connecting our technical application capabilities with access to an extremely broad portfolio of plant-based oils and fractions.
This step frequently involves our Customer Innovation Centers located around the globe. Each one is a pilot facility where concepts are developed, tested, and refined in conditions that mirror your own manufacturing process, greatly accelerating development times.
AAK’s application capabilities and experience from working across many industries are the origin of our unique insight into how oils and fats function. They give us a deep understanding of how our plant-based oil solutions interact with other components and how they will affect your final product.
AAK’s multi-oil portfolio is the broadest in our industry, providing us with the building blocks for solution formulation.
But we are by no means limited to technical solutions. Often creation encompasses the whole value chain – from sustainable sourcing all the way through to generating marketing claims and benefits.
Our multi-oil, multi-process, full value chain approach opens a wide variety of possibilities. It allows us to combine components to deliver customized solutions. This is how we are making better happen for our customers. This is how we will create better solutions together with you that can deliver:
- Better functionality
- Better sensory profile
- Better quality
- Better process efficiency in your plant
- Better health profile
- Better sustainability profile
4. Prove
Proof-of-concept in realistic conditions
Before progressing to full-scale production and market launch, we appreciate how crucial it is to fully test and validate our solution in your product under real-life production conditions. We can do this in our Customer Innovation Centers and/or on your own production line.
At AAK, we have a scientific, hands-on approach to testing based on the highest quality standards, ensuring that your product meets all required specifications and success criteria. Necessary documentation can be provided to enable compliance with appropriate legislation.
We never compromise on the safety and quality of products. You can trust that AAK’s quality and food safety standards cover the entire value chain – from raw material to finished product. We meet high standards at all of our sites and follow the strict requirements of today’s leading brand owners and global marketers.
5. Implement
Supporting you from a test set-up to full-scale implementation
At AAK, we take responsibility for every solution we create.
Following technical and commercial approval, we offer hands-on assistance to implement and optimize our solution on your production line and within your organization.
Our support frequently goes beyond the technical, to include other critical functions such as supply chain, sustainability, and marketing. We ensure feasibility of supply in required quantities from AAK operations. We work with you to provide necessary documentation as proof of marketing claims.
This additional level of support reduces time to market and shortens the path to market success.
6. Launch
Support your launch requirements and plan for continuous improvement
Our collaboration continues throughout the launch of your product.
The agility and flexibility designed into our operation mean we can support you as you go-to-market, by starting small and expanding fast, or by customizing to meet local requirements.
AAK’s global coverage and local presence means we can assist you when expanding production into new markets. With sales offices, customization facilities, and production plants across the world, we combine a global network with local understanding and resources. This extends right down to the detail of labeling products to meet specific market regulations.
Following launch, we continue to be there for you. From a Co-Development perspective this can include planning a pipeline of continuous improvements to keep you one step ahead of the market.
