Case Study: Brown-Forman accelerates product innovation and time-to-market with Selerant DevEX

Brown-Forman - Customer Case Study

Brown-Forman, a major global spirits company, faced significant challenges in managing its rapidly accelerating new product development. With the number of projects growing tenfold, its spreadsheet-based systems were insufficient, leading to inefficient processes, a lack of standardization, and difficulty managing an increasing amount of data related to ingredients and regulations. To support its innovation strategy, the company needed a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution that was compatible with its existing SAP and Oracle systems, prompting them to partner with vendor Consumer Goods Technology and implement Selerant's DevEX software.

The solution implemented by Consumer Goods Technology and Selerant standardized Brown-Forman's formula management and review processes. The DevEX system integrated product information, which allowed for faster and more accurate formula building and provided powerful tools for data analysis. This resulted in significantly improved efficiency, accelerated time-to-market, and enhanced regulatory compliance. The measurable impact was substantial, contributing to a 12% increase in net sales to $1.9 billion for the first half of the fiscal year, driven by the successful launches of innovative products like Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey.

Brown-Forman

Jimmy Bookstore

Director of New Product Development & Innovation