Page 43 - Food & Drink Magazine April 2020

brands to keep pace with a rapidly evolving mix of consumer expectations.
“The insights platform has been designed to help our clients stay ahead of any industry developments that affect their brands.
“It allows them to focus on making the best possible decisions based on a powerful and instantaneous read of all available information,” he says.
“Our clients are operating in an environment which evolves at an incredible rate, where stock-outs and uncompetitive pricing present substantial risk to a brand’s performance.
“The delineation between segments and demographics, in terms of brand preference, is far more fluid than in the past, and FMCG analytics needs to move seamlesslyintandemwith these changes.
“Most FMCG executives are highly sensitive to the consequences of being caught
on the wrong side of modern consumer demands for highly individualised and convenient experiences. AI-powered data analytics helps them keep on top of these shifting dynamics.”
THE ENTHUSIASM OF EARLY ADOPTERS
SC Johnson is one of the clients selected by Quantium for early access to the platform.
According to SC Johnson national account manager Tania Hallal, the application of AI to leverage the company’s data assets had delivered time savings as well as surfacing new insights.
“The NPD benchmarking,
in particular, is the kind of thing I didn’t have time to run each week. Having it surfaced to me in such an intuitive and relevantwayreallyaddsvalue,” says Hallal.
“It means my own time can be spent where it’s most effective. The AI does most of the leg work
across the data, showing me where I may need to focus my attention, meaning that I can drill deep into the detail and translate those insights into action sooner.”
The functionality
and convenience of the platform represents a
huge leap forward, not just for clients like SC Johnson
or for Quantium itself, but
for the implementation of AI right across the FMCG sector, Miklis says.
He sees this as just the beginning. Capabilities that were until recently the domain of a highly select group of data scientists are now accessible to brand managers.
“Our end goal with the platform, and with so much of our other work, is to make AI-powereddecisionmakinga natural part of FMCG’s everyday operating rhythm.
“The sheer volume of data we can harness to make business
decisions would be otherwise be paralysing, without the power of AI to sort the signal from the noise and drive actionable business changes.
“It’s not enough to surface a universe of insights – clients need defined and actionable solutions, which is what this platform provides and ultimately, what our business isallabout.” ✷
OPPOSITE: Karl Miklis, FMCG executive at Quantium, says the aim is to make AI-powered decision making a natural part of the everyday operating rhythm.
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www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | April 2020 | Food&Drink business | 43
orchards mapping fruit attributes and, when the images and data are processed, growers will view results via a mobile phone app.”
RESEARCH, INDUSTRY COLLABORATION
Wang is partnering with Perfection Fresh Australia, which has the rights to the Calypso mango variety. The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is also working on the project to test technologies on trees planted in different densities.
“The intent of the work is to create an online platform that shares information through the Calypso mango supply chain to improve harvest planning, fruit management and marketing,” Wang said.
Queensland and the Northern Territory produce around 95 per cent of Australia’s mango crop, worth $180 million a year.
Minister for Innovation Kate Jones said horticulture is the second largest primary industry in Queensland, employing around 25,000 people.
“Farmers and marketers have the challenge of knowing how much crop is on the tree and when it will be ready for harvest.
“China, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore love Queensland mangoes and this project will support export marketing,” she said.
Wang’s project is one of 35 projects across the state supported by the $7.62 million Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowships.