Last week, Sopheon took part in the Inspire Innovation Conference in Orlando, hosted by PDMA — Product Development & Management Association — a global association of innovation management professionals. It was an insightful four days packed with exploring all the best strategies for improving new product innovations.
The week concluded with the announcement of the 2022 Outstanding Corporate Innovator (OCI) Award.
All of us at Sopheon were thrilled to see our customer, The Hershey Company, walk away with the OCI award for 2022.
The OCI Award is the only global innovation award to recognize sustained and quantifiable business results from new products and services.
The Hershey Company presented the practices and processes that make their innovations successful at the Inspire Innovation Conference.
The Hershey Company and Sopheon
Sopheon’s partnership with Hershey began a few years ago. As we noted in the announcement at that time, Sopheon’s innovation management products and services would support the “digital transformation of Hershey’s product innovation portfolios.” It has been our distinct honor to help the company achieve many of its innovation-based goals.
With Accolade®, The Hershey Company simplified project types from 30 to 8, based on complexity.
Hershey’s commitment to innovation is second to none. As the award judges noted, “The Hershey Company has demonstrated seamless and open innovation resulting in growth, strong work processes, brand recognition, and an exemplary culture.”
For more than 125 years, the industry-leading snacks company has been committed to operating fairly, ethically, and sustainably. The company has approximately 19,000 employees around the world and is responsible for more than 100 brand names, including Hershey's, Reese's, Kit Kat®, Jolly Rancher, SkinnyPop, and Pirate's Booty. Hershey’s products are enjoyed in nearly 80 countries, resulting in more than $8.9 billion in annual revenues.
Hershey’s inspires innovation through their passion for creating moments of goodness for consumers around the world. We are proud to partner with Hershey in its innovation efforts, and we offer our heartiest congratulations on this well-deserved industry recognition.
As noted in a Sopheon webinar:
“Sopheon pushed us hard, and we leveraged their expertise within the PPM space to put us in a better spot to become a snacking powerhouse. Sopheon helped us create a better overall solution that helps us tie together formerly disconnected processes and bring forth a unified vision for product innovation.”
Nate Forney, Senior Manager of Portfolio Process and Analytics, The Hershey Company
Embracing innovation always wins.
Read the case study to see how Sopheon helps The Hershey Company innovate moments of goodness.
Sopheon is proud to partner with the PDMA, a community of professional members whose skills, expertise, and experience power the most recognized and respected innovative companies in the world. For more information about the PDMA or to become a member, please visit their website.
