Reckitt Benckiser Enhances Product Development with Enterprise-wide Deployment of Sopheon’s Process and Portfolio Management System
Household-Cleaning Product Giant Implements Sopheon’s Accolade to Establish a Common Process for Creating New Products

Sopheon, the international software and services company, confirmed today that Reckitt Benckiser, one of the world’s largest household-cleaning products manufacturers, has implemented Sopheon’s Accolade process and portfolio management system to provide an enterprise-wide platform for new product development. The company began using the solution a little more than a year ago in an initial deployment that spans 40 countries and involves approximately 600 users in marketing, research and development, manufacturing, finance and executive management.

Reckitt Benckiser is a global consumer goods manufacturer with operations in 60 countries. The company’s well-known brands include Lysol, Finish, Air Wick, Vanish, Easy-Off, Woolite, Spray ‘n Wash, d-Con and French’s Mustard. Reckitt Benckiser is using Sopheon’s Accolade to establish a common process for developing new products across all of its operating units. Deployment of the software is an element of a larger strategy aimed at supporting the creation of new-to-the-world consumer products and minimizing the time required to bring those products to market. New product launches within the past 36 months account for almost 40% of Reckitt Benckiser’s total net revenues.

The collaborative, Web-based environment produced by the Accolade system allows cross-functional teams that drive the company’s innovation processes to work more efficiently and reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks. A principal reason for Reckitt Benckiser’s selection of Accolade was the Sopheon solution’s capacity to integrate with Microsoft Office technologies. This feature provides users with access to a mix of robust, easy-to-use tools for capturing, recording and reporting critical project-related information. Accolade’s portfolio management capabilities provide real-time views of the business potential and status of projects to inform project selection and prioritization decisions.

“Reckitt Benckiser’s continued leadership of the household-cleaning products market is directly attributable to their year-after-year success in developing superior new products,” said Mike Connolly, European director for Sopheon. “Their selection of Accolade is a reflection of the strict, sophisticated standards and requirements that have made them masters of innovation. Reckitt Benckiser’s deployment extends a pattern of recent Accolade adoption by some of the most creative and top-performing consumer packaged goods companies in the world. We’re delighted by the growing acceptance of our offering in this demanding, high-potential market.”

Sopheon Accolade® is a registered trademark of Sopheon plc.

Lysol®, Finish®, Air Wick®, Vanish®, Easy-Off®, Woolite®, Spray ‘n Wash®, d-Con® and French’s Mustard® are registered trademarks of Reckitt Benckiser plc. Microsoft® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

All other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners.

About Reckitt Benckiser
Reckitt Benckiser is the world’s No.1 Company in household-cleaning products, (excluding laundry) and a leading player in health and personal care. They are a truly global company with a consumer-oriented vision, operations in 60 countries, sales in 180 countries and net revenues in excess of £4 billion/$7 billion. Reckitt Benckiser is passionate about delivering better solutions – making life easier for consumers around the world is what drives their constant innovation. For more information, please visit www.reckittbenckiser.com.