Simulation Data Management Community Meeting

Enabling R&D through digital democratization: A Case Study in the Global Food Industry

Wednesday 10 December 2025 | Online

M​eeting Access

T​he meeting is open only to members of the SPDM Community and NAFEMS members. If you join the SPDM Community you will be notified regarding upcoming events. You can join the community by making sure you are logged-in to the NAFEMS website, and visiting the communities page here.

Presentation Abstract

Digital transformation is revolutionizing the consumer goods sector, driving innovation and optimizing product and process development. This initiative focuses on democratizing Simulation and Data Management for a global leader in the food and snack industry by leveraging commercial SPDM software technology. As part of a broader "Digital First" strategy, the project involves developing a Digital Developer Portal (DDP) to streamline R&D processes. The DDP provides easy access to advanced digital tools, allowing product developers to use digital simulations for formulation, processing, and packaging decisions. This toolset consolidates simulation data, models, and workflows, enabling cross-functional teams to make data-driven decisions efficiently.

Key features of the DDP include:

1. Centralized access to digital tools.
2. Simultaneous outputs from multiple tools for better decision-making.
3. Automated workflows integrating multiple tools.
4. Quick scenario comparisons through automated reports.

The system offers significant benefits such as Simulation Lead Design, ensuring developers use digital tools from the start, and uniting global teams through a collaborative platform. The DDP democratizes access to sophisticated tools, enables workflow automation, and ensures robust data management with traceability and analysis capabilities. Integrating the SPDM platform and PIDO tools accelerates the transition from physical to virtual prototyping, enhancing collaboration and innovation in product development. This case study showcases the transformative potential of SPDM systems in adopting digital-first approaches, reducing time to market, and improving R&D effectiveness in the consumer goods industry.

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About the presenters

Edward Thorpe, from Mondelez (edward.throp@mdlz.com)

Edward studied Chemical Engineering at UMIST and started his career working for ICI in a multidisciplinary team where he built physical models of stirred tank reactors often in support of the modelling efforts. Following the demise of ICI he joined Fluent working initially as an account manager for the chemical, process food and drink industry. After a short time in sales he moved into a technical role in Fluent as a support/pre-sales and consulting engineer working with a range of industries including industries and companies including Cadbury (pre Mondelez). He remained with Ansys when they acquired Fluent and become the team leader for the Sheffield based consulting team.After nearly 20 years with Fluent/Ansys he took the opportunity to join Mondelez in the newly formed modelling and Simulation team. He has now been at Mondelez for 8 years as the lead CFD engineer in the team.

Leonel Garategaray, from Inensia (leonel.garategaray@inensia.com)

Leonel has a Degree in Aerospace Engineering and more than 15 years in the space industry, having worked in the Argentinean Space Agency (CONAE), including some missions in partnership with NASA and the Italian Space Agency. In his career, he worked as a Mechanical Simulation Engineer, Systems Engineer and Project Manager. He is Professor of “Design and Analysis of Spacecraft Structures” course in the Space Engineering career of the UNSAM University of Argentina. Currently works as SPDM Business Consultant at Inensia and presented in multiple NAFEMS Conferences.