VERTICALFOCUS FACING SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES While some challenges are common to every industry, others are unique to a particular market segment. The cosmetics industry will face at least four unique supply chain challenges in 2023, according to analysts at rfxcel, a part of the Antares Vision Group. Combating counterfeit goods. Cosmetics are often pricey, which makes them attractive to counterfeiters. In fact, counterfeit products cost the cosmetics and personal care sector between $4.5 million and $5.6 million and created 10% of all customs seizures in 2019, according to a Statistica report. “Traceability in a digital supply chain, including serialization and real-time environmental monitoring solutions, is the best defense,” the report advises. Ensuring sustainability. While regulatory concerns drive sustainability eorts at many companies, cosmetics consumers continue to demand accountability, requiring suppliers to focus on sustainable sourcing, packaging, and manufacturing. Minimizing product damage. Climate control that reduces the risk of damage during shipment is crucial. Cosmetics companies should make climate control part of a larger real-time environmental monitoring solution such as Integrated Monitoring, which uses Internet of Things devices to monitor conditions, including temperature, during transportation. Addressing labor issues. Sourcing high-quality ingredients is essential, but the cosmetics sector has dealt with illegal labor issues. Sourcing requires vigilant monitoring of labor practices, making end-to-end traceability, visibility, and transparency crucial.
ULTA ULTRA FOCUSED ON TECH Technology is changing the playing field for all industries, including beauty products. The larger players understand that the technologies that disrupt a process today can lead to huge e ciencies and profits tomorrow. They are investing more time and money in funding the development of technology that will drive their business forward. Take Ulta Beauty as an example. The largest beauty retailer in the United States recently launched Prisma Ventures, a digital innovation fund that will invest $20 million in emerging tech startups with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, augmented reality, Internet of Things, and personalized data-driven technology. The Ulta Beauty Prisma Ventures team evaluates these tech startups based on five key metrics: 1. Alignment with an Ulta focus area 2. Leadership and cultural compatibility
3. Diligence and risk assessment 4. Business plan and scalability 5. IP and dierentiation
APPLYING A BETTER FOUNDATION While the benefits of robotics solutions in cosmetics manufacturing are solid, implementation can prove shaky. Packaging or picking products that come in a range of sizes and shapes creates unique challenges that have led many cosmetics companies to build processes that piece together a variety of solutions. For example, because cosmetics products often deal with liquids at a variety of viscosities, liquid filling can be particularly troublesome for manufacturers with diverse product ranges. There may be another way. Shemesh Automation has developed a solution that the company says can handle feeding, filling, capping, labeling, case packing, and palletizing cosmetics products of all shapes and sizes. The company’s TKS-C60 solution consists of three ABB Delta Robots—one on the product unscrambling station, one for multi-capping, and one for case packing—and an integrated vision system. The solution is able to pack multiple product types with one line, according to the company. Early investments in start-ups that include Haut.ai, Adeptmind, Revea, LUUM, and ReStyle have enabled greater personalization and diagnosis within Ulta Beauty’s digital skin and hair experiences, the company says.
March 2023 • Inbound Logistics 17
Powered by FlippingBook