BONDO Taps Into Software to Optimize Product Development, Accelerate Time to Market

BONDO, a leading manufacturer of automotive-, household- and marine-repair products, has successfully deployed Optiva software, developed by Formation Systems, to strengthen and streamline product innovation and deployment capabilities. Optiva’s Product Lifecycle Management software provides BONDO with an integrated, holistic view into the product-development process from creation through introduction.

BONDO produces more than 700 items, including products for automotive-body repair, paint removers, spray paints, primers and other household-repair products, as well as marine products. In addition to assuring product quality, BONDO must also manage the added complexity of adhering to the diverse safety and compliance regulations for its global product distribution to more than 100 countries.

“As the de facto standard for a majority of automotive-, household- and marine-repair products, BONDO is charged with assuring product quality and consumer availability across our extensive product line,” said Pat Formica, president of BONDO. “Optiva provides us with the tools we need to better utilize and share formula information to support new product development and expedite time to market while also automating quality assurance, control and other business operations to maintain high standards.”

To fully manage its innovation process and more closely integrate R&D with other elements of the product-production process, BONDO selected Optiva. With Optiva, BONDO is aligning initial development with material specifications, regulatory compliance and other key factors in maintaining superior quality in current and future products.

“Organizations like BONDO continue to succeed by focusing on new products while also continually tuning their established business processes to reduce costs,” said Dan Keelan, president and CEO of Formation Systems. “By leveraging Optiva to interlock R&D with quality assurance and other process checkpoints, BONDO is able to effectively support its diverse product line while increasing profit margins.”

Tighter Integration, Increased Automation

Formation Systems’ Optiva software enables BONDO to increase profits through tighter integration and increased automation across the innovation process. Using Freestyle, Optiva’s customizable Web-based interface, users are able to set views and fields based on individual preferences. The Optiva Formulation module provides a single system of record for all R&D projects as well as existing product formulas. Enhanced Optiva Formulation module analytics catalog and track materials included in diverse product formulas, enabling users to identify approved materials in existing products for use in future product development.

To streamline and automate global regulatory restrictions, Optiva Compliance serves as a single point of reference among BONDO’s quality-assurance, quality-control and product-development departments. The result is increased quality assurance and control, while quickly identifying and eliminating development delays. Added workflow capabilities support BONDO’s customized approval process to track the process concept to product.

To reduce material costs, the Optiva Strategic Sourcing module aggregates technical raw material specifications, enabling BONDO to easily identify and match material purchases across all business units. A combined organizational view of purchasing coupled with material detail enables BONDO to compare vendor data to quality specifications, identify low-cost substitutions, rationalize raw materials and control the proliferation of new materials. Armed with this knowledge, purchasing can negotiate better material quotes, address quality improvement and identify cost-reduction opportunities.

About BONDO

Fueled by both innovation and acquisition, BONDO manufactures and markets products under the BONDO, MARHYDE, BONDO HOME SOLUTIONS, DYNATRON, MARSON, LAMINEX and BONDO MARINE brand names. The company’s product line includes adhesive kits, body fillers and putties, fiberglass-repair products, paint removers, plastic-repair products, rivets, spray paints, super glue, home-repair kits, undercoatings, vinyl/fabric colors, paint removers, paint hardeners and catalysts. BONDO products are distributed through mass merchandisers, automotive-parts retailers and jobbers.

About Formation Systems

Formation Systems develops Optiva, a suite of product-development software for the process industries. Formation’s software offers customers high return, low risk and quick benefits. Founded in 1995, Formation Systems is privately held and headquartered in Southborough, Mass.

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For more information on Formation Systems’ suite of product-development software, visit the corporate Web site http://www.formationsystems.com.