Presenters Name: Dr Sunalee Gonawala
Employment Title: Research Scientist
Company: Dulux Group
Biography: Sunalee is a PhD-qualified research chemist with previous experience in drug development and polymer science. She joined Dulux Group in 2021 as a Research Scientist in the Research and Innovation group, where she primarily works on projects focusing on enhancing sustainability and elevating the quality of coatings. Her contribution to the coating industry was recognized with a technical excellence award by the Surface Coatings Association Australia last year.
Presentation Title: Harnessing the Power of Digital Advancements in NPD
Presentation Abstract: The formulation of paints has traditionally relied on empirical knowledge, trial-and-error methods, and years of experience of a skilled formulator. However, with the advent of data-driven approaches, this has now opened up new avenues for revolutionising paint formulation processes. The new product development (NPD) process is now benefiting from high throughput experimentation (HTE) where we have the ability to design experiments with series of variants and generate data to identify the best optimised formulation at speed. This advancement in data collection and analysis allows further optimisation of formulations to target unique properties and functionality. This presentation aims to explore the potential of data-driven formulation techniques in enhancing paint development, improving product performance, and streamlining the formulation workflow. We will explore how this new approach cannot only benefit current project goals but also generate valuable data to expedite future projects. This approach also enables us to formulate coatings with greater efficiency, minimising waste generated and improving the sustainability of our formulating process.
