The collaboration combines L’Oréal’s expertise in cosmetic science with IBM’s AI technologies for scientific discoveries, to unlock a future where science and technology can inform solutions that are both ecologically responsible and innovative. To preserve Earth’s natural resources, most consumer products companies are exploring renewable, sustainably sourced raw materials when developing products. This effort will contribute to helping L’Oréal meet its L’Oréal for the Future’s target of sourcing most of its product formulas based on bio-sourced materials and/or the circular economy by 2030.

“Building on years of unique Beauty science expertise and of data structuring, this major alliance with IBM is opening a new exciting era for our innovation and development process”, said Matthieu Cassier, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer, L’Oréal Research and Innovation.

The creation of this AI model will use a large number of formulations and component data points to accelerate multiple tasks to be performed by L’Oréal, including the formulation of new products, reformulation of existing cosmetics and optimization for scale-up production – tools that will better equip L’Oréal’s 4,000 researchers worldwide over the next several years. In addition, IBM Consulting will support L’Oréal in its aim to rethink and redesign the formulation discovery process. Understanding the behaviors of renewable ingredients in cosmetic formulas will help L’Oréal build out more sustainable product lines with greater inclusivity and personalization for its consumers around the world.

“This collaboration is a truly impactful application of generative AI, leveraging the power of technology and expertise for the good of the planet”, said Alessandro Curioni, IBM Fellow, Vice President Europe and Africa and Director IBM Research Zurich. “At IBM, we believe in the power of purpose-built, customized AI to help transform businesses. Using IBM’s latest AI technology, L’Oréal will be able to derive meaningful insights from their rich formula and product data to create a tailored AI model to help achieve their operational goals and continue creating high quality and sustainable products.”

Foundation models are a type of AI model trained on a broad set of unlabeled data, capable of performing various tasks and applying information from one situation to another. These models have significantly advanced the field of natural language processing (NLP) technology over the past several years, and IBM is pursuing applications of foundation models beyond language, in areas such as chemistry, time series and geospatial modalities. IBM’s AI technology has the potential to augment L’Oréal’s creativity in finding new cosmetic formulations to transform the beauty industry. L’Oréal, together with IBM’s expertise and technology, aims to shape a future where innovation meets sustainability, delivering unique, customer-driven products.

What this means for ERP Insiders

The intersection of AI and sustainability is well-trafficked. Syntilay introduced the world’s first AI-designed, 3D-printed shoe, with 70% of its design generated using AI technology. Customers can personalize the fit by scanning their feet with a phone camera, ensuring a custom fit and reducing waste associated with traditional manufacturing processes. Amazon Fresh grocery teams are using machine learning-based solutions to automate store shelf monitoring for fruits and vegetables. This AI-powered system analyzes images to detect visual imperfections, helping to reduce food waste by ensuring only quality produce is sold. Eugenie.ai is an emission intelligence platform that assists manufacturers in industries like metal, mining, oil, and gas to decarbonize their operations. By utilizing AI, Eugenie.ai helps companies achieve higher environmental regulation compliance and promotes sustainable growth. Stylumia is an Indian software as a service company that provides AI-driven fashion analytics tools to apparel industries. Stylumia has helped reduce the fashion industry’s carbon footprint by 60 million garments per annum through accurate demand prediction and trend forecasting, minimizing overproduction. And Infineon Technologies Austria launched the ALL2GaN project to improve energy efficiency by up to 30% using energy-saving gallium nitride semiconductors. This technology has the potential to save an estimated 218 million tons of CO₂ worldwide.

ERP providers are leveraging AI to help health and beauty customers achieve sustainability goals. SAP offers the Green Ledger, a carbon accounting software integrated with financial systems running on SAP S/4HANA Cloud. This tool enables companies to track, measure, and report carbon impacts at a transactional level, aligning carbon and financial data to enhance decision-making and sustainability reporting. Epicor’s ERP solutions incorporate AI to help manufacturers, including those in the health and beauty sector, decarbonize operations. By integrating tools like the Advanced Manufacturing Execution System (MES), companies can monitor machine cycles and energy consumption, allowing for more efficient production processes and reduced carbon emissions. And while not a traditional ERP provider, Persefoni offers a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that integrates with existing ERP systems, such as SAP or Oracle. Their solution automates the calculation, management, and reporting of carbon usage data, enabling companies to monitor emissions and meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance goals.

AI is transforming the jobs of product designers within consumer product companies. As is the case with L’Oreal’s collaboration with IBM, AI tools will analyze the carbon footprint of materials and suggest sustainable alternatives (e.g., EC3’s AI-driven sustainability reports). And GenAI can help redesign packaging to minimize material usage while maintaining aesthetic appeal. AI-driven trend analysis tools (e.g., Stylumia, Heuritech) will predict consumer preferences and design trends based on social media, sales data, and competitor movements. GenAI tools like DALL·E and Adobe Firefly will assist in quickly generating mood boards, product sketches, and packaging concepts. And AI will analyze historical design success rates to suggest product improvements. AI will automate CAD modeling and prototyping with tools like Autodesk’s AI-powered Dreamcatcher, allowing for rapid iterations. AI-generated material optimization models will suggest eco-friendly, cost-effective materials based on product specifications. And virtual testing through AI simulations will predict durability, sustainability, and manufacturability before a physical prototype is made. Collectively, these advancements are estimated to drive 50% faster product development cycles, cost reductions, and more sustainable design choices. AI will enable hyper-personalized product designs that adapt to individual preferences (e.g., AI-assisted custom skincare formulas, 3D-printed custom footwear). And tools like Zoe AI for beauty and Nike By You’s AI-powered customization will make it easier to design consumer-specific products at scale.

The post IBM and L’Oréal to Build AI Model to Advance Sustainable Cosmetics appeared first on ERP Today.

Despite the ever-looming presence of an upcoming software deadline, or perhaps just the allure of shiny new tech, the move over to SAP S/4HANA or RISE with SAP sometimes isn’t the optimal business decision. In fact, there are several other ways in which an organization can remain competitive without having to rely on the latest-and-greatest.

ERP Today picked the brains of Rimini Street’s senior director of product marketing, Scott Hays, and Luiz Mariotto, GVP of SAP product management to discuss the risks with migrating over to newer systems and the options available for organizations that might not be quite ready for S/4HANA or RISE with SAP.

The first step to figuring out if an organization is ready to move forward with a new release is to determine the exact deadline date for software obsoletion. Those still running on SAP ECC versions 0-5, for example, will need a plan in place to prepare for SAP to stop supporting the software in 2025, with no more extensions provided. The organizations still operating with SAP ECC versions 6-8 have two more years to work out a business plan, with maintenance extended until 2030.

“S/4HANA has a one year cycle – every year you have a new version, with some versions already being supported for five years,” Mariotto said. “It’s put some S/4HANA clients in a very weird situation. We have several clients that implemented S/4HANA or upgraded from ECC to S/4HANA and they are out of support already.” Mariotto refers to the older versions of S/4HANA that have already stopped being supported.

Where Rimini Street can help in situations like this is to provide the third-party support to maintain older legacy systems that are no longer maintained by the original service providers. “With our clients,” Mariotto explained, “these [deadline] dates are irrelevant. There is support from Rimini Street for at least 15 years.”

While third-party support can indeed help maintain obsolete, yet still effective, systems, clients face another hurdle in the form of contract changes. For example, some SAP clients are being encouraged to convert existing contracts over to RISE contracts. However, before signing that dotted line, it’s integral to have a full understanding of the changes an organization faces.

The RISE with SAP transformation package comes bundled with a lot of complex technology and several different extensions, support services and cloud products to get used to. “It could be convenient for companies that don’t want to manage all these components, but it’s not necessarily good for every company,” Mariotto said. Bundled contracts have the chance to restrict a firm’s flexibility, with the potential to make macro shifts that could redefine the nature of the original contract.

On the topic of utilizing AI to enhance business processes, Hays discussed the importance of Rimini Street’s business-driven roadmap approach, compared to a vendor-driven one. “You’re innovating at the speed and discretion of the vendor and whatever use cases they decide to deliver AI for,” Hays said.

“As opposed to a business-driven roadmap, where you can use available tool skills and talent out there now; tools that go beyond the SAP environment and portfolio, tools that can help develop AI across applications. A business-driven roadmap for AI gets you maximum value from the existing investments.”

Rimini Street’s composable ERP approach means, rather than sticking to restrictive, monolithic ERP practices, an organization can customize its enterprise architecture to mirror its individual business needs. A composable ERP also means the digital overhaul won’t nearly be as extensive – overlaying AI doesn’t require a reworking of a firm’s core systems. While monolithic, vendor-driven ERP methods can restrict the use of particular technology, the composable ERP is able to utilize whatever best-in-class software is available.

It’s very easy to allow the threat of an incoming obsoletion date push a firm into making hasty, and potentially damaging, business decisions. Third-party support providers, like Rimini Street, offer alternative routes for clients to follow that aren’t dictated by a vendor’s contractual changes or technology stacks. Before jumping into the next digital overhaul for your business, it might be a good idea to investigate what alternatives are available – they could end up saving you money.

The post Stop and think before jumping headfirst into S/4HANA and RISE appeared first on ERP Today.

After being used to running its transactional processes via multiple instances of Oracle EBS and Oracle Database, the Japanese-based multinational imaging company decided to transition away from Oracle products but still needed to secure and protect sensitive data during the digital transformation, so settled on Rimini Protect. A security measure like Rimini Protect can be quickly deployed against unknown threats without the requirement of code changes to enact protective measures.

Keisuke Hamanaka, deputy general manager of process, IT and data management, Ricoh Company said on the decision to use Rimini Street: “We made a comparative evaluation with other companies offering similar services and concluded that Rimini Street is the only partner that can support the Japanese market with the high-quality support and protection we need, at a price that aligns with our financial goals.”

As Ricoh Company planned its next ERP move, the challenges of maintaining business continuity and protecting data reared their heads. The combination of Rimini Support and Rimini Protect was seen as a winning combo from Hamanaka’s perspective. “These services give Ricoh peace of mind knowing we have dependable security around the critical data in our Oracle Databases that back up EBS.”

Rimini Support can provide software maintenance services through use of its Advanced Application and Middleware Security (AAMS), a way in which companies can extend the longevity of its out-of-date enterprise tech without the need to upgrade to a potentially costly new platform.

Not wanting to upgrade to the latest cloud technology yet, Ricoh Company were attracted towards Rimini Street’s Advanced Database Security (ADS) service, a method that can protect releases that are no longer supported by the original software vendor.

Ricoh Company’s collaboration with Rimini Street resulted in real time, zero-day vulnerability protection without the need for extensive system downtime. The addition of Rimini Support meant that Ricoh Company’s Oracle systems will always be running at full speed despite being out-of-date. Hamanaka concluded: “We were able to divert resources from engaging in a major EBS upgrade, and save several billion yen at the same time.”

The post Ricoh Company maintain an image of top ERP health thanks to Rimini Street appeared first on ERP Today.

According to research, 57 percent of enterprise IT’s carbon footprint is attributable to workplace devices, so the offering is aimed at providing organizations with access to new sustainable IT solutions.

Since the 2021 announcement of Atos and BSI Kitemark’s partnership, Atos has expanded its portfolio and created a comprehensive suite of more than 20 “Tech for Good” services and solutions which encompass social value and accessibility criteria.

The first segment in the offering addresses device lifecycle management. Atos is now working with a global network of industrial partners to offer clients lower-carbon laptop replacement options which include performance-based refresh, extended use, refurbishing or remanufacturing.

The “Atos Tech 4 Good Assistant” application offers employees real-time feedback about their performance against environmental and social parameters. The assistant can recommend actions such as removing unnecessary programs, turning off the laptop or changing settings. Available via Microsoft Teams or pop-up notification, the assistant can offer a monthly performance report for each end user.

The final part of the sustainable workplace offering provides consolidated data and recommended actions to IT and CSR leaders. These recommendations allow leaders to closely monitor and manage their workplace carbon footprint as well as to improve the impact of the service in terms of social value and accessibility.

The Atos Tech 4 Good Assistant solution already monitors more than 100 device models, applications and services and offers over ten dashboards to track metrics like device redeployment and improved electricity use. The offering has been co-designed with several Atos clients to ensure it meets the needs of different industries and geographies before expanding to more devices and services as it ramps up in 2024.

Alexa Van Den Bempt, senior vice president, digital business platforms, tech foundations, Atos, said: “I am very excited about this new offering. Not only will it help meet our clients’ monitoring and reporting needs but we are also taking major strides towards making decarbonization more compelling, empowering employees to make the right choices for our planet.”

The post Atos launches sustainable digital suite to aid businesses appeared first on ERP Today.

The group is coming into the end of the year on a strong note, announcing today five new open source projects that will advance digital energy technologies including battery storage, grid resilience, EV charging, transmission facility ratings and open source sustainability data and research. 

These new projects, which come out of the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and industry organizations such as GE, AmpLabs and others, are said to be a step to building an open source tech stack to accelerate the energy transition. They are hoped to help us (i.e. the planet) to achieve our goal of a decarbonized energy system through open source technologies and collaborative development methodologies.

A call to ‘energy stakeholders’

“LF Energy’s momentum is truly astounding, however we cannot move fast enough to build the technologies necessary to accelerate the energy transition,” said LF Energy Interim executive director Arpit Joshipura. “I call on all energy stakeholders to get involved by open sourcing their internal tools, contributing to open source communities both at LF Energy and elsewhere, and to generally collaborate with one another to ensure we make every effort to decarbonize power systems to reduce the worst outcomes of climate change.”

The LF Energy Technical Advisory Council has voted to accept five new projects into the foundation, bringing the total to 30. These projects address a variety of technical requirements across power systems, including battery storage, grid resilience, EV charging, transmission facility rating, and open source sustainability research. 

The new projects include the LF Energy Battery Data Alliancem which was created to bring battery companies together to work jointly to unify how batteries are handled in terms of software. Battery data is core to creating a decarbonized economy and power systems, yet companies waste tremendous amounts of time implementing battery data schemas, integrations/conversions, typical calculations, etc. The Battery Data Alliance project was contributed to LF Energy by AmpLabs.

LF Energy CitrineOS offers a community-tested open source software for charger management which drives forward adoption of the OCPP 2.0.1 protocol resulting in more reliable charging networks worldwide. GRIP (Grid Resilience and Intelligence Platform) is designed to help electric grid operators anticipate, mitigate against, and recover from the effects of extreme weather events. 

Open Source Sustainability Ecosystem Report

Open Sustainable Tech is an informative platform and open science community that explores the impact, potential and strategies of the open source movement for sustainable technology development, business and transition. Earlier this year, LF Energy partnered with the project’s maintainers to release the 2023 Open Source Sustainability Ecosystem Report.

… and finally (for now) TROLIE (Transmission Ratings and Operating Limits Information Exchange, pronounced like “trolley”) aims to establish an open conformance standard and cultivate a software ecosystem to accelerate the implementation of reliable, secure, and interoperable systems for the exchange of transmission facility ratings and related information. 

As energy represents infrastructure critical to the operation of modern society, it is argued to be essential for stakeholders take all available steps to ensure its security. This is why LF Energy and OpenSSF have released a free whitepaper on how critical open source software is to the innovation and transformation of our energy infrastructure, and how to use it in a way that shields against cyber threats.

The post The open source energy infrastructure stack strengthens appeared first on ERP Today.