NHCO Nutrition Laboratory Harnesses Centric PLM to Enhance Product Development and Support Regulatory Compliance

With Centric PLM, we’ve significantly boosted productivity by creating a single source of truth, while fostering seamless collaboration across our departments and affiliates in France, Spain and Italy.”

With products distributed in different countries, languages and under varying regulatory requirements, NHCO faced increasing complexity in product lifecycle management and data management. This underscored the need for full traceability, secure and centralized information, harmonized workflows and stronger cross-functional collaboration — especially between R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs and Contract Manufacturing partners.

Orchestrating a portfolio of more than 70 products and close to 1,000 raw materials, NHCO continuously updates formulations and specifications to meet evolving market, consumer and regulatory expectations. To sustain its global growth while remaining agile, NHCO adopted Centric PLM™ as a strategic digital platform to handle growing complexity, accelerate innovation and ensure consistency and compliance across all markets.

Tangible Business Benefits

“Today, Centric PLM covers the entire product lifecycle — from initial formulation and reformulation to prototype validation and product launch,” explains François Bernard, ICT Manager at NHCO Nutrition. “With PLM, NHCO has significantly reduced the risk of errors, reinforced responsiveness to regulatory updates and strengthened traceability — a critical factor for food safety.”

The platform also played a pivotal role in NHCO’s recent ISO 22000 certification — the internationally recognized standard for food safety management.

“The auditor praised our structured approach to product management and the centralized data environment made possible by PLM. We are a pioneer in the dietary supplements space and this marks a major step forward,” comments François Bernard.

Scalable PLM Journey Powered by Agile Methodology

The project was delivered in three key phases and involved R&D, Regulatory, Quality and CMOs (Contract Manufacturing Organizations).

By leveraging Centric Software’s agile methodology and maintaining constant alignment with its business teams, NHCO and Centric Software® configured a scalable PLM model tailored to real-world business use cases and adapted to the evolving needs of NHCO’s organization.

Centric’s agile and business-oriented implementation methodology was a cornerstone of project success.

NHCO deployed Centric PLM using an iterative approach with business teams and a phased rollout via Business Use Cases (BUCs).

Engaging key users from the start and focusing on early wins allowed the teams to deliver measurable value quickly. Iterative testing, strong alignment with business needs and the system’s adaptability were essential to the project’s success.

Strong User Adoption and Seamless Change Management

From day one, NHCO prioritized user engagement. A “train-the-trainer” model empowered internal champions to encourage adoption across diverse teams. Hands-on workshops and ongoing guidance helped users gain confidence and autonomy.

Today, teams across all departments rely on Centric PLM for managing formulations, specifications, regulatory documentation and more. Affiliates in Spain and Italy that previously used other tools have especially valued the platform’s intuitive interface and data reliability.

“User adoption was a key focus from the start. Centric PLM’s intuitive interface and the ‘train-the-trainer’ approach enabled fast and confident onboarding. Even affiliates used to work with other tools quickly embraced the platform, highlighting its user-friendliness,” adds François Bernard.

The Path Ahead

NHCO is currently perfectioning Centric PLM KPIs and exploring integration with other solutions such as FoodChain ID® to broaden supply chain connectivity.

Plans are also in place to extend Centric PLM access to CMOs to streamline cross-functional collaboration while protecting data confidentiality.

NHCO’s Key Tip to Ensure a Successful PLM Rollout

Clean and structure your data when entering a PLM project: Internal data preparation is a critical success factor for a smooth and effective implementation.

“Don’t underestimate data cleansing and integration,” advises François Bernard. “As the saying goes, ‘garbage in, garbage out.’ Clean, well-structured data is essential. That’s why it’s crucial to invest time and resources early on in preparing and organizing data when entering a PLM project.”