Challenge 15. “Intelligent Software for the Formulation and Development of New Materials”

Challenge 15.“Intelligent Software for the Formulation and Development of New Materials”

Hidrorubber has accumulated in-house expertise in the development of material formulations, currently supported by various sources such as internal databases, material data sheets, available technical information, and tools like Excel spreadsheets. In addition, the company consults with compound suppliers and additive distributors, and uses online databases of ingredients, patents, and scientific literature to support its search for solutions. However, this knowledge is scattered across various sources and is not always easily accessible or agile enough to accelerate the development of new formulations.

In this context, the challenge is to develop software that provides more structured and intelligent support for the development of new materials by integrating existing internal formulations, technical information available within the company, proposals from ingredient suppliers, patents, scientific literature, and external market sources into a single tool. The goal is not only to centralize information, but also to enable the tool to propose combinations or formulations that are better suited to the stated needs, based on initial properties or requirements.

This is a particularly significant challenge for Hidrorubber because developing custom formulations is a key competitive advantage in the industry. Therefore, a tool that enables the company to better organize and leverage this internal and external knowledge can help it streamline its current process for developing new materials and enhance its competitive edge in the field of new solution development.

Currently, the process combines various layers of information: previous formulations, technical data sheets, expert knowledge, consultations with suppliers, and searches for specific ingredients or additives based on the required performance characteristics. The challenge lies in structuring all of this into a solution that allows users to input the target characteristics a new material must meet and, to support the technical team, generate more refined, comparable, and adaptable formulation proposals. ​

The main focus is on identifying innovative solutions that enable: ​

• Integrate internal formulations, technical data sheets, and existing databases into a single tool.

• Incorporate relevant external information on ingredients, additives, and material families, as well as patents and scientific literature.

• Combine internal expertise with proposals from ingredient suppliers and market trends.

• Enter functional requirements, target properties, or technical specifications to generate corresponding formulation proposals.

• Make it easier to search for, compare, and adjust combinations of materials.

• Reduce development time and reliance on manual searches or fragmented queries.

• Provide feedback on the tool in a simple way so that the solutions become increasingly accurate.

The goal is to develop a tool that will enable Hidrorubber to systematize its formulation expertise, accelerate the development of new materials, and strengthen its ability to design customized solutions more efficiently and with greater data-driven support, thereby enhancing its technical capacity for product diversification.

Expected benefits

Implementing a solution in this area will enable Hidrorubber to make an impact in several key areas: ​

• Accelerating the development of new materials: reducing the time needed to explore alternatives and propose new formulations

• Better utilization of internal knowledge: structuring and reusing existing formulations, insights, and data

• Integration of scattered information: linking internal databases, records, suppliers, and external market sources

• Improved technical decision-making: stronger support for the team when selecting or adjusting materials

• Greater traceability and systematization: a more structured record of criteria, combinations, and results associated with each formulation

• Increased innovation capacity: the ability to explore new combinations and opportunities with greater agility

• Strengthening the company's competitive edge: supporting its model for developing customized formulations tailored to customer needs and specific applications

• Accelerating the product diversification process: this is key in the current situation, where Hidrorubber is making a strategic commitment to product diversification

What are they looking for in a collaborator?

Hidrorubber is seeking collaborators capable of providing a practical, implementable solution that is aligned with the realities of custom material development. The challenge requires combining technological expertise with an understanding of the formulation process and an awareness of an industrial environment where technical knowledge is a strategic asset.

The following will be given special consideration: ​

• Experience with software for formulation, technical knowledge management, or materials databases.

• Ability to integrate internal and external sources into a useful and scalable tool.

• An approach designed to facilitate technical decision-making, not merely to store information.

• Ability to translate functional requirements into recommendations or design proposals.

• Scalable, practical solutions tailored to the technical team's actual work.

• Confidentiality Agreement Regarding Hidrorubber Data.

It is not just a matter of digitizing existing information, but of building a tool that helps transform data, formulations, and scattered knowledge into a more intelligent and useful resource for developing new materials in a user-friendly way.