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Launch & commercialization
One plan from concept to shelf.
Senior launch leadership for consumer products companies. We run new product launches across R&D, packaging, regulatory, quality, master data, supply and the plant, so the retailer date holds. Remote-first, across US and European time zones. Our lead advisor has run launches remotely before, through COVID.
Led by Kobe Ofori-atta · led go-to-market for a $6B oral care portfolio
Results from our lead advisor’s go-to-market and commercialization role at Colgate-Palmolive (2020–21), before founding Claraxis Group.
When to call
Signs your launch needs a senior owner.
- The retailer reset date is fixed, and the plan behind it keeps moving
- Marketing, R&D, packaging and the plant each have their own timeline, and none of them match
- Artwork, claims or copy are still open while production is being scheduled
- The formula is approved, but the BOM, routing and costing aren’t set up in the system
- It worked at pilot scale, and the first production run didn’t
- A new component or supplier hasn’t been qualified yet and sits on the critical path
The Claraxis launch framework
Five phases, one critical path.
Most launches don’t slip because one team is slow. They slip in the handoffs. Every phase ends with a written gate, and nothing moves forward with open items nobody owns.
Concept & scope
- Customer or retailer need
- What, why and when
- Launch date tied to the shelf
- Portfolio fit and business case
Brief & end-to-end assessment
- Formula and supply chain briefs
- Feasibility from R&D, packaging, regulatory, quality, micro, plant and procurement
- Risks, owners, dates
Develop & qualify
- Lab and pilot trials
- Stability, aging and micro
- Packaging, artwork and color targets
- Claims and copy
- Component and supplier qualification
Master data & supply readiness
- Formula and recipe records
- BOM, routing and costing in the ERP
- Demand plan loaded
- Materials and suppliers confirmed
Produce & launch
- Purchase orders and materials delivery
- First production and release
- Shipment, with a co-packer if needed
- On shelf by the reset date
The engagement
Senior launch leadership, sized to the launch.
Fractional launch lead
A senior owner for one launch or a portfolio of them. Runs the cross-functional rhythm, the critical path and the weekly scorecard, mostly remote.
Quoted after a free scope call
Launch readiness review
An end-to-end check of a launch in flight: brief, development, packaging, master data, supply and plant. You get the gaps ranked by date risk and a recovery plan.
Fixed fee, quoted after a free scope call
Launch process build
For teams that launch often: one stage-gate process, brief templates and governance your team runs without us.
Fixed fee, quoted after a free scope call
Add-on: Pro panel & product education
For hair and personal care launches. Before launch, a licensed cosmetologist with more than 20 years in salons tests your product hands-on and tells you how stylists and customers will judge it. You also get clear how-to guides and training for salons, stylists and customers. Led by Amy Ofori-atta.
Quoted with your launch scope
Nothing is committed until you’ve seen scope, owners, measures and price in writing. NDA before any data is shared.
Who it’s for
Brands, manufacturers and the partners between them.
Emerging brands
Launching a first or second product through a contract manufacturer, without an in-house supply chain or launch team yet.
Growing CPG companies
More launches than the team can track, dates slipping, and functions planning in separate spreadsheets.
Contract manufacturers
Bringing a customer’s new product into the plant: tech transfer, materials, packaging and first production.
How Claraxis helps
What a Claraxis launch lead takes on.
- One integrated launch plan and critical path, owned and kept current
- The weekly cross-functional rhythm: decisions, risks and escalations in writing
- Pilot-to-production scale-up and technology transfer
- Packaging, component and supplier qualification on the launch timeline
- Master data and costing readiness before the first purchase order
- Regulated-product discipline (GMP, stability, claims) built into the plan from day one
Who you work with
Kobe Ofori‑atta, founder.
“As plant manager, he kept a complex, highly regulated operation performing while delivering a major capex program … and accelerating product scale-up to manufacturing.”
Relevant experience
- Go-to-market and commercialization lead for a $6B North America oral care portfolio (2020–21): 3× speed to market, +7.2% net sales, 12% gross margin improvement. Launches run remotely through COVID.
- Designed one end-to-end commercialization framework that brought nine functions into a single execution model.
- Led the commercialization integration of an acquired brand onto the parent company’s launch process.
- Qualified suppliers and resin for the industry’s first recyclable toothpaste tube.
- Plant manager of a global R&D pilot plant (2021–25) that scaled new products to manufacturing, supporting 350+ scientists.
- Moved a critical spout mould supplier from Canada to the US without interrupting supply.
Roles held at Colgate-Palmolive before founding Claraxis Group. Full background →
Who you work with
Who does the work, and what he has done.
One senior operator leads every engagement, from the first call to the final report.
From the operating record
- 3× faster to market across a $6B oral care portfolio.
- Led new product development and launch from concept through scale-up and manufacturing to market.
- Has run product launches remotely, including during COVID.
From Kobe’s operating roles before founding Claraxis. Client stories are published only with the client’s approval.
Questions
Answered.
Can you run a launch remotely?
Yes. Our lead advisor led go-to-market and commercialization for a $6B oral care portfolio in 2020–21 through COVID, running launches remotely with R&D, packaging, procurement, quality, regulatory and the plant. Most launch leadership is planning, decisions and follow-through, and that works well remotely across US and European time zones. We come on site when the work needs it, such as pilot trials, first production or a plant walk, and agree that in the scope.
Do you replace our project manager?
No. Your project managers keep running their workstreams. We own the integrated plan, the cross-functional decisions and the escalations, and we leave the process with your team.
Is this only for FDA-regulated products?
No. The framework fits any consumer product with a formula, packaging and a retail date. Our background is in personal care, oral care and OTC, so regulated launches are where we add the most.
Which ERP do you work with?
Kobe’s experience is with SAP-based recipe, BOM, routing and costing setup. The readiness logic is the same in other systems, and we work inside whatever your team uses.
Can you help with a launch that is already late?
Yes. Start with a launch readiness review. In a few weeks you get a ranked list of what is putting the date at risk and a recovery plan with owners.
Can you work under our NDA?
Yes. We sign your NDA, or ours, before any data is shared.
Bring the launch that keeps slipping.
A 30-minute call, then a written scope before any commitment. You hear back from a senior advisor within one business day.