From Insight to Impact: How AI Is Shaping the Future of Product Development in the Middle East

AI and automation are changing how consumer products are developed and tested. In this interview, Sami Abdalla, Head of Strategy, Governance & Product Stewardship – R&D HCB at Henkel, shares how digital transformation is enabling faster innovation, stronger performance, and more sustainable product development for Middle East markets.

1- How are AI/automation transforming product development for Middle East consumers?

- At Henkel, AI and automation are enabling a more nuanced and precise approach to product development in a region as diverse as the Middle East. Consumers here experience specific conditions shaped by climate intensity, humidity, water quality variability, and diverse hair and fabric needs. Automation allows development teams to translate these realities into clear, data-driven performance targets, moving beyond generalized assumptions toward solutions grounded in real consumer behaviour.

By connecting consumer insights with laboratory data and performance testing early in the development process, AI helps teams make better-informed decisions faster. Automation reinforces this by improving consistency and repeatability in testing, increasing confidence in early-stage choices. Together, these capabilities shorten development cycles while improving robustness, ensuring products are designed with both current performance expectations and long-term reliability in mind.

2- Can you share examples of robotics or digitalization accelerating innovation?

- Robotics and digitalization play a significant role in accelerating innovation at Henkel by increasing the speed, quality, and learning rate of experimentation. Automated laboratory processes enable faster and more consistent execution of testing and sample preparation, generating reliable data at scale. This allows scientists to focus more on interpretation, optimization, and creative problem-solving rather than manual repetition.

Digital platforms further accelerate innovation by connecting data across functions and locations. Performance results, sensory evaluations, and stability assessments can be compared quickly, enabling faster iteration and earlier convergence on the most promising solutions. Digital collaboration also allows development activities to run in parallel across regions, combining local testing with global expertise and improving time-to-market without compromising quality.

3- How does the global R&D ecosystem support local consumer needs?

- Henkel’s global R&D ecosystem is built to balance scientific depth with regional relevance. Global platforms provide access to advanced formulation science, materials expertise, and proven technologies, while regional teams bring a deep understanding of local consumers, markets, and regulatory environments.

In the Middle East, this balance is particularly important. Local teams play a central role in adapting global technologies to regional realities such as climate conditions, usage habits, and affordability considerations. Close collaboration between global and regional experts ensures innovation is transferred thoughtfully rather than simply replicated, enabling solutions that resonate with consumers and perform reliably in local conditions.

4- How is digital transformation enhancing efficiency and sustainability?

- Digital transformation at Henkel enhances efficiency by improving transparency and alignment across the entire product lifecycle. Digital workflows reduce manual handoffs, improve data quality, and shorten decision cycles, allowing teams to focus resources where they create the most value and reducing late-stage rework.

From a sustainability perspective, digitalization enables earlier visibility of trade-offs related to formulation choices, materials, and packaging. This makes it easier to avoid unnecessary complexity and resource use, embedding sustainability directly into development decisions rather than treating it as a final checkpoint.

5- How do AI insights contribute to eco-friendly product development?

- AI insights have strong potential to support eco-friendly product development by making environmental considerations more measurable and actionable during the design phase. Looking ahead, they could help identify formulation pathways that maintain performance while reducing resource intensity, whether through smarter ingredient selection, optimized concentrations, or improved efficiency in use.

By making trade-offs between performance, safety, cost, and environmental impact visible earlier in development, AI could help reduce unnecessary iterations and waste. This represents a promising direction for teams with a strong digital mindset, enabling future product designs that meet high consumer expectations while supporting more responsible resource use across the product lifecycle.

6- Which emerging technologies will have the biggest impact on the region’s consumer goods sector?

- Emerging technologies such as generative AI, robotics, predictive modelling, and smart manufacturing are expected to have a significant impact on the consumer goods sector in the Middle East. These technologies enable faster innovation, greater personalization, and more efficient use of resources across the value chain.

At Henkel, this technological evolution is guided by a clear long-term ambition captured in the company’s purpose: “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations.” By adopting new technologies thoughtfully and responsibly, Henkel aims to deliver strong consumer value today while building more sustainable and resilient innovation models for the future.