INNOVATION PROCESS Driving innovation
“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” – Henry Ford. This quote from the automotive pioneer is bound to stir debate about how companies should approach the innovation process. Should they take calculated risks in anticipation of market needs, as Ford did? Greg Shaw, Director, Technology Development, Swagelok discusses.
IN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT CIRCLES, there is no obvious answer. Often, companies realize innovations through a combination of market research, internal idea generation, customer requests, and a variety of other factors. They also frequently discover innovative solutions by chance. While no formula exists for approaching the innovation process, companies can benefit by following a few best practices when responding to customer requests:
£ Ask “Why?” often to gain a full understanding of the request, including market needs, application parameters, and customer challenges.
£ Bring the right parties to the table as part of an integrated team that is open to collaboration.
£ Track and understand technology developments to anticipate new solutions and market applications.
£ Look to existing solutions that can be adapted to meet the current challenge. Look outside the comfort zone.
£ Prototype early and often, whether developing products or processes.
£ Be willing to accept – and recognize – that not every project will result in a desired outcome.
Following a disciplined process that includes these steps can help companies respond effectively to customer inquiries for new solutions. In addition, the process can strengthen customer-developer relationships and lead to future collaboration and mutual successes.
Gather all the facts Creating a solution for a customer challenge begins with a clear
understanding of the customer’s needs – the real needs, not just the stated needs. Developers should not simply respond to the request. They need to first ask a series of in-depth questions to clarify the context, which may include: Why do you need the requested product or technology? How does it fit into a complete system? What processes affect its performance? What alternatives have worked and/or failed? Gaining comprehensive insight may reveal that a more complete solution exists rather than one that simply fulfils the customer’s initial request.
For example, a customer asked Swagelok for a specific instrumentation ball valve made of Hastelloy® for use in sour gas applications. Because sour gas is both toxic and corrosive, the valve components must be made of highly corrosion- resistant materials to ensure that the gas is fully contained. Through an in-depth review of the application requirements with the customer, Swagelok identified that an alternative trunnion- style ball valve made of alloy 625 could be a better choice.
The 625 nickel-chromium alloy provided comparable corrosion resistance to Hastelloy at a lower cost and shorter lead time. In addition, the alternative valve had a higher pressure rating, which provided an extra margin of safety for the application. By switching to the alternative valve, the customer reduced costs, improved delivery time and enhanced application safety.
Get the right parties together Open, unfiltered communication is vital to arriving at the best possible solution for customer-centric development challenges.
Issue I 2013
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