|
|
|
Newsletter - July 2009
- Issue #3
|
|
|
Editorial - "Innovation
in Chemicals: Less Talk and More Action to Drive Results"
Dear Sir, Madam,
"How dare you? How dare you talk about innovation and developing new things in times
of crisis?" If you have recently seen this kind of behavior from within your hierarchy,
either just before the budget presentation or at the moment of the year when you
are developing the next strategic plan, then you are not alone.
Of course you need to adapt and make the necessary cost cutting. But even if you
are betting on other growth directions, like M&A or simply riding on the fastest-growing
markets, innovation remains the only infinite growth driver that influences sustainable
growth and profits by maintaining differentiation. This is why we do not feel that
innovation is a "swear word", even in today's tough environment. But one of the
problems with innovation is that everybody talks about it, but few actually have
real successful experiences to share.
We feel lucky at SpecialChem to count among our friends several of what we consider
the most prominent innovators of the industry. So when we asked Dan Futter (Dow
Corning), Joachim Von Heimburg (formerly Procter & Gamble) and Chris DeArmitt (Innovation
consultant) to share their practical experiences, they immediately accepted and
"played the game".
In a parallel interview, Dan and Joachim share their perspectives on the results
of a survey we ran among 120 managers of the industry about their main hurdles on
the road to innovation. Our definition of innovation within this survey framework
covers the gamut, from traditional new product development and breakthrough technologies
to new business models or new techniques like Interactive Marketing, Open Innovation
or the use of Social Networks. In a separate article, Chris shares with us his thoughts
coming from a career passionately dedicated to innovation. He has more than 15 years
experience spent with very large chemical companies like BASF, prominent brand owners
like Electrolux and a small start-up like Hybrid Plastics. I am sure you'll appreciate
his style and his free talking which is far from the pre-formatted politically-correct
feedback you can hear sometimes. I'd like to personally thank each of them for the
quality time they spent with us.
In spite of their differences in personality, in background, in company size and
types of businesses, there is one striking common trait in their testimonies: the
vital role of culture in innovation. This is where all begins. If you do not have
the right culture, then you can't have the right people, the right involvement from
management, the right organization, the right level of patience Dan is talking about,
or the right metrics.
The good news about culture is that it does not cost millions to shape, which is
particularly nice when you have to prepare a budget in times of crisis.
 Christophe Cabarry
Founder and CEO - SpecialChem
http://www.specialchem.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interview: Tips to Overcome Innovation
Hurdles in Chemicals
We asked two of the most prominent innovation specialists of the industry, Dan Futter
from Dow Corning and Joachim Von Heimburg, formerly with Procter & Gamble and now
independent advisor, to comment the results of a survey we ran in Q1 2009 among
managers of the chemical industry about the main hurdles to innovation they are
confronted with. With Dan and Joachim coming from different cultures, and different
companies located at different steps of the value chain, we thought that comparing
their points of view from hands-on innovation practitioners would be of great interest
to all managers in our industry. They shared with us some tips and best practices
...
Innovation in the Chemical Industry:
All talk and no action ...
Having worked for 15 years in industry, I have heard a lot of talk about innovation.
That's the buzzword everyone throws around. It seems every company knows they need
it, but hardly any of them are able to deliver it, and some do not even appreciate
what innovation is. Therefore, I decided to write an article describing what I have
seen over the years, trying to identify some of the problems and putting forward
some steps to improve the lot of innovation and innovators.
Your first question might be "who is this guy and why does he think he's qualified
to write about innovation?"
...
|
|
|
|
|
Bernard Hasson (founder
and COO) will be attending the
World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
on July 19-22, 2009 in Montreal, Canada
|
Meet Bernard at this congress!
|
|
|
|
|
Brought to you by
Copyright 2009 SpecialChem S.A., 100 rue Petit, Paris, France 75019.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
"When we needed to fill our pipeline with new opportunities, we turned to SpecialChem to establish contact with the market. The programs that we implemented enabled us to reach beyond our existing network into a new area – and to gain feedback on where producers were struggling to achieve their goals. SpecialChem has played a key role in the framing of our portfolio. And our portfolio is populated with game-changing, breakthrough opportunities that transcend existing marketing and technology limitations. SpecialChem is all about making connections – and for Dow Corning establishing connections for competitive advantage is a foundational requirement for innovation.."
Jill Rykert, Market Development Manager Dow Corning
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
