Lean Supports Breakthrough Innovations

Research shows that most CEOs, regardless of industry, consider innovation critical to success. It also shows that in the end, companies that excel at “breakthrough” innovations in products or processes outperform competitors that focus on incremental improvements. Yet over the past 15 years, the importance of innovation for both top-and bottom-line performance of many companies has decreased. The focus of most projects has shifted dramatically from breakthrough-type innovations to incremental improvements and the share of new products growth in total company sales has dropped.

U.S. companies know they must find new ways to grow the business. The challenge today for many U.S. companies is to be innovative, but at the same time, continue to apply lean to eliminate non-value wastes, so they are using their time, resources and money wisely. Companies must avoid developing products or processes that either have no market or may have too much competition to be viable. Using the Lean principles, companies can eliminate wastes in developing their innovations, listen to the voice of the customer (VOC) and create speed to the market.

Lean will remain a constant business practice, but U.S. companies must stay keenly aware that they cannot cost reduce their way to success, they must continue to re-invent themselves through product or process innovations that the market values. Companies must be serious about creating growth through innovations, and also serious about using lean methods that effectively utilize the company's resources to a maximum benefit, to significantly reduce time to market. Below are three Lean methods for identifying new innovations and exploit new business opportunities:

Step 1: Involve customers in your ideation. Form a customer idea advisory board. This will ensure the Voice of The Customer is valued.
Step 2: Involve customers in new ways. Use methods such as the Lean/Kaizen 3-P Process to understand the customer in non-traditional ways.
Step 3: Benchmark ideation techniques to determine the best ones. Teach the Lean principles of identifying the 7 Wastes to establish methods that encourage continuous improvements in ways to bring future innovation needs to market faster.

The Connecticut SBIR Office, an initiative of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT), plans to award 40 idea assessment reports to the best and most innovative technology ideas that have commercialization potential, to Connecticut entrepreneurs, small high-tech businesses and innovative small manufacturers. Winners of the assessments will be announced at the June 20-21 SBIR/NALI conference, “The Future of Manufacturing is INNOVATION”.

Leanovations, LLC is a proud sponsor of the June 20-21 SBIR/NALI conference, “The Future of Manufacturing is INNOVATION” at the Pratt & Whitney Air Museum.

Leanovations is a consulting group with extensive international experience, who train and coach companies to compete worldwide with lean manufacturing techniques and to win profitable growth through innovations. We focus on developing a partnership with our clients and tailor our approach to meet their specific cultural, organizational and performance needs.

To learn more about Leanovations go to http://www.leanovations.com/