For Solvay, “Innovation is the process by which an enterprise converts the creativity of its employees and partners into added value, faster and better than its competitors.”
The experience gained to date in the field of Innovation enables us to define certain elements that are key to effective management of this process:
- Commitment from the highest levels in the Group: top management needs to be the driver of Innovation, by establishing an action plan and introducing the resulting initiatives;
- Development of internal and external networks, the multiplication of partnerships and the search for varying viewpoints and expertise;
- Strengthening of the culture of Innovation: this needs to become an integral part of the company processes;
- Measurement of innovation initiatives against target objectives and making available tools to encourage innovation.
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The last Science for Innovation conference focused on the creation of novel, complex materials
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Innovation at Solvay is not limited to research. From the start the Group has opted for a wide field of action, aligned on its strategy and requiring everyone’s active participation.
In this way the six Innovation Trophy categories cover a very broad range:
- New business: development of new products, markets and services, or creating new applications and companies.
- Customer-oriented projects: e-commerce and customer relations management.
- Performance improvement: improving the results of products, services and processes.
- Management improvement: improving leadership, policies and strategies, human resources management, management of resources, partnerships and processes.
- Sustainable development and citizenship: a category based on the three cornerstones – economic, social and environmental – of sustainable development.
- Replicated Innovations: a category covering all projects that could be applied in other Group entities.
Innoplace is the virtual idea box
where Solvay employees post
their innovative ideas |
Innovation at Solvay flows in two directions: bottom-up, for example proposals made to management via the Innoplace internal tool, but also top-down, with the introduction of innovative platforms.
The role of the Strategic Business Units (SBU's) is to encourage Innovation in these two directions at both levels, incremental and radical, by setting up new approaches, new products and new processes.
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New Business Development (NBD) is also a major cornerstone of the Group’s Innovation effort. The “corporate” NBD entity, the fruit of the experience of recent years, was strengthened in early 2008 by being structured into two entities of the DCRT (Central Management Research and Technology). The two new Competence Centers (CC) complement the existing businesses, exploring new opportunities and creating new activities which will then be integrated into the Sectors.
The CC Future Businesses is in charge of piloting and implementing the “business”platforms of the future and associated programs, selected by the NBB (New Business Board) and validated by the Executive Committee.
CC Advanced Technologies is concentrating initially on developing cross-business technology platforms, in direct collaboration with the SBUs and CCs, and more generally on detecting advanced technologies and disseminating them within the Group.
The ultimate aim of Innovation is the sustainable, profitable growth of the Group. For this reason the Group has set itself three challenges for 2009:
- “Growth” objective: 30% of Group income should come from new products or technologies (developed within the past five years);
- “Partnerships” objective: 50% of projects should be developed in partnership with external partners (customers, universities, public authorities, start-ups, etc.) in the framework of structured agreements;
- “People” objective: 100% of executives should define their personal innovation objective every year and have the occasion to evaluate it at least once with their managers.
All employees should have on average one idea accepted every year.
