October 2022

Process innovation can be just as important as product innovation. We are all aware of everyday product innovations such as those in the latest flat-screen televisions, computer displays, or cell phones.

Often we are not so aware of the innovations to processes that take place in order to reduce the unit production costs of such products.

Innovations of this nature often use such techniques as business process reengineering or lean-based tools to analyze a process and reduce the number of steps by removing any redundant, repetitive, or simply wasteful process steps.

It is about applying knowledge and thinking to create services with new processes.

Process innovations can be classified as radical when they deliver significant differences from existing processes.

EXAMPLES:

Traditionally glass making went through a number of steps…

Furnace: melting of the raw material ingredients
Casting: the glass in a mold
Hardening: the glass in a special oven
Grinding and polishing: the glass using various grades of abrasives

Pilkington glass in the 1960s revolutionized this process by combining all of the steps into a single process known as the “float glass process” in which raw materials were fed into a furnace at one end and then a continuous strip of molten glass would be fed into the oven for hardening.

This float process eliminated the need to grind and polish the glass and in turn gave Pilkington a major competitive advantage in the glass-making process for many years.

An innovative process often needs to precede an innovative product in order for a product to be manufactured at a price that the market will accept.

REFERENCES:

Katz R (2009) The Innovators Toolkit – 10 Practical Strategies to Help You Develop and Implement Innovation, Boston, Harvard Business School Publishing

Carlo, J, Lyytinen, K, & Rose, G (2012), ‘A Knowledge-based model of radical innovation in small software firms’, MIS Quarterly, 36, 3, pp. 865-A10

Go To Types Of Innovation

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Anybody can operate a new machine that prints 1,500 show cards a day, for it works as easily as a typewriter.

No setting of type is necessary. The device is provided with a row of holes, each representing a letter or figure.Cards may be printed in two colors at a single operation.

According to the inventor, the device prints signs at a fraction of the cost of ordinary printing and turns out work of more finished quality than could be done by hand.

November 1963…

A new mortar containing plastic lets builders bond bricks together into panels that can be lifted into place in any weather. Panels were braced in steel frames 4 by 5 to 4 by 14 feet, raised to the roof of an eight-story Denver building, and welded to become penthouse walls.

The extra-strength mortar was made from cement, sand, and Sarabond liquid polymer, a Dow Chemical development.

Imagination is a key differentiator between us and other animal that we share this planet with.

Don’t waste this skill. Improve your creative abilities by using your imagination to its full advantage.

You can use imagination to take you forward in time, backwards in time, replay events or freeze time.

You can also use your imagination to visit unseen places such as faraway planets. Use your imagination to change your perspective – fly in the sky and view something from above.

Make the vision in your mind larger, smaller, thinner, wider or faster, or slower. Try changing the color or the purpose of what you are viewing.

Imagination is limitless so start daydreaming and practicing this skill immediately. However please don’t try this while driving a vehicle!

I have recently had my kitchen renovated. The kitchen is now finished and looks great.

The whole process from start to finish though took 6 weeks to complete. During that time my wife and I had to live out of a temporary kitchen that we put together in our living room.

My idea is to have a portable kitchen complete with electricity, water, and appliances that can be placed/installed on the driveway until the renovations have been completed.

September 1963…

This pool cover with air pockets might extend the swimming season far into the fall. One side of the plastic mattress would be covered with a dark film to absorb solar heat and transmit it to the water. The light-colored heat reflector on the reverse side would help cool the water in the summer.

April 1963…

Plug-in vest heats from dashboard.

Riders in open cars, boats, tractors, or on motorcycles can now keep warm on cold days, says the inventor of this plug-in vest.

It has flexible heating elements enclosed in plastic front and back panels and it plugs into a cigarette-lighter receptacle connected to a 6, 12, or 24-volt battery.

Normally worn inside the jacket, the French device is demonstrated above on a cold day in London. When not in use the plug can be tucked in a pocket.

play through cover to protect vinyl records

June 1963…

The play-through cover protects your vinyl record. You wouldn’t have to worry about damaging your records if they were enclosed in these permanent jackets.

After placing the cover-protected disc on the turntable, you’d insert a pin, to keep the jacket from turning, and engage the stylus through a slot. The record would turn on a bearing plate.

The Play-Doh Play ‘N Store Kids Play Table for Arts & Crafts Activities usually retails for between $40 and $50 and is geared for children aged three years and upwards.

Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Play-doh was first introduced in 1956 and is a non-toxic, putty-like substance that contains wheat and that kids can use to mold into shapes.

The set includes an activity table and a number of accessories including various molds, cutting tools, and extruders.

There are molds that the kids can use to make play-doh creations and it comes complete with 8 cans of play-doh.

The kit also includes two storage compartments where the play-doh and tools can be stored away.

This product is designed to enable kids to use their imagination to build and create new play-doh models.

The whole kit is designed to encourage creative play and the product has in fact won awards from Family Fun magazine and The Creative Child Magazine.

While the set is fun for kids if your budget is tight you will find that your kids can be just as creative using some wooden/plastic utensils, plates, and bowls that you can find in your kitchen or alternatively read my creativity for kids page and if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will find a number of ideas for creative games you can play with kids. Plus a section where you can contribute your own creative games/ideas for kids.

July 1963…

Platform rolls like a ship’s landing deck. An experimental platform that tilts up to fifteen degrees is used by the British Navy to enable them to test the capabilities of new helicopters for landing on ships at sea.

Shown here is a Westland Wasp which was the latest anti-submarine helicopter back in 1963. It can be fitted with either wheels or suction cups for landing on small ships