Innovation may be a trendy term, but it is still often seen as scary and money-consuming. According to Robert van der Waal, Director Logistics Operations at Samsung Electronics, the opposite is true: the most great innovations often start very small. This is why Van der Waal is giving a lecture on Friday 13 November entitled 'Innovation: think big, start small'. "Because innovation is more than putting 20 bright minds in a box to get them to come up with something clever," we asked him five questions about this hip, yet scary term.
Are you at Samsung consciously working on innovation?
Innovation is in our genes as a company. Of course, this is largely due to the products we make. Coming up with new ideaën is perceived as pleasant and fun within Samsung. That behaviour kopiëren also to other business units in which we operate, including logistics.
To give an example, we have re-examined a packaging method previously used for packing bottles and made it suitable for large products. Now we pack large television’s with it. This method ensures less damage and narrower packaging. It is a kind of inflatable packaging method. We came up with this together with another company and many other electronics giants have adopted this method. That's innovation.
You believe that companies often seeinnovation as 'scary' .Why is that?
This is due to two aspects: firstly, innovating often means changing. That is scary because you have to do something different from what you are used to. Because you are never sure how it will turn out, it creates uncertainty within the company. Second, there is the cost issue. 'Then I'll have to put at least 20 bright minds in a cubicle and they'll have to come up with something', people often think. But innovation really doesn'talways have to involve heavy investment. IKEA did not invent the cupboard itself, but it did figure out how to assemble a cupboard at home. Or take Nespresso, for example. They didn't invent coffee themselves, but they put a different spin on it. So there are lots of methods, or tricks, to innovate.
Is that why your lecture is called 'Innovation: think big, start small'?
Yes, the most big innovations often start very, very small. Look around you, for example in the supermarket. What is being used there in terms of packaging methods and what can you learn from that? By not thinking so hard, beautiful things can often be created. Try not to think only in terms of problems; that can hinder the creative thought process.
Do innovation and technology go hand in hand?
Of course, there is a lot of innovation going on in the technology field. 3D printers and drones are hugely innovative. But consider that the bulk of companies have also just managed to differentiate themselves in a whole other way. One does not exclude the other. If you look at the companies that are generally labelled innovative, they are not companies that are very innovative in terms of technology at all. These are companies that combine it with their own sauce. It's not just about new bits and bytes.
What can visitors expect from your lecture?
I want to bring structure to a populist term like innovation and thus make it a little less scary. Among other things, I will answer questions like: what percentage of the top 25 innovative companies owe this top ranking to completely new technology? And what exactly makes the remaining companies innovative? I hope for an interactive session and am happy to be interrupted during my presentation to answer questions or have a lively discussion.
The lecture by Robert van der Waal, Director Logistics Operations at Samsung Electronics, will take place on 13 November from 12:45 to 13:15. You can register for this session for free here.
