Reviewing your daily processes is important in any business, but especially so in manufacturing. Realising that any part of your business could be changed to work in a quicker or more efficient way is the path towards moving in front of rival companies. In this article, we consider the importance of innovation and the things your business should implement in order to achieve greater innovation and creativity in the workplace.
What is Innovation
Innovation is crucial to the progression of society in all aspects. It is often about finding flaws and presenting solutions, but it’s also more than that. True innovators are always on the lookout for how to do something better, even when everything is running smoothly; it’s about taking a process and fine-tuning it so it’s better, faster or more meaningful.
For example, the invention of the phone came about from the realisation that working to bring faster communication over a long distance could revolutionise information gathering. The obvious benefits made the efforts worthwhile, but sometimes the benefits aren’t always obvious – which means that you should always aim to spend a little time innovating on processes which don’t always have an obvious benefit. For example, you might find that by simply saving some time from some arduous process that your business is currently employing, you can replace that time with a new idea that allows you to experiment in processes which could become revolutionary within your company and benefit your employees for the foreseeable future.
Important Innovations in Industry
There are countless important inventions in the industry which have revolutionised the way we work, even the way we think. Improvements to clockwork in the nineteenth century, for example, saw changes to the way that people work and how efficiency is recorded. As spring manufacturers, we are inclined to see the increased understanding of springs – their functions and possibilities – as crucial to the past, present and future of industry and manufacturing.
From understanding the importance of springs, one can quickly begin to understand how even the smallest innovations in your company can bring forth positive changes that radiate throughout your business. The perfection of the spring, for example, has resulted in improved travel through aerospace as well as more precise timekeeping in fashionable analogue watches. While the spring may only be a small part in either of these creations, by perfecting the humble spring, many other processes and inventions will feel the benefit of our efforts.
Innovating the Future
In the case of staying ahead of your opponents, it is important to stay well read and crucially, be aware and open to the technology available to you – it could be the difference between survival and success for your business.
One potential future of technology that you might already be aware of is the Internet Of Things, alongside 5G networks and driverless cars. If you can think of ways in which these improvements could benefit your business when they are introduced to society then you are innovating not just for the present, but for the future, too. Understanding how the inventions of others could impact your business can give you the edge for staying at the forefront of your industry indefinitely.
The introduction of the Internet Of Things, for example, could lead to reduced time on factory floors as more processes become automated. This means that those businesses which implement this technology first will have a head start on those who hang onto more traditional processes for fear of change.
It is important to understand how innovation could affect you financially before you implement it, however. Undertaking appropriate risk assessments will ensure that you don’t overstep and wind up with a technology that is later proven to be riddled with problems or quickly becomes outdated. This means that you should exercise a certain amount of care when using, inventing or applying new innovations because you might be taking a gamble if you act before gathering the necessary information.
Sometimes this will mean hanging back from investing in new technology until others have taken the first step and can provide adequate feedback to help you make your own final decision. It’s up to you to decide whether your company has the financial support to risk using cutting-edge technology.
Continually reviewing the processes that make up your business will ensure that you and your staff stay efficient and forward thinking. You may also come across some eco-friendly ideas along the way that will help your business to stand out from competitors in the long run. Innovation is for everyone, but it is especially important for us.