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PROCESS Woldwide-02-2003
Love and hate
Do you hate the word "innovations" as much as I do? OK, I’ll admit that I, too, was once in love with the expression. In fact, every time it popped up in an article I was reading, I got an adrenalin rush and feverishly read on...only to be frequently disappointed. Meanwhile, I continue to get excited whenever I come across this promising little word, however I also know what to expect: Wonderfully concealed content that isn’t worthy of the wrapping it came in.
Recently, I had another encounter with my love-hate relationship, which took the form of a statement made by Prof. Dr. Utz-Hellmuth Felcht, Chairman of Dechema and the Degussa AG Board of Management. Mr. Felcht also observes innovations for professional reasons and has noted that, of the few real innovations he has spotted over the last few years, the driving force of innovation chains has taken new direction: "Whereas in the past, new technical innovations had the immediate effect of expanding and altering the product pallet and production processes, many of today’s new products focus more on applications. Right from the outset, the needs of users define the type and property profiles of new products, the implementation of which fuels the targeted search for new technical solutions", maintains Felcht. "More simply put: The priority used to be to develop new products, then find suitable applications for them. Today, new or improved applications first are defined, at which point targeted new products are developed."
So what are these new applications, anyway? "Among the most important fields of innovation in the 21st century are biotechnology, nanotechnology, micro engineering, hydrogen technology and increased use of renewable raw materials", responds industry expert Felcht. A true statement, indeed. However, the question of concrete innovations – i.e. novelties brought about by applications featuring new processes and technologies – remains unanswered. And with good reason, as the President of Dechema all too gladly shifts his focus to this year’s "Achema", a week-long international exhibition convention taking place in Frankfurt am Main/Germany from May 19th - 24th. You can discover some of the new processes, technologies and products right in this issue. For the remaining exhibitors, all that can be said is: Show us what you can do in Frankfurt. And hopefully we all see plenty of real, beloved innovations.
-Frank Jablonski-
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