Ideation

We develop new ideas for future lines of business, new product visions and verified product concepts together with you at an early stage of the product development phase.

To do this, we use tried and tested processes that focus on various aspects of sustainable innovation: desirability, feasibility and viability.

We support you with the following services

Who we are

The “Ideation” team is made up of people from across different disciplines and focuses entirely on the early stage of the product development phase. Together with the customers, we develop a clear understanding of customer requirements, markets and technologies, and in doing so create the products of the future.

Our services

New business opportunities – finding new lines of business

Typical Questions

• Where else can we put our skills to good use and make a profit?
• What could become a new mainstay / line of business in future?
• How can I become less dependent (e.g. on the combustion engine)?
• How can I find forward-looking applications / products and business models?
• How can I work systematically using a customer-focused, agile process?

Our process

The search areas for new business opportunities and applications are almost unlimited. Our task is to find suitable opportunities to branch out in amongst the sea of possibilities. We do this using our partially agile process, at the end of which the foundations are in place for a comprehensive business development project and/or a pre-project for product development.

1. First of all, the company’s skills and opportunities need to be understood and assessed. The requirements of a future line of business are also roughly outlined.
2. Then, the first promising markets are defined based on the search profile. Our own specially developed industry catalog is used for this purpose.
3. As a next step, ideas for new business opportunities and applications are sought out and business models are drafted. The focus here is on striving to acquire new insights with the least amount of effort, and on separating the wheat from the chaff.
4. The business models identified are then prepared, and implementation plans are drawn up.

Both our excellent connections in the different industries, our sound technical understanding as well as our methodical approach help us to successfully look for new business opportunities.

Reference project

Product vision – creating new product visions

Typical questions

• What could be a new / additional product to my product range?
• Which basic needs do my customers have, and what ideas for products and services (product visions) can I derive from them as a result?
• How can new ideas for products and services for my future portfolio emerge from technological or market trends (e.g. IoT)?

Our process

Our approach is based on the double diamond principle from the design thinking method. As a first step, we find out what customers are thinking in an agile process using our own “Customer Insights” survey, which makes it possible to work out what our customers require and to create a customer profile. As a second step, ideas are developed in a creative process, and mock-ups are created which we can verify with target customers. At the end of the double diamond principle, the foundations emerge for an innovation pre-project.

Reference project

Innovation pre-projects – creating product concepts and verifying feasibility

In our innovation pre-development projects, we further develop visions and product ideas into sustainable and coordinated draft concepts. Here we take into account all the necessary technological and economic aspects, the industry design and the user-friendliness.

Typical questions

• How do I fill my idea and product pipeline?
• How do I systematically develop a new product generation?
• How do I check my ideas for feasibility?
• How do I include my experts and visionaries effectively in a managed process in which innovative products are created?
• How high are the implementation costs, opportunities and risks, and how long is the development time?

Our process

Development projects take up resources and keep experienced staff occupied. This is why it is essential to clarify the most important questions regarding desirability, viability and feasibility and to answer them in a draft concept. The task is to find the right balance between these three factors, the appropriate level of detail as well as a pragmatic, but stringent approach.

A draft concept emerges at the end of this preliminary project, which is ready for a decision to be taken before any major investments in a development project are made.

Reference project