Why new technologies should always inspire R&D

New tech for current projects

You don’t have to be creating new technologies to be releasing exciting new products though. They can take a team far by assisting in relevant areas, such as in the production and organization of your team. Over the past 3 decades, new tech has noticeable been increasingly important in everyone’s day to day lives in work and private life alike. A great example of the melding of an innovative business model and industry changing technology is Spotify, which most people are familiar with if not active subscribers. As of June 2018, Spotify has 83 million active users across the globe[1].

Most of us listen to music and have since our own lives in memoriam. The nature of listening to music however, has undergone a complete transformation since the rise of new technologies such as smartphones, 3G and 4G and overall increased streaming capabilities. Services such as Spotify and Apple Music have run traditional music distributors such as HMV (His Master’s Voice) [2]  into the ground - and the link is direct. Spotify have successfully used their understanding and forecasting of the rise of numerous telecommunication and data transmission technologies to position themselves as the front runner in music streaming services, and have irreversibly changed the entire industry for good.

Keep your team in the know to boost innovative action

It is also important to have all members of the team, whatever their area expertise, be informed of the new technologies available to them and the trends in the industry. Designers especially have more tools in their arsenal than ever before. They can utilise shapes for parts made of materials which were previously impossible through additive manufacturing. Testing, production, simulated testing can all be used to experiment more and at a lower cost. The R&D manager must ensure that his team is aware of the latest technologies available to them to allow them to think beyond previously defined limits, to innovate new and old boundary defying products. For truly disruptive and innovative technology to be conceived and developed there must be some freedom given to your best R&D engineers. An open work hierarchy encourages an open mind and fosters innovation from all angles and all team members.

By keeping abreast of new technologies and informing the entire R&D team of new technological trends relevant to the industry, it’s any company’s game as to who will come up with the next big, innovative product. With globalization having reached all corners of the globe, the scope for creating a product with wide reach and accessibility, in a ground-breaking way is endless. If you close yourself off to the inspiration that can come from new technologies, you actively fossilise yourself in an age of increased competition, market saturation and innovation.