Innovation

Innovation consulting & management 

DEVELOP NEW SOLUTIONS.
CREATE NEW VALUES. 

Innovations are among the most important factors for success in accessing growth potential and prevailing against competition on the long run. With an extensive offering of consulting and services in the field of innovation, we offer customers the target-oriented generation of innovative ideas – and at the same time ensure their successful, market-oriented realisation. 

  • We define your real requirements and derive the optimal options and strategies for action from these.
  • We create the interfaces necessary (people and know-how) for generating targeted innovations.
  • We set standards for the successful implementation of innovation strategies.

INNOVATION PRACTICE FROM A-Z 

R&K Technologies has well-founded knowledge and experience in the generation and management of innovations, from innovation analysis to the anchoring of an innovation culture in your organisational structure. 

  • Innovation analysis

    We comprehensively define the starting conditions of your project and find and document your real requirements.

  • Innovation strategy

    We formulate the optimal approach for achieving your goals.

  • Innovation control

    We create the framework and find optimal teams, partners and technologies.

  • Innovation techniques

    We support you in your plans with efficient processes.

  • Innovation protection and agreements

    We help and find the right partners for the protection of patents and utility models (incl. agreements).

  • Innovation organisation

    We support you in establishing the organisational basic conditions and culture.

Service types

OUR COMPETENCES 

Innovation analysis
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We analyse your project and the initial state prior to the innovation.
We evaluate the entire initial state, the room to manoeuvre and identify your strengths and weaknesses.

We define your REAL requirements. 
We define the TRULY important requirements for your project based on a comprehensive analysis together with you.

Innovation strategy
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We advise you in the development of the approach and of the framework. We help you finding the right partners and optimise the probability of targeted innovation.

Whether scenario planning, the design of processes or the acquisition of partners, our consultants also help with the definition of search fields for new ideas and guide the selection of innovation projects.  

Innovation control
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We help you with the selection of the best-suited experts, partners and technologies. 

Team management
We assemble innovative teams for you, which distinguish themselves through an optimal combination of competence, experience and motivation and have well-founded knowledge in those subject areas that make an innovation probable.  

Partner management
In the case of the acquisition (including organising the contracts) and the management of the optimal innovation partners, we can resort to our experience and industry expertise. 

Technology management
Thanks to our engineering expertise, we are constantly identifying the optimal technologies to maximize the value of innovations.

Innovation techniques
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For the development of innovative products, business areas and processes, R&K Technologies supports you with appropriate methods, software solutions and innovation technologies. 

Innovation protection
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We not only help you with the development of innovative ideas. If desired, we, in cooperation with our experienced IP partners, help you with protecting intellectual property and assist you with the negotiation of cooperation agreements. 

Innovation organisation
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We help you to set up an efficient innovation culture, concentrated on individual projects or throughout the organisation structure of your company. We develop the appropriate organisational basic conditions and individual, targeted control systems:

  • Open innovation culture
  • Tailored processes and forms of organisation
  • Individually coordinated control and management concepts

Advantages

WHAT SETS US APART 

Specialisation

We have specialised in the development of new business and new technologies and optimally use our industry competences for each customer. 

Established network

We have an extensive network of technology partners in the fields of microelectronics, optics, particle optics, precision mechanics and automation.

Competence

Our engineering competence, the know-how of our partners and our innovation experience make us a preferred consultation partner for high-tech companies. 

New perspectives

Independent of hierarchies and organisation structures, we can use and jump beyond existing processes and action patterns and incorporate unexpected, new perspectives into the innovation generation.

Reference project 1

Innovation management for a large volume manufacturer

Optimisation of a technology concept, including the affiliated manufacturing processes, in order to be able to offer higher performance with a simultaneously smaller form factor.

A large volume manufacturer deploys a certain technology concept and a manufacturing process specially adapted to it for one of its product modules. It would like to now offer higher performance with smaller dimensions at the same time.

The solutions developed by the company itself are already at the limits of the physically practicable, but still considerably larger than called for by the marketing team.

R&K Technologies is initially being commissioned with formulating new suggestions for solutions together with the developers in the context of a workshop.

Als Ergebnis erfolgt die Beauftragung, zusammen mit dem firmeninternen Team ein Lösungskonzept zu erarbeiten.
The result is us being commissioned, together with the company-internal team, to formulate a solution concept. The development of a functional model is also commissioned.

Our engagement leads to a portfolio of promising approaches with various probabilities of success. 

  1. In initial individual discussions with the marketing specialists, concept developers and application experts, the most important requirements for concept development are analysed and defined.
  2. In a workshop with other experts from the R&K Technologies network, all technologies of interest for the solution, as well as possible starting points and examples with a similar task definition are discussed. Through prioritisation of the requirements and the use of innovation methodologies, the solution space is once again expanded. More possible solution partners are identified.
  3. In a follow-up order, the formulated approaches to solutions are further developed together with employees from development.

Subsequent processing results in two promising solutions, which, due to the differing risk and performance profiles, should initially both be further developed. R&K Technologies is contracted to setup the initial contributor network and project preparation for one of the two functional models. 

Reference project 2

Innovation management for a large US equipment manufacturer

Formulation of a concept for the significant increase of product throughput for a product, with the goal of achieving a permanent competitive advantage. 

A large US equipment manufacturer is looking for a solution for significantly increasing the throughput for one of its products (by a magnitude of one or more), as it wishes to have a permanent competitive advantage regarding a possible competitor. No satisfactory solution could be found within the company.

R&K Technologies is commissioned with formulating a goal-oriented concept for the significant increase of throughput. The definition of the task encompasses, among other aspects, the following individual areas: 

  • Coaching of the existing (and in some cases changing) core technology team for the formulation of innovative solutions.
  • Recommendations from possible partners and technology experts.
  • Support of feasibility, freedom-to-operate analysis, as well as proof of concept.
  • Consideration and evaluation of existing technologies and technology platforms.

  1. In a first step, R&K Technologies, together with the company project team, develops a technology concept. Following comprehensive research and the formulation of possible approaches to/concepts for solutions, a related technology overview is created, based on which several disruptive approaches for the solution of the problem are developed – including the formulation of throughput and cost-of-ownership models. The consolidation and comparison of the various technology approaches and their risks then take place. A freedom-to-operate analysis is carried out. The selected technology and project recommendations are presented to the company board.
  2. Upon acquiring consent of the board, R&K Technologies heads an architecture analysis and an initial feasibility study for the select concept. Besides the recommendation and mediation of optimal partners for the creation of the necessary feasibility studies, R&K Technologies also assumes responsibility for a part of the partner management and is responsible for the formulation of technical solutions for difficulties occurring in the studies.
  3. R&K Technologies ultimately takes on the planning and the partnering for the centrepiece of the first prototype. This encompasses, among other things, the formulation of a specs roadmap, the development of an overall project plan, as well as the recommendation and evaluation of the corresponding implementation partners.

The developed technology concept (incl. design) and the suggested project architecture fulfil the requirements of the customer. The execution of the project is commenced, based on the technology recommendation of R&K, and is being implemented in the meantime.