Perpetual Innovation

Category: innovation

  • Quality, excellence and (Perpetual) Innovation

    Quality Improvement programs like TQM are a key part of building a sustainable competitive advantage for companies. Every couple years there is an improvement or a new flavor of TQM, like six sigma and lean six sigma.

    Talking about quality… The Baldrige Program is a rather cool program for improving the process of quality in an organization… Brought to you from the US Department of Commerce through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

    Download the 2017-2018 Baldrige Excellence Builder.

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    There’s a discussion at NIST about why you would use the Baldrige Program vs other Total Quality Management (TQM) programs. Generally, they suggest using Baldrige for the over planning and processes, but use lean for the the continuous improvement.

    There’s an interesting article about TQM programs and implementation of them by Fleming-Farrell, Hall and Blando (2014). It summarizes two TQM-type studies, one focuses on the top of the organization, the other on the six-sigma practitioner. From the top view, there seems to be no correlation between the number TQM-type programs and the performance of them; so going to the next flavor of TQM does not necessarily do much, it is the care and feeding that goes into your quality program that makes the difference.

    Oh, and there is almost no relationship between the participation in six sigma and compensation. Black belts get a little more pay, but generally there is no pay increase for working harder and longer at quality improvement. Of course the skill and skill set might prompt a six sigma practitioner, after training and experience, to jump ship and take a big raise elsewhere.
    Maybe awards and recognition might help?

    Glad you asked, there is also the Baldrige Award.
    Or, in Florida, the Florida Sterling Award. 

    Top-down vs Bottom-up Planning. The issue that is often observed about the world of TQM is that it is generally a bottom-up planning tool. Great for managing the factory and incremental improvements. But disruptive innovation and strategic planning, not so useful. Hall and Hinkelman (2013, 2017) approach top-down planning with their Perpetual Innovation(tm) series of books. But they integrate bottom-up planning into the process as well. It really makes no difference where the great ideas come from, provided the organization is in a position to recognize ’em and take advantage of them. Even the best laid plans (of mice and men) must be well executed. Baldrige seems like a perfect way of managing with clear alignment through the organization either in stable state, or transitioning through incremental change.

    Want to go to the theater and watch videos? Check them out here: Youtub Videos (popcorn not provided).

    References

    Hall, E. B. & Hinkelman, R. M. (2013). Perpetual Innovation™: A guide to strategic planning, patent commercialization and enduring competitive advantage, Version 2.0. Morrisville, NC: LuLu Press. ISBN: 978-1-304-11687-1  Retrieved from: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/SBPlan

    Hall, E. B. & Hinkelman, R. M. (2017). Perpetual Innovation™: Patent primer 3.1e: Patents, the great equalizer of our time! An overview of intellectual property with patenting cost estimates for inventors and entrepreneurs.  [Amazon Kindle eBook].  ASIN: B01MS53JC5 Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MS53JC5   
    Fleming-Farrell, L., Hall, E., & Blando, J. (2014, Spring).  Implementation of new TQM programs, communications, and adapting to change. In C. A. Lentz (Ed.), The refractive thinker: Vol. 8: Effective business practices for motivation and communication (pp. 159-181). Las Vegas, NV: The Refractive Thinker© Press.

  • The End of a Patent Dynasty, IBM has been Dethroned


    IBM is no longer King of the Patent World! 
    Samsung now reigns supreme.

    US Patents for 2016 by Fortune by IFI Claims Patent Services. IBM #1 with 8,052 patents issued. Samsung Electronics Co Lmt with 5,518. But, a better measure would have IBM coming in second in 2016, and even in 2015!… 

    The other approach that consolidates related companies here, or more directly from Sqoop here.   IBM #2 when Samsung has more patents collectively with 8,551 issued in 2016.
    In terms of patent applications, 

    In terms of patent applications, Samsung really beats out IBM:

    • Samsung — 10,695
    • International Business Machines Corporation — 8,800
    Samsung is way ahead of #2 Microsoft in Design Patents with ~1,500 vs. ~500. IBM is not in to the top 40 in terms of US design patents (as would be expected for the type of products (services, really) that they produce.

    Wow, no 25 year run for IBM. A questionable 24 year run through 2016. And arguably, not even a 23 year.

  • XGame Innovation in Carbon Capture

    Look at the great innovations up in Canada in the CCS xGames.

    Checkout the blog at SustainZine related to this very cool competition: http://sustainzine.blogspot.com/2017/01/co2-xgame-winners-in-canada-losers-in.html

    Here’s some info on this big competition in Canada: CBC News discusses competition sponsored by Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance and U.S. company NRG.

    Normally you think of Carbon Capture & Sequester as a dead cost. Take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere (maybe at a smoke stack where it is highly concentrated, and pump it down into caverns, maybe where the coal or oil came from. But CO2 is a valuable and sell-able byproduct. Think about the fizz in your pop.

    Maybe innovation like this Carbon XGame contestants have demonstrated, might allow us to burn all the oil and coal in the world without impunity. Maybe if we all hold our breath (one way to reduce CO2), the impact of our non-sustainable ways will not come back to bite us in the proverbial butt.

    SustainZine said: “That means the the job of the CCS might turn out to be far, far bigger in the future, as we try to burn up the last century or so of fossil fuels over the next hundred years.

    We here at SustainZine consider “conservative” this way: The bestest, cheapest, cleanest gallon of gas is the one never extracted, never processed and never burned. The bestest, cheapest, cleanest tonne of coal is the one never extracted, never processed, and never burned (scrubbing or no scrubbing).”  


    In the meanwhile, innovation is the engine that will keep providing options, long after the most obvious alternatives have been exhausted. 

  • CO2 xGame Winners in Canada. Losers in USA?

    Wow. What do you do when the horses are already outta the gate?
    What do you do with the CO2 is already into the atmosphere? This is the idea of capturing that 400 parts per million of CO2 out of the atmosphere after it’s already, well, up in the error — oops… I mean — up in the air.
    Here are the winners of the XGames competition on CO2. This $20M competition is to figure out ways to carbon capture and sequester (CCS). Unlike some industrial byproducts, CO2 can have a value (bottling, for example, to give you that happy fizz in your pop).

    Here’s some info on this big competition in Canada: CBC News discusses competition sponsored by Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance and U.S. company NRG.

    One of the 9 finalist, Ingenuity Labs, emulates photosynthesis to remove carbon dioxide from smoke stacks and such. They use a photosynthesis-like process to extract the carbon and make several industrial products out of the extract. True, this is a lot like planting a tree, but you have to wait 20 years for the wood, vs the immediate gratification of industrial products.

    A very cool concept is by Carbicrete. Take out CO2 from an emissions source (say a smoke stack) and infuse it into concrete where the carbon is happily sequestered and it actually strengthens the concrete. (Note that concrete is a leading industrial source of CO2 emissions.)

    While Canada is moving full forward with sustainability initiatives, the US is set to make a major shift in the other direction. Trump’s Pruitt pick for the EPA might result in two departments of Energy. (Facts and miss-facts about Pruitt.)

    The US has never had an energy policy. Carter was the last to propose one. Obama kinda had one, but without any legislative support, he was force-feeding it through the EPA. No matter who you are, that’s not the right way. So the Clean Energy Plan, is about to get the can!…

    That means the the job of the CCS might turn out to be far, far bigger in the future, as we try to burn up the last century or so of fossil fuels over the next hundred years.

    We here at SustainZine consider “conservative” this way: The bestest, cheapest, cleanest gallon of gas is the one never extracted, never processed and never burned. The bestest, cheapest, cleanest tonne of coal is the one never extracted, never processed, and never burned (scrubbing or no scrubbing).

  • The world's first super light folding electric bike | YikeBike

    The world’s first super light folding electric bike | YikeBike:

    Even cooler than the Segway, and multiple times as functional.

    Give a look at this YikeBike. When you see this bike, you will say Yikes!

    It is reminisce of the old High Wheeler bikes with the monster wheel in front, and no gears (1-speed). But with a twist.

    The question to ask is this new bike a true invention? Is it innovation? Or is it both?

    It won the Time Magazine’s intention of the year in 2009. Finalist in Nobel’s Prize for Sustainability.

    Part of that question might be answered by how many patents the technology harbors.

    The main international PCT patent (2008-2009) has been filed in about 8 countries and does not appear to be issued. There are other interesting patent technologies integrated into the design. Here’s the main patent WO2010007516A1 from the EPO.

    It seems like a great alternative to the idea of our usual approach to jump into our SUV and drive a few streets to work or for a latte — 180 pound person being transported by a 2,000 vehicle using a 300-400 horse power motor.

    This idea seems to solve several problems with the bike as a mode of transportation, some problems that we never really knew we had.

    When you look at the product, you will wonder where the motor and the batteries hide.

    How does it keep from falling over in 3 different directions?

    What is a “farthing” and how can it possibly be considered a great selling point? Even if you call it a “mini-farthing”. Do we really need a secondary axis, orthogonal to the primary axis?

    Can you take your YikeBike on your man bike (Harley) without being called out for having a “girlie-man bike”?

    Where can you get a YikeBike? Apparently, they have free international shipping.

    YikeBike comes with “the freedom to park wherever I DAMN please!”

    Will people say, “Wow”, “Cool” and “hip”, or will they say:

    “Yikes!”???

    ‘via Blog this’