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 Making something new from something old : strength or weakness ? |
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Interview - Antoine Latham
Making something new from something old: a strength or a weakness for industry?
Are there companies which have succeeded by making something new from something old, especially in Alsace?
For elementary needs, you can of course succeed by reworking old products. The industrialist re-invents and improves the production process and looks for a better design. Innovation, presentation, the way you deliver the product and all the associated services are all important.
Everyone tries to make something modern from something old. For example, in Alsace there have been recent developments and major innovations in the heating sector to adapt to a demand for better control of consumption and emissions or to take into the size of houses and the mobility of people. Also in the food industry, which usually seems to be traditional, there have been a lot of innovations. In the end it is often in services where there is the best opportunity for something new.
If everyone does this, what is the recipe for success?
It is up to each head of company to find the right recipe, that is his job. Unfortunately, it seems to me that some companies are too focused on the product and production and only discover service later. In Alsace, however, there is undoubtedly a taste for innovation, the ideas are ingenious, but it is more often a case of evolution rather than revolution!
Old and new, new personnel working alongside more experienced personnel, does it work?
Even if basic human aspirations hardly change deep down, the field of human resources is a reserve of productivity and pugnacity which can and must be explored by the company. There is still great potential for innovation in social relations in Alsace.
Is the 'transversal' relationship between the different trades of the same company an extra advantage?
Complementarity is what a lot of companies are looking for today. Before, people talked of a vertical organization, now we want to improve transversal relations, bring people from different trades and cultures together, open up departments as well as minds. If it works, great, it is an important driving force for the progress of companies!
However, there is no single model, each company must re-invent its own organization. In management, ideas can be excellent but their implementation can sometimes be slow and laborious. Hence the risk for some company managers of being overtaken by the evolution of the markets. The reality then contradicts the theory...
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