Tesla’s rise from seventh to third in BCG’s ‘The Most innovative Companies 2015’ was an impressive statement that innovation is not just the preserve of modern tech companies. It made some sectors of the manufacturing world re-think and re-evaluate what they do. The more innovative manufacturing companies now put more emphasis on R&D. Pat Beirne, CEO of Mergon, comments:

“For too long manufacturing companies have only been appreciated for the speed, accuracy and cost-effectiveness of their output. The wealth of knowledge and expertise that goes into developing the designs and tools to make the products has, until recently, been undervalued by both the manufacturing companies themselves and their customers. At Mergon this has been addressed and by re-positioning our product offering, our customers now value the essential input and need for collaboration with our engineers in the pre-manufacturing phase of product development.”

Being innovative in the true tech world suggests that companies such as Apple and Google are constantly coming up with amazing new solutions to future problems. They seem to be able to delve into the next ten years with ease. So is innovation the ability to predict the future and map the path to what that world looks like? It’s easy to see that the same can be said for innovative manufacturing companies. Their innovation lies in predicting the future needs of their customers and solving them before they even exist. Tech or manufacturing, innovation is key.

Mergon works closely with the major automotive companies worldwide to design and manufacture the next generation of car parts in the quest to build the perfect car of tomorrow.
BCG’s 2017 report says:
“The pace of technology-driven change is faster than ever before – we are seeing both more rapid technology development and the quicker impact of new technologies in virtually all aspects of business (as well as daily life). To keep up, tech natives and non-tech companies alike must continually be on the lookout for promising new technologies and then incorporate them into their operations in order to realize the market potential of these innovations.”

Michael Daly, Group Engineering Manager, Mergon Group commented:
“3D printing has revolutionized the way we work and has reduced the time from concept to full prototype, allowing manufacturers to also reduce costs. The Midlands is becoming a Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing and Mergon has been instrumental in this move. We are actively developing our Additive Manufacturing capabilities in Ireland but this is just the beginning as the world of new and emerging technology advances rapidly.” 
One of Mergon’s case studies outlines the way Mergon used innovative technologies and techniques which resulted in the customer benefiting from a saving of $1M. This proves not only the power of innovative thinking but also the vast savings it can make.

For more on BCG’s report, see: https://www.bcgperspectives.com/most-innovative-companies-2016/