I would say that the most impactful innovations since childhood for me would be the TV. Last time, we used to have the big TV (cathode-ray tube, or CRT) which sometimes could have some colour problems. However, over the years, new TV's are being invented which are both cutting edge and environmentally friendly. The latest TVs include LCD and plasma screens, which have much greater resolution and brightness, making television much more realistic. The changes in what you see on TV sets are extremely drastic as compared to ten years ago, and have a very big impact on someone who watches TV during lunch and dinner.
General:
Today, we visited 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing). Having not really read up about the company beforehand, I only knew that it created post-its and had a lot of products which didn't really seem to gel together.
I have to admit, I was extremely impressed by the general statistics of 3M globally. It is an extremely large company with a fairly good reputation, and the investment in R&D is rather hefty. Singapore is also the superhub for 3M in the Apac region for manufacturing and technology. 3M's core values are also evident in their modus operandi, having several initiatives to hone in on the employees' talents. The technical/regular path the employees could take was really interesting, seeing how the employees could switch over to a different sector in the company, associated with his interests. This allows the employees to enjoy their job and not take it as "work", which is really ingenious of 3M.
The greatest takeaway from the visit to 3M was their process of innovation. Being a person of little innovation, I couldn't imagine how companies were to "increase" and stimulate the innovation gene in their employees. I was pleasantly surprised and interested in their focus on innovation and how they go about promoting it. The Kaizen room was really impressive: employees with ideas on improvements could take 3/5 full-day "leave" and use their time to solely concentrate on producing and solidifying their ideas into concrete solutions. It is no doubt a risky manoeuvre to pull off, but the entrepreneurial spirit can be inculcated via this initiative, especially when the rewards are high. The company also gives out awards for the best ideas created by the employees annually, and their dedication to ensure the innovation process continues is really outstanding.
Now onto 3M's products. 3M's Vikuiti rear projection display is really ingenious, taking an ordinary surface to become the screen of the mirrored projector. This allows images to be projected on the passers-by's natural line of vision, hence being a larger influencing factor as opposed to a screen near the ceiling.
Just a brief look:
Next would be the flexible circuit. 3M's flex circuits were really an eye-opener, because most, if not all, the technology we were exposed to were "stiff" and tended to come with a metal backing. Moreover, the flex circuits were extremely small and light, hence they were applicable in many appliances for reduction of space. This relates to a video I had previously watched, and made me wonder if the idea of flexible technology could be applied to more common appliances such as watches or even handphones, as the video below shows.
No comments:
Post a Comment