managing innovation - the · pdf filemanaging innovation fritz awig vice president,...

the vision to innovate, the technology to excel the vision to innovate, the technology to excel™

the vision to innovate, the technology to excel™

Managing Innovation

Fritz Awig

Vice President, Engineering and Operations

February 28, 2014


Managing Innovation

• Company Overview

• Product/Market Evolution

• Managing Innovation

• Recognizing Good and Bad Innovation


COMPANY OVERVIEW


Pressco entered the High-Speed Vision Inspection Market in 1983

Company was founded in 1966 as an engineering-oriented machine tool distributor

Today we are considered an innovation pioneer in advanced on-line, computer automated vision inspection and process analysis products and services


Mission Statement

To be the World Leader in engineered on-line Sensing and Process Analysis products and services which delight customers

while applying Biblical principles of ethics.


Our 56,000 sq ft facility houses Engineering, Manufacturing, Research, Sales & Marketing, Service, Training and Support organizations

18,000 sq ft is dedicated to technical support and new product development


Pressco Technology Inc. is the proud owner of over 30 patented technologies


Pressco began exporting in 1988 and has installed over 7,200 systems in 78 countries around the world


Sales/Service Offices


Pressco Serves Very Diverse Markets


Pressco Markets

Closures 13%

Filling 8%

Metal Container Beverage

36%

Metal Container Food 13%

Plastic Container 16%

Other 14%


PRODUCT/MARKET EVOLUTION


Vision Inspection Requirements (circa 1980):

• Single manufacturing line

• 200 parts per minute

• 20/20 vision

• Inconsistent performance


First vision inspection system ever installed in the metal container

industry

• One electronics cabinet • One inspection module • One camera • One light source • One lane • 500 parts per minute • NO REJECTER!


• One electronics cabinet • Four inspection modules • Eight cameras • Sixteen lighting arrays • Four independent lanes • 3600 parts per minute • Extremely consistent

performance

Metal Container Market


• High Resolution Camera • Integrated Touch Screen • Washdown Compliant (NEMA-4X) • New challenge: sloshing liquid

Filling Market


As customers innovate, successful companies must innovate as well


MANAGING INNOVATION CULTIVATING


Cultivating Innovation

Right Approach

Right Environment

Right People

Right Recognition

Right Relationships

Innovation

“Rights”


Team


Individual

• Meet together • Start the flow of ideas • Let everyone contribute • Get out of the way • Usually best for complex, cross

functional, system level problems

• Issue a challenge (but know who can be challenged)

• Let them ponder & experiment • Listen to their suggestions • Usually best for solving specific

market needs

Right Approach



Structured Free Form

• Patterned after ISO process (PMR, Specifications, etc)

• Has it’s place (system development) • Leads to evolution rather than

revolution

• No structure • Has it’s place (solve an immediate

problem) • Leads to revolution rather than

evolution

Right Approach



No bad ideas

Let everyone contribute

Be willing to listen

Be flexible Management isn’t

always right

Controlled freedom Challenge &

encourage

Break down barriers Right Environment


Horrible image!

Not enough edges!

Not enough contrast!

Can’t be done!

Reduce the field of view

Apply dark field illumination

Rotate the image

Pre-filter the image

Apply contrast enhancements

>95% read rate


Cluttered and haphazard


Successful companies need both!

Orderly and methodical

Right People



Novel Does it represent a new

approach that wasn’t obvious?

Utility Can the design be

leveraged to solve other problems?

Standard Can standard equipment

be utilized? Problem Difficulty

How difficult was the problem to be solved?

Impact How important was this

problem to Pressco or the customer?

Software Algorithm

Departmental Process

System Architecture

Right Recognition


Cluttered and chaotic


Right People

Orderly and methodical

Successful companies need both!



Invite others to see their progress

Encourage

Follow up regularly

Know your people

and their families

Be available Show enthusiasm &

interest

MBWA Right Relationships


RECOGNIZING GOOD AND BAD INNOVATION


Recent Pressco Innovations INDIVIDUAL TEAM BARRIER

Optimizer™ “Management is always right”

Draw Mark Filter Problem unresolved for 20 years

Series IV-D Plus System architecture won’t support it

Reject FIFO Encoder pulse = part position

BMID (Phase 1) “We know the market”

BMID (Phase 2) Horrible image

CSE Issues Database Do things the way we’ve always done them

Pocket Correlator System architecture limitations

E Series Modules No time to do it right

icon No market need

iCAM Didn’t meet market requirements

FHCP-3X Not enough time


Recognizing Good and Bad Innovation

• Know your market(s)

– What do they want and need?

– Be willing to listen!

• Know your product and its applications

– Does the innovation fit?

– Voice recognition software

• Know your limitations (but be careful)

– “That image is horrible”



Right Approach

Right Environment

Right People

Right Recognition

Right Relationships

Innovation

“Rights”


THANK YOU

managing innovation - the · pdf filemanaging innovation fritz awig vice president,...

Documents