Living Innovation

"Living Innovation" has been developed by the Department of Trade & Industry and the Design Council to spread the messages about what makes Millennium Product businesses so successful. These companies have learned that the pursuit of innovation has to permeate every aspect of their activities - they have to live their commitment each and every day.

There are three areas of activity which are key to Living Innovation. Businesses inspire their people to pursue innovation, create products and services and connect closely and effectively with their markets and customers. To find out more visit the site www.livinginnovation.org or have a look at the some of the following examples.

Together, design and innovation can be used to improve business competitiveness: to reduce costs, increase performance, differentiate from rival products or offer completely new products. By integrating design in the core activities of a company, its innovative potential can be exploited.

Taking innovation to the roadside
The AA roadside assistance service has bewildered competition by reducing the average call-out time to less than that of the London ambulance service. Its innovative, automated call-handling system has revolutionised customer care, established a new benchmark for the sector and saved over £50m a year.Read the case study.

New motor power sales
Innovation lies at the heart of the commercial success achieved by Linear Drives Limited. Starting with a "great, simple idea", the company invested heavily in developing straight-line motors that operate without wear or mechanical coupling. It now holds up to a ten per cent share of the global market and expects its share to rise rapidly in the next three years. Read the case study.

Game on!
Giving its software development team a totally free rein has brought valuable commercial benefits to computer games company Creature Labs. Over one million customers around the world now play the 'Creatures' game against each other and provide a constant stream of new ideas to a highly motivated development team.Read the case study.

Creativity transforms user attitudes
Having seen the benefits of innovation after several recent successful product launches, JCB took a completely fresh look at the forklift truck and developed the revolutionary new 'Teletruk'. Not only has it transformed previously negative user attitudes to forklift trucks, but is also on track to achieve ambitious sales targets. Read the case study.

An eye for opportunity
Dollond and Aitchison has re-established itself in the optometry industry by focusing on much higher standards of customer service. Its innovative Styleyes programme designed to help customers choose attractive glasses won Design Council Millennium Product status and revitalised the company's business performance. Innovation has greatly improved Dollond and Aitchison's performance and profitability. The corporate culture encourages a continuous stream of creative ideas and the operational structure has been transformed to permit rapid implementation of innovation. Read the case study.

Innovation equals bigger margins
Renishaw stands at the forefront of automated metrology. The Group's products provide manufacturers with the ability to machine components accurately, and perform measurement traceable to International Standards. Wherever precision manufacturing is required, the use of Renishaw's products ensures that exacting specifications are met, with cost-effective methods. Renishaw is almost aggressive in its approach to innovation. A high priority is attached to creating a culture of close-working, multi-skilled teams and strong interaction between staff and management. Employees are actively encouraged to communicate, provide feedback and develop new ideas. Read the case study.

Warming to an idea
The Gorix business could be considered a cottage industry, for it has none of the wordly trappings of an international business, and is located in tiny premises in Birkdale, near Southport, Merseyside. But the flexible heating fabric known as Gorix Electro-Conductive Textile (E-CT) developed by the company is being evaluated or used by over 100 businesses, ranging from General Motors to the US Army. By careful protection of his intellectual property, Robert Rix is poised to reap valuable rewards from his innovation. Read the case study.