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share roles and competence entrusting professionals specialised
in single sectors with re-thinking productive processes by
means of a strong drive towards digitalization, so as to follow
the product from its design to the end use collecting and processingitsdata,notingitscriticalaspectsandrepositioningthe
product. Or, for instance, dealing with additive manufacturing,
and therefore with 3D printing, that is, industrial production by
means of the creation of objects and components one layer at
a time, using only the necessary material, which will bring about
profound changes to many industries.
Start-upsandinnovationinItalianSMEs
Inthemachinetoolindustry,astudycarriedoutbyNomismain
the driving sector of goods made in Italy shows a performance
which is not very encouraging, since in the EU the value of imports
from Italy shrank by 9% while total imports (in Europe) of
equipment in general increased by 6%. This was due to Italy’s
backwardness in terms of innovation, in this case in terms of IoT
(Internet of Things). In Italy, research and new patents are way
below the European average and this means that only 50% of
companies started off innovative processes between 2010 and
2012andonlyhalfofthesebroughtnewproductstothemarket.
We are not talking, as some do, about applications and social
networks, but about real industrial innovation. For instance,
the start-up Sòphia High Tech Srl, with two projects pending
approval in the selective context of the European Horizon program,
targets industry (specifically, aerospace, automotive and
defence industries) and deals with measurement, control and
testing systems for machine tools and additive manufacturing,
which it is using to experiment prototypes of new piston rods
for the aerospace industry.
InacountrysuchasItaly,madeupofexcellentSMEs,notjust
in the “three F” industries (fashion, food and furniture) but also
in manufacturing, high-tech, aerospace
and other industries, how can we reach
this objective? By informing and making
it convenient for companies to invest in
start-ups. SMEs can, indeed must, deal
with innovation, that could well start off a
few yards away from their headquarters.
Otherwisetheywillbedoomedtoaprogressive
marginalisation. The connectioncanbebusinessangels,whoareoften
former entrepreneurs or managers
who can act as messengers/warrantors
for other entrepreneurs. Because they
know both worlds: innovation and traditional
companies. And they can speak
both languages.
The opportunities
of open innovation
For this reason, the need to jump on the
innovation train, or better still to drive it
(Photo: Alessandra Dosselli)
Come valorizzare la spinta
innovativa delle start-up
Da qualche tempo si sente parlare sempre più insistentementediOpenInnovationeIndustria4.0/IoT(intesacomeintegrazionedioggettiinunareteuniversale,unasortadifusionetramondorealeevirtuale),manonsempreèbenchiaro
dicosasitratti.Lasfidaprincipaledelleaziendeèquelladi
sopravvivere attraverso l’innovazione: il divario tra piccole e
grandi imprese, durante il corso degli anni, è via via cresciuto,
introducendo difficoltà e problematiche soprattutto per
lepiccoleemedieimprese,incapaci,daunpuntodivistaprimaculturaleepoieconomico,dialimentareequindidisostenere
in maniera attenta ed efficace i propri processi di
innovazione. Tale distribuzione di conoscenza risulta essere
ineguale, favorendo e accentuando la disparità di opportunitàesulmedioperiodolascomparsadalmercato.
Le caratteristiche principali di questo nuovo modello d’innovazione
riguardano la frammentazione e la delocalizzazione
nonpiùsoltantodisegmentideiprocessidiproduzionema
anchedeiprocessidiR&S.Attiratidafattoriqualiladisponibilità
di capitale umano di alta qualità a basso costo, un numerocrescentediimpresedeipaesiavanzatitrasferiscenei
nuovipaesiemergenticomponentiimportantideiloroprocessid’innovazione.L’innovazioneapertasicollegainpar-
teaquestoprocesso.L’oppostodiquantofattofinoaglianni
’90 quando si lavorava solo all’interno dell’azienda riducendoalminimogliscambidiknow-howesoluzioni,oilpartnering
con soggetti esterni. Nell’Open Innovation, invece, le
impresecondividonoconaltreimpreseilorosforzidiR&Sal
duplicescopodiapprofittaredellamessaincomunedelpool
di conoscenza e di instaurare rapporti di mercato condividendo
gli sforzi d’innovazione con le altre imprese. L’aperturasignificapoteraccedereaunenormebacinodisoluzioni
provenienti da ricercatori e innovatori presenti in ogni partedelpianeta.Questopermettedidividereiruolielecompetenze
affidandosi a professionisti specializzati nei singoli
Scenari
Le start-up tecnologiche approcciano
naturalmente il nuovo modello di
innovazione aperta, offrendo opportunità
e risposte alle esigenze di R&S
competitiva delle PMI
Luca Canepa,
Managing Director,
Ban-Up
October 2016 N° 05
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