quintijn-innikelEN Archives - Beacon | Masters in Innovation

Nice thing: America’s Cup 75

Claudia Marciano — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 09:44:40 +0000

Quintijn Innikel (partner) on a groundbreaking, innovative sailboat
This sailboat is truly remarkable, showcasing groundbreaking and innovative technology. It was designed for the America’s Cup, a legendary sailing race that has proven to be a major driver of innovation. The America’s Cup is the oldest sailing race and active sporting event worldwide. Since 1851, the world’s best sailors have competed with the fastest boats for the aspired “Auld Mug.”

The competition is a match race between two top-tier yachts. The one known as the Defender represents the yacht club currently holding the America’s Cup, while the Challenger, represents the club vying for the title. The Challenger is selected through a series of preliminary races. According to the Deed of Gift, the winner gets to set the specifications for the yachts in the next competition. This allows changes in aspects such as rigging, draft, maximum waterline length, or total weight, ensuring that each race hosts faster and more innovative boats. Over its rich history, the America’s Cup has driven many significant technological advancements.

The 1988 race: A new dimension
One of the most significant breakthroughs occurred in the 1988 race when the San Diego Yacht Club competed as the Defender. New Zealand, the Challenger, relied on conservative regulations, assuming their vessel—a large monohull (single-hulled) yacht—would have the advantage. It was an enormous 37-meter yacht with a massive sail (up to 1,600 square meters) and two large outriggers on either side to balance its 40-man crew.

On the other hand, San Diego noticed a gap in the rules: catamarans were not prohibited. Therefore, they built a massive catamaran with a fixed wing resembling a vertical airplane wing. Due to its narrow aspect ratio, this wing efficiently converted wind into speed.

During the race, the stark contrast between the two vessels became obvious. They were in completely different leagues. San Diego’s catamaran easily outmaneuvered New Zealand’s massive monohull, sailing circles around it. A legal challenge was filed to contest the results, but the court ruled that San Diego’s catamaran complied with the rules, making the Challenger the rightful winner.

The AC75: Four times the speed of the wind
Another revolutionary leap came with foils, enabling catamarans to lift out of the water and achieve even greater speeds. In 2021, New Zealand successfully defended its title against Italy. Both boats were high-performance foiling monohulls of the AC75 class, specifically designed for the competition.

Fixed wings were replaced by a “twin-skin, soft-wing” sail concept, a hybrid of a fixed wing and a traditional sail. These boats also featured two robotic arms on deck that hydraulically shifted the foils from port to starboard, lifting the entire hull out of the water.

Every aspect of the vessel was streamlined for minimal resistance. The technology has become so efficient that these boats can sail at four times the speed of the wind. With a wind speed of ten knots, the AC75 can sail at 40 knots—truly mind-blowing!

Seamanship and innovation
The faster the boat sails, the more lift the foils generate, raising the hull higher out of the water. If not managed carefully, the boat can lift too high and bounce off the water’s surface. This led to a new role onboard: the trimmer, who controls the boat’s flight height with a console.

The races are highly dynamic, blending seamanship and technological innovation. The America’s Cup is a celebration of sailing and innovation. Teams must be incredibly inventive to surpass the Defender’s advantage. Every effort is made to stay ahead. Being just “as good” isn’t enough—you must always be better.

As Admiral Rous famously told Queen Victoria in 1851 when the yacht America crossed the finish line first: “Your Majesty, there is no second.”

Would you like to learn more about product innovation management or discuss a specific innovation? Get in touch with us!

PARTNERSHIPS IN INNOVATION

Claudia Marciano — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 13:00:22 +0000

Successful innovation increasingly comes through partnerships of multiple parties. But how do you select potential partners?

Is it a search for the prince on the white horse? How do you divide the pie? And can cultural differences be bridged with a sticky bun?

Quintijn Innikel shares his experience and insights on creating fruitful partnerships and lists the key challenges.

Watch his presentation during the study day on Collaboration and Innovation at TU in Delft for the PDMA and the DMN here.

Also read Quintijn’s blog article: Experiences of innovating through partnerships

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INTERVIEW WITH JAN WITTE COO OF YOUMEDICAL

Claudia Marciano — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:33:06 +0000

We are able to develop quickly’

Jan Witte has been COO of YouMedical since 2011. That develops and sells innovative over the counter medical products, available at Etos and Kruidvat, among others. “Our future ambition is to scale up.

Jan Witte already had extensive experience in product development, including for major clients such as Heineken and Unilever. YouMedical, turnover over 10 million euros, has 15 employees and exports to 40 countries. ‘I am responsible for the daily management and also for developing the physical product, i.e. packaging, holder and dispenser. For example, we have developed a patented system to freeze warts very locally, without affecting the surrounding skin.’

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS CONCEPT?

‘We are a goal-oriented organization: we develop from the idea to the final product. Innovation is important to us; that’s what we drives us. Our strategy is ‘find, try, simplify’: make a medical device attractive and simple to use. The aim is to bring two product lines to market every year. We are able to develop quickly: in about 9 months. The big pharma need one and a half to more than two years.’

WHAT MAKES YOUR METHOD OF WORKING FASTER?

‘Large organizations cannot fix mistakes as easily. Therefore, in the innovation process, they will strive to finish each phase before starting the next one. We are already starting the next phase while the previous one is not quite finished. That saves a lot of time. But this is only possible because we have such short lines here in our team of five and adhere to a strict consultation discipline, according to Rockefeller principles.

‘STARTING YOUR DAY LIKE THIS IS BY NO MEANS A PUNISHMENT, I THINK IT’S KICK-ASS!’

WHAT DOES THAT METHOD INVOLVE?

‘A management style based on the idea that you set long-term goals and break them down into shorter-term goals and measurable components. Annual plans you divide into quarterly plans, and those again into monthly plans, weekly plans and daily plans. We have a “daily huddle” every morning at 9 past 9. Standing in a circle, everyone briefly tells what their main five goals are that day. In fifteen minutes everyone has had their turn. And starting your day like that is certainly not a punishment, I think it’s great fun!

HOW DOES THAT IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF MUTUAL COOPERATION?

‘You hear very quickly what the problems are. You solve them among yourselves afterwards. We also do that at the weekly level in a smaller group, and at the monthly and quarterly level. So you are constantly thinking about what your added value is for the processes in the organization. That makes you work quickly and efficiently and keeps communication on track.’

FOR A SMALLER SME ORGANIZATION, WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IN OPTIMIZING THE INNOVATION PROCESS?

‘In smaller SMEs, you need to have the core disciplines in house all the people from your own company who have the knowledge and expertise to organize a product innovation technically, logistically and financially at the table. You shouldn’t outsource those core disciplines. With specific parts like IP and project management, you can.’

WHAT ADVANTAGES DO YOU HAVE AS A SMALLER ORGANIZATION OVER A LARGER ONE?

‘You don’t have to do politics here; we don’t have to do all the analysis to back up all the decisions. Multinationals do a lot of research to have the dossier complete. We act more on the basis of experience and the courage to decide, and to take risks.’

WHERE IS THE LIMIT FOR YOU AS A SMALL ORGANIZATION?

‘With overly complex designs, which we cannot oversee sufficiently. But as our knowledge and experience grows, we do want to scale up our scope to that type of innovation in the future. That’s our goal.’
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QUINTIJN INNIKEL (PARTNER BEACON) ON THE TRANSITION FROM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT TO BUSINESS

Claudia Marciano — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:07:09 +0000

Help! The innovation is almost finished!

‘If there is a new product after an innovation project, the whole project team is happy. But as a project manager, you’re not there yet. Especially if it’s a breakthrough innovation, this is a complex phase. The people who will receive the product come from all kinds of parts of the organization: production, supply chain, marketing, communications, sales, service. From a compact project team that is in sync with each other, now as a project manager you are going to engage all those parts of the company to streamline the transition. Another team will have to deal with a new product it knows very little about. At BEACON, we’ve helped many clients go through this phase successfully. You can think of it as a relay in which the first runner is the project and the second is the standing organization. The second runner already has to run along for a bit to keep up momentum while handing over the stick, or product’.

Transferring knowledge and experience

‘Conversely, it is also important for the project team to stay involved a little longer during the start-up and the introduction of the product to the market. Because when a product has just been developed, it is usually 90, 95, or maybe 98 percent good, but there are always a few things that could be just a little bit better. In the start-up phase of production, points for improvement and perhaps even teething problems are guaranteed to come to light as production numbers increase. To avoid problems, it is therefore important to involve the standing organization early on and let the project team, especially engineering and project management, run a little longer. So in effect it means getting a good deal of overlap between the two teams early on, so that the knowledge and experience can be transferred properly.

Warm-up
‘A very natural way to get those two teams working together is to organize a market test. The important thing is to make sure that the standing organization is responsible for execution, while the development team supports. Although it is a controlled test, everything should go as much as possible “as in real life. This allows the business team to get acquainted with the new product in a very natural and concrete way and already warm up to the new setting. Moreover, you get the most important points for improvement, not only in the product but also, for example, in the service organization, before you actually introduce it.

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TEAM DAY OUT: DO IT! 5 TIPS FOR WHEN THE WEATHER PERMITS.

Claudia Marciano — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:05:48 +0000

BEACON is not just a club of project managers who pull off difficult innovation projects every day. It is also a safe haven, a team of colleagues who appreciate, trust and help each other. In addition to a pleasant working environment, this also ensures higher quality work for our clients. Issues are discussed, advice shared and help offered. But it doesn’t come naturally, you have to actively build it, facilitate it as management. Team outings help with that. That is why at BEACON there is always room for fun initiatives to do things together. For example, in September the entire BEACON team went mountain biking in Ermelo Netherlands.

It was raining heavily. The route was long, tough and muddy and it was cold. In short, great conditions for a team outing! We enjoyed it, trudging through the mud, racing up and down the hills. A short rest from time to time and afterwards, tired but satisfied, we enjoyed our stories and warmed up with a soup in Simon’s vacation home.

Start planning your next team outing!

The calendars are still empty and in a few months we will hopefully be allowed to do it again. The planning and anticipation is already fun, too.

5 tips for a successful day:

1 Everyone is participating!

Make sure well in advance that the whole team can and appointment/call/mail free. Too bad if people can’t get their heads around because they actually have something to take care of.

2 Inspiring location

Provide an inspiring location that everyone is unfamiliar with. This increases the feeling of “getting out there.” I always find outdoors works best, even in bad weather: forests, moors, caves, beaches … wonderful!

3 Doing something difficult

Provide an activity with some level of difficulty where team members can help each other. Not too stressful but not something everyday either, somewhere between parachute jumping and biking to work. In our case, we warned about roots and potholes (not puddles), discussed routes, pumped up tires, repaired bikes and shared snacks and drinks along the way. In short, teamwork with a touch of competition for the enthusiasts.

4 Many pauses and chats

Make sure there are plenty of breaks to chat and rest. During short breaks, you often talk again with someone else you don’t see very often in daily work, and that way you get to know each other just a little better.

5 Extended closing moment and share experiences afterwards.

Wrap up with a communal rest and evaluation moment such as eating or something similar. That moment may well be as long as the activity itself!

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PARTNERSHIPS

Claudia Marciano — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 13:59:22 +0000

Quintijn Innikel talks about his experiences innovating through partnerships

“Making a modern consumer happy is not so easy anymore. The days of “you can choose any color as long as it’s black” are over, even for Apple. To win hearts, products are all-powerful. Think phones (what can’t they do?), cars (driving computers) or watches (measure my health, point the way and relay my mail). The demands this places on companies and their innovation teams are thus extremely high. Traditional carmakers realize that they must step up to three not to be outdone by Google or Tesla. Partnerships are a good weapon for going to war together.

With BEACON, I deal a lot with partnerships. We are often asked to look for the missing link. That may be missing knowledge or technology, but also a relevant brand or a sales channel. And that’s then where the exciting journey to collaboration between companies begins. What I love about it is that the people on our clients’ team are very open to collaboration. Together you indeed turn out to be able to do much more and 1+1 turns out to be 3. Still, it often remains exciting to work together. Like the division of roles. Who does what? Are you going to interfere with my product? Sharing also often proves to be a tricky but essential point.

Partnerships get off the ground best when the roles are clear and the interests of the partners are aligned. But here, too, those few people on the team often make the difference. Just because they are up for the challenge, enjoy understanding something about this other world or enjoy showing the world the next big thing with a Taiwanese, an Italian, a French belle and a dry Dutchman!”

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‘PARTNERSHIPS ENABLE UNIQUE PROPOSITIONS’

Claudia Marciano — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 10:28:56 +0000

QUINTIJN INNIKEL (PARTNER BEACON)

‘Product innovation is often so complex in the modern economy that partnerships are almost a must. A partnership can help fill in part of the puzzle that is missing within one’s own company. You can see an example at Nespresso, which needs coffee machines to market their coffee cups. That’s why they partnered with Krups. Another great example is the cooperation between Renault and Google, who have formed a partnership where Google provides all the electronics in the cars. The advantages are obvious: both parties combine their strengths, knowledge, position and brand to create a unique product. A product that offers a lot of added value for the consumer. Another important advantage is that the risks, always an aspect of innovation, are shared.’

Challenges shifted

‘Products are increasingly connected. In the automotive industry, you see that the challenge of a car manufacturer has shifted in ten years from making the most efficient car (in terms of design, engine technology, modular construction and luxurious interior) to an IT challenge. Certainly electric cars have more and more features that are not just hardware driven, but also software and data driven. An important part of the added value is in the user experience, and that’s where IT becomes indispensable. How many more kilometers can I drive? Where can I recharge? How big is my screen? But also the battery pack is new, the capacity, the charging speed, the durability and the cost of course. These are very important features that are not (yet) in a car manufacturer’s DNA. So where you obviously have to enter into a partnership to make that feasible.’

Cooperation and dependence

‘When entering into a partnership in product innovation, there are a number of things to consider. Perhaps the most important is an open door: the collaboration itself. The moment two companies start working together, there is always a struggle to get it right. Within one company it is already difficult to innovate, let alone when two large companies try to innovate together. That can mean considerable headaches.

Another aspect to consider is the dependency and reduced control you have over your innovation. It is not simple to maintain a partnership because it must always serve the interests of both partners. An example of a party that absolutely does not want to be dependent is Tesla. They would rather build their own battery mega-factory than sign a 10-year contract with LG, or enter into a partnership with them. To be able to do everything themselves and keep full control, Tesla makes huge investments and searches the whole world for the very best experts.’

The key question

‘The strategic consideration in partnerships is: how far are you willing to go to have a partner deliver crucial added value to your proposition? That’s something you have to think carefully about. As you put away more roles for the partner, that partner adds more value, and you’re probably going to pay more. The complexity of the partnership is increasing and the control is decreasing. That’s what I’m trying to show in the attached graph.’

Roles of the partner

‘Defining the exact roles of the partners is very crucial for successful partnerships.
What do you need the partner for? It could be anything: manufacturing, the brand, (after)sales, or a sales channel. Renault leans to the right side, opting to outsource the entire electronics long term. A striking move, since cars are increasingly becoming driving computers, and Renault does not see a central role for itself in this for the future. Parties like Nestlé and Tesla are on the other side; they prefer to organize everything themselves, with lots of control and few shared costs. Nestlé has invested massively in its own R&D center for coffee technology with hundreds of specialized technicians to make perfect coffee. As a result, they can now dictate to companies like Krups, Magimix and Siemens under what conditions they can sell a Nespresso machine. But that took Nestlé decades, don’t underestimate that investment.’

Successful partnerships

‘In summary, entering into a partnership can offer a lot of added value, and can bring unique propositions to the market. However, it always depends on the situation whether, and in what form, a partnership is successful. In recent years BEACON has gained a lot of experience in supporting partnerships. And we are excited to do that again in the future.’

Interested in partnership opportunities? Please contact Quintijn Innikel (06 145 395 49)

Read also: Partnerships in innovatie

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