The laws of nature are pretty clear and straightforward, “the strong shall survive and the weak shall perish.” Since the beginning of human existence we have always had that one basic preoccupation; how will I survive today? Today, although the basic needs of food and shelter are readily available, we still have that same basic preoccupation at the core of our being. So how will I survive today? What can I do today to enhance my existence and rise above the rest? How does this primitive driving force affect our decision making today? In today’s modern society, in order to fulfill the basic needs of food and shelter, we are required to have money, in order to have money we need to have a job or a means to make that money, to maintain our jobs we need to perform as individuals. If we want to secure our jobs long term we need to think long term and ask the question, how will we survive as a business? What can I do to ensure the viability of my livelihood and the security of the future? How about competition? How does competition drive us? Does the basic instinct of survival play a role in competitive behavior? So how exactly do we survive in business today? By doing the same things humans have always done over the course of time; innovate! Innovation is at the core of our survival, as individuals and as a business. Without innovation we are doomed to perish; competition ensures this fate. Innovation in manufacturing is not just in the products that we produce, but in every process in producing that product. How can we make this product faster and better? What processes can we eliminate or automate? How do we get from the concept to the finished product faster? We will continue to explore these questions in next month’s continuing series on Innovation in Manufacturing.
By Frank Arteaga, Head of Product Marketing, NAFTA Region
Bystronic Inc., Elgin, IL – Voice.bystronic@bystronic.com