George Keller, Ph.D., chief engineer at MATRIC | Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center, addresses the Society of Plastics Engineers‘ ANTEC 2013 conference today in Cincinnati, Ohio.
His presentation outlines the importance of differentiating between invention and innovation. The former primarily concerns the discovery or identification of something new with possible uses in the real world. Innovation is often times a series of actions which bring to fruition a product, process, service or idea that meets real or potential needs in new ways. Innovation almost always requires a much broader spectrum of inputs, often beyond technical considerations.
Keller says MATRIC has been effective at innovation because its experts understand not only how to create technology, but also know the nuances of raising capital, establishing intellectual property, identifying potential markets and developing a work atmosphere that systematizes the entire process.
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Moving from the laboratory to a pilot plant is a major milestone in commercializing novel chemical processes or products and introduces a new degree of risk. Understanding the purpose for piloting the technology, as well as schedule and costs are important considerations in the technology development. However, the impact of a safety event at the pilot plant scale can have serious repercussions to the technology development, especially costs and timing. It is important to involve individuals with diverse perspectives and experience to effectively evaluate the design and enable safe operating performance. By understanding the purpose and scope of the pilot operations, the inherent hazards, and expertise required, a systems safety approach can be developed that balances the hazards and consequences and guides the appropriate selection of safety review activities and tools. A well thought-out safety program will support all technical and business objectives in the technology development cycle.