Kollmorgen is all about innovation, constantly investing in collaborations and research projects to exchange knowledge and expertise with partners and universities across the world. Not only does it generate creativity amongst employees, but it also helps customers, partners, and students worldwide to realize their ideas. Someone who is much involved in Kollmorgen’s innovation projects and initiatives is Simon Bokesand, Senior Innovation Engineer.
Simon has been at Kollmorgen for ten years, and as his title reveals, he spends his days handling all kinds of innovation-related projects. An exciting role in the interface between traditional engineering and project management.
"Working with what I do sometimes reminds me of a kid playing around with remote control cars, but on a much larger scale. Our products are very exciting and fun to work with, and it’s a great feeling to be realizing ideas at the cutting edge of tech! I also enjoy the wide range of competencies here at Kollmorgen and the different perspectives it brings; we have people working with everything from hardware to software development."
Investing in research projects
Kollmorgen collaborates with partners and universities across the world on a regular basis, and Simon points out that the research projects bring great value to all parties included.
"The purpose of these projects is to allow students to test and implement their smart ideas and solutions so that it won't just be a plan on the drawing board. It also gives us, as a company, the opportunity to take part in their findings and results. Listening to their new ideas and fresh perspectives is always inspiring. In our research projects, we also team up with companies from different industries. Even though they come from a completely different branch than ours, we always have the same purpose – to make some kind of vehicle move autonomously. It's exciting to see that despite the differences, we often share the same challenges, and it’s enriching to discover those synergies and collaborate to find a solution."
Holistic view important for innovation
When it comes to innovation, it's easy to think that creativity is the main component. But according to Simon, there are other equally important factors to consider.
"Innovation is not only about coming up with new ideas, but also realizing them and ensuring they create value for the user. It's important to have a holistic view and the customer's best interests in mind. At Kollmorgen, we have a business model based on a worldwide partner network, which allows us to focus on developing high-end control solutions, enabling our partners to provide excellent end-user applications. I believe that's a business model that creates innovation and allows everyone to leverage their own expertise in the best way possible."
Brainstorming together at Innovation Day
Another way to spark innovative thinking and creation is at the event Innovation Day that Kollmorgen conducts every 12 weeks – an entire day dedicated to implementing ideas and making them come to life.
"The purpose of Innovation Day is to get the time and space to explore new technology and try things out. It's also a chance to collaborate with colleagues you usually don't work with. Even though it's up to you what kind of project you want to work on, most of us choose to do something related to our business. For me, that’s evidence of a joint commitment and engagement for our products."
With innovation as the core of the business, Kollmorgen takes a great responsibility to improve products while always ensuring the safety and reliability of new technology. Teaming up with partners and universities is therefore very valuable, because with more perspectives comes better ideas and better products.
