What are innovation leaders currently grappling with? A new Q&A guide compiles key practical questions and offers insights on how to successfully navigate uncertainty, change, and innovation in mechanical engineering.
In mechanical and plant engineering today, innovation efforts are less often limited by technical constraints than by structural, organizational, and cultural barriers. A lack of time and resources, as well as a strong culture of quality and perfection, make it difficult to pursue experimental and risky approaches. At the same time, innovation is often still viewed primarily through a product-oriented lens, while business models, services, and customer needs are frequently given insufficient attention.
Against this backdrop, the primary concern for many companies is not so much more innovation as it is a different approach to uncertainty, learning, and decision-making processes.
Based on the guiding question, “What specific innovation question is currently on your mind?”, Andrea Veerkamp-Walz (VDMA Business Advisory) has developed a “Question & Answer Catalog.” This was based on a preliminary survey of 21 questions posed to innovation leaders. The result is a structured collection of practical answers, drawing on corporate experience, VDMA expertise, and AI-supported research.
The topics in the catalog reflect the diversity of current challenges: They range from personal issues—such as one’s own time constraints—to strategic prioritization when resources are scarce, and methodological questions, such as the early involvement of customers. Key areas of tension—such as the balance between individual customer preferences and scalability—as well as the role of artificial intelligence in innovation management are also addressed.
Selected aspects were discussed together during the virtual event. It became clear that successful innovation work requires, above all, a clear strategic direction, an open corporate culture, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Equally crucial are the courage to experiment, rapid learning cycles, and the consistent use of customer feedback.
Conclusion
The Q&A catalog shows that innovation management is less a matter of individual methods and more a matter of mindset, organization, and continuous learning—and provides valuable, practical insights in this regard.
Organizer
The event was organized by VDMA Nord and ProduktionNRW. ProduktionNRW is the cluster for mechanical engineering and production technology in North Rhine-Westphalia and is operated by VDMA NRW. ProduktionNRW sees itself as a platform for connecting, informing, and promoting companies, institutions, and networks with one another and along the value chain. Significant portions of the services provided by ProduktionNRW are funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.