Industrial technical innovations

After the Second World War, the technical innovations, both in steelmaking and in the physical metallurgy of steels, continued apace. A number of industrial research laboratories were set up around the world, of which perhaps the most influential was the laboratory of the US Steel Corporation in Pennsylvania, where some world-... 

The factors that favour successful industrial innovation have been memorably analysed by a team at the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex University, in England (Rothwell et al. 1974). In this project (named SAPPHO) 43 pairs of attempted similar innovations one successful in each pair, one a commercial failure - were critically compared, in order to derive valid generalisations. One conclusion was The responsible individuals (i.e., technical innovator, business innovator, chief executive, and - especially - product champion) in the successful attempts are usually more senior and have greater authority than their counterparts who fail . 

During the late 1890s, bicycles were the worldwide focus of invention and technical innovation, much as biotech engineering and computers are today. We owe iiiaiiy ot today s industrial maiiutacturing processes, designs for bearings, axles, and gearing mechanisms,... 

Thus, in order to fully realize the potential of catalytic technologies not only will this require technical innovation in multi-disciplinary teams but also the appropriate organizational structures which maximize the synergies between academic and industrial research. The countries which recognize this potential and provide the... 

Britain contributed technical innovation, industrial and financial power, and military manpower to the Allied victory. Hydrophones, tanks and aircraft are obvious examples of new weapons, and hardly suggest industrial backwardness or military conservatism. However, innovation with traditional weapons was no less important. New scientific artillery techniques made a bigger contribution to the defeat of the German army in 1918 than the more publicised tank. Even new weapons depended upon tactical innovation to be effective. The army s success was possible only when the different arms - artillery, infantry, tanks (when available) and aircraft - had learned to operate together. The navy s success over the U-boat required the adoption of the convoy system as well as the development of hydrophones. 

Imagination is required because, while the pharmaceutical industry is at the pinnacle of scientific and technical innovation, bringing this science to market needs creativity and application. Business developers must look beyond the technology and into the future. This requires forecasting seeing the combination of products or of processes or even of companies to create more value, which is needed to develop the business. 

Electrodialysis is by far the largest use of ion exchange membranes, principally to desalt brackish water or (in Japan) to produce concentrated brine. These two processes are both well established, and major technical innovations that will change the competitive position of the industry do not appear likely. Some new applications of electrodialysis exist in the treatment of industrial process streams, food processing and wastewater treatment systems but the total market is small. Long-term major applications for ion exchange membranes may be in the nonseparation areas such as fuel cells, electrochemical reactions and production of acids and alkalis with bipolar membranes. 

Industrial gases has been a growth industry ever since its beginnings. Keys to success were (and still are) technical innovations as well as an extraordinary ability to adapt to ever-changing market requirements - even reinventing the business in times of market discontinuities. 

Publication arrangements by Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General Telecommunications, Information Industries and Innovation. Scientific and Technical Communication Unit, Luxembourg... 

We are sure that this book is interesting because it provides a detailed perspective on technical innovations and the industrial application of each of the topics. This is due to the panel of experts who have broad experience as researchers and consultants for international industries. 

For the past seventy years or more, active research and development of polymer-modified mortar and concrete has been conducted around the world, resulting in products which are currently used as popular, important construction materials. To match the technical innovations in the construction industry in recent years, useful polymeric admixtures or polymer-modified mortar and concrete have been developed in advanced countries. There is currently great interest in using polymer-modified mortar and concrete as repair materials for deteriorated reinforced concrete structures. Polymer-modified concrete and mortar are promising construction materials for the future because of the good balance between their performance and cost compared to odier concrete-polymer composites. 

These choices must be made after careful analysis of the trade-offs that need to be made in the decision of how to synthesize a new chemical substance. While it is easy to state, correctly, that it is imperative to minimize the use and generation of substances which pose a hazard to human health or the environment, only those individuals qualified to fully understand the nature of the choices can be relied on to make those choices responsibly. This is precisely why the synthetic chemist will play an increasingly important role in allowing the chemical industry to discover and commercialize technical innovations. These innovations will need not only to maintain and improve on the quality of current products but also to develop new synthetic methods for these products to be made in a less costly and environmentally responsible manner. These principles will need to be built into the development protocols of new chemical products as well. 

Formation of vinyl acetate by the reaction of ethylene with Pd(OAc)2 via ace-toxypalladation of ethylene and jS-H elimination was discovered by Moiseev in 1960 [37]. Attempted industrial production of vinyl acetate from ethylene and AcOH using the Pd(II) and Cu(II) redox system in a liquid phase was abandoned due to corrosion of reactors by AcOH. Instead, an interesting commercial process in the gas phase using a supported Pd catalyst was developed by Kuraray in Japan [38]. At present, vinyl acetate is produced commercially from ethylene, AcOH and O2 in the gas phase using Pd supported on silica or alumina as a catalyst. It is assumed that rapid conversion of Pd(0) to Pd(OAc)2 with AcOH and O2 is repeated efficiently on the surface of the support at high temperature. Discovery of efficient conversion of Pd(0) to Pd(II) on the surface of the support is a big technical innovation and is applied to other processes. 

J.-C. Charpentier, Modem chemical engineering in the framework of globalization, sustainability, and technical innovation, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 2007, 46(11), 3465-3485. 

Among the industry s pioneers, Linde was one of the most visionary commercial and technical innovators. Early in his career, he recognized the industrial importance of his air-separation-related inventions and sought to commercialize them internationally through licensing. 

The utilization of the polymer battery has been supported by the technical innovation of polymer electrolyte materials. In order for the polymer battery to establish a strong presence in the battery industry in the near future, the development of the polymer electrolyte material suitable for the manufacturing process of a practical-use battery and development of the process technology which fully demonstrates the performance are much anticipated. 

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