Innovation continued flexibility

Elsa Reichmanis We don t use formal innovation processes such as those described in the preceding presentations. We do continually examine our portfolio of activities and determine what relates to the business from the advanced development, applied research perspective and from the very long-term research perspective. We need to have a mix of both, and we have a broad continuum of activity. In reality the spectrum of fundamental research to productization requires different modes of working at different stages—there is an evolution from what could perhaps be more individual blue-sky research to a team-based, problem-solving approach. To be successful, we need flexibility. 

The enormous flexibility and variability of the system was possible thanks to the constant development of the process related components, such as the barrels and screw elements and new geometry variants being developed continuously. The initial aim of the design, to maintain the self-wiping function of the screw elements, is sometimes abandoned, in part or in whole, to permit innovative geometries. This enabled the co-rotating, twin-screw extruder to carry out the most diverse processes and handle the most diverse products with this single machine system. 

Infrared spectroscopy continues to be a rapidly growing analytical technique. Improvements and innovations have been made in sampling techniques and analysis software. A large variety of samples in various forms can be analyzed by IR spectroscopy. This flexibility has made infrared spectroscopy one of the most important tools in today s analytical laboratories, especially for analysis of trace contaminants. 

Catalytic cracking is a very flexible process used to reduce the molecular weight of hydrocarbons. Today, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) remains the dominant conversion process in petroleum refineries. Although FCC is sometimes considered to be a fully matured process, new challenges and opportunities in its application and a continuing stream of innovations in the process and catalyst field ensure that it will remain an important and dynamic process in the future of refining. 

The market for polymer composites has continued to expand in all forms of transportation (aerospace, aircraft, marine, automotive), in the construction industry and numerous other industrial and consumer applications. The increased use of composites in place of conventional materials is driven by their established advantages such as corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, and moderate costs as well as the design flexibility offered by novel resin/reinforcement combinations together with new processing and machinery innovations. Table 9.7 summarizes the markets and typical applications for composites. 

As CE continues to evolve, it is not surprising to see a concomitant development of optical detection methods. Detector innovations have been required to keep up with smaller diameter capillaries, faster separations, parallel capillary systems, and microfluidic-based electrophoretic formats. In parallel to these changes, more flexible and higher performance imaging detectors, UV light sources, and clever applications of these advances continue to push the envelope in terms of light-based detection forCE. 

PI has inspired the development of new equipment as well as new innovative processes. Until now, most efforts were directed toward improved transport properties in chemical reactors to achieve processes, Hmited only by the inherent chemical kinetics. Further activities concern the use of alternative energy resources and nonconventional fluids. The development of structured catalysts and reactors can be considered as a mean for a significant increase of product yield and productivity. It fadhtates the transformation of batch to continuous processes and opens new process windows for the use of high temperature and high reactant concentrations and allows increased process flexibility. 

Table 3.1 presents a working definition of each driver. Figure 3.1 models the connections among them. Innovation, in Figure 3.1, pushes the whole process forward, so we place it first in our sequence. Innovation is external to the supply chain system. It pushes supply chain participants to continuously improve their chains. The three drivers — Extended Product Design, Globalization, and Flexibility Imperative — shape the direction, scope, and form of products and services and the supply chains needed to deliver them. 

New concepts such as process intensification, flexible, miniaturised plants, localised production and industrial ecology must become mainstream and we must continually reassess our approach to plant design and the acceptance of innovative concepts to render the chemical industry sustainable. 

Paper has been used as a substrate for writing or recording information for 2000 years. Continuation of its use to date is due to the fact that its primary component, cellulose, is a ubiquitous, biodegradable, flexible, renewable, and inexpensive biopolymer. Although paper has been used extensively for printing, writing, and packaging, alternative innovative uses have received much attention within the past 10 years. For instance, processes to fabricate transistors [1,2], batteries and supercapacitors [3,4], sensors [5,6], and microfluidic devices [7-10] on paper substrates have been reported. Unfortimately, the inherently hydrophilic and oleophilic properties of paper limit its ultimate usefulness in many potential applications. 

The overall project goal of CRYSTAL is to foster Europe s leading edge position in the design, development, and deployment of interoperable safety-critical embedded systems in particular regarding quality, cost effectiveness, flexibility, reusability, acceleration of time to market, continuous integration of innovations, and sustainability. 

Why did Greek technology appear instead as an inexorable advance, continuous and ascendant The infighting of the states promoted innovation and the compactness of the social systems permitted specialisation, while experimentation could be undertaken in the relatively benign conditions of the eastern Mediterranean. Hellenism brought a flexible urbanism and infrastructure development along with it, which could absorb alien ideas. 

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