Customers to be involved in product development

23 November, 2011

LAPP Group is looking to involve its customers more closely in the development of new products in the future. And in doing so, the company is embarking on a new and rather unusual path for B2B markets: “We’re placing our faith in open innovation,” says Michael Collet, Lapp Group’s Chief Technical Officer. The basis for future exchanges of new ideas and solutions will be the online platform Lapp Ideas. A beta version of the platform has been online since 22 November at www.lappideas.com, with a definitive, fully featured version set to launch at the beginning of 2012.

Once they have registered, users can explain their ideas on Lapp Ideas, discuss solutions with each other, and monitor the progress of dialogue and the development process. “We’re opening up our innovation process because we believe we can learn a lot from our customers,” explains Collet. “We want them to have a greater influence on the development process. After all, we develop products and solutions for them.”

Up to now, “open innovation” has principally been used by major companies to communicate with consumers. “We’re breaking new ground in the B2B market,” says Collet. And with around 150,000 customer contacts in Germany alone, there’s already a large pool of potential idea generators out there for LAPP Group. “Ultimately, we see Lapp Ideas as a logical continuation of the close relationships we already maintain with our customers. We’re in constant communication with them, and a number of highly successful products have already come about as a result of customer suggestions.”

“With Lapp Ideas, we’re staying abreast of the challenges presented by a market that demands ever shorter innovation cycles,” says Collet. “Not only will the platform benefit us as a company, but just as importantly, it will also have a positive impact on our customers. Innovation no longer takes place only behind closed doors. There are a lot of smart people out there, and we’re really looking forward to involving them and working with them to write fresh chapters in the Lapp success story.”