The Master Class Technology Innovation at Fundermax

What requirements regarding innovation are there in your industry?

ISABEL SONNLEITHNER

Sustainability through the reduction of dangerous materials that are harmful to health and the environment as well The implementation of a circular economy are current focus topics in the construction industry. As a supplier, Fundermax would like to make a sustainable contribution to this development. Innovation is not only part of the Fundermax world, but also essential for us to be able to identify and serve customer requests as a pioneer in the compact laminate and wood-based materials industry.

What influence has the dynamics of the global markets on your company?

PETRA UNGER

Fundermax’s compact laminates and wood materials are produced exclusively in Austria, with a large proportion of our raw materials coming from regional and sustainable sources. However, we also need materials from global markets to a lesser extent in order to ensure the high quality of our products. This, as well as the sale of our products on the international market, leads to a direct influence of the dynamics of global markets on Fundermax.

What special requirements for innovation are there in your department?

ISABEL SONNLEITHNER

Our products are high-quality materials that must meet both excellent technical and demanding design requirements. This balancing act offers a lot of room for innovation.As part of innovation management, we carry innovative approaches throughout the entire company. The prototyping and development department plays a central role in understanding our customers’ wishes and implementing them.

What do your customers expect?

PETRA UNGER

Fundermax stands for uncompromising quality with high design standards. Fundermax is of particular importance to our customers as a reliable partner for the creative implementation of their design ideas, in keeping with our slogan “for you to create”.

What role does innovation culture play at Fundermax?

ISABEL SONNLEITHNER

Innovation has a tradition at Fundermax a high priority. Our new innovation process and innovation strategy are based on customer centricity and – in the sense of good cross-team and cross-departmental collaboration – on co-creation, which allows us to make processes more efficient and effective.

How did the decision to book a master class come about?

PETRA UNGER

An efficient and customer-centered Technology development or Product development requires a creative idea generation process, consistent implementation and a motivating environment, for which continuous development of employees is essential. Looking for methods for structured innovation, we came across TOM SPIKE find what you’re looking for.

Which goals and expectations did you bring you to the Master Class?

ISABEL SONNLEITHNER

The aim was to learn new methods and deepen existing knowledge, in order to be able to advance innovations in a more structured way in the future. It was also important to us to have an exchange on challenges and trends in the innovation environment with interesting discussion partners from other industries. These expectations were met by the Technology Innovation Master Class  fully fulfilled.

Which problems should the Master Class solve?

ISABEL SONNLEITHNER

We have preliminary prototyping process and were looking for new methods for this. Therefore, for us it was less about solving problems and more about a structured methodical approach to be able to generate, conceptualize and implement ideas.

What results were you able to achieve?

PETRA UNGER

We are currently working on implementing and passing on the methods we have learned to our colleagues. In particular, the innovation workshop Time Machine tried and tested, whose method kit can be used excellently in the prototype stage. We also use TRIZ,</ span>to uncover contradictions and generate new approaches to solutions. The aim is to consolidate what we have learned in the long term and, in particular, to our colleagues who are working with the Prototyping is concerned with enabling new ways of thinking and approach strategies.

Thank you for the conversation!