Opinion: Choose innovation

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24 Dec 2021

Kerwin Brown

Kerwin Brown is the president and CEO of BEMA, the baking industry’s association for equipment manufacturers and allieds, and co-owner of the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE). He oversees BEMA’s strategic plan implementation and is also a member of the IBIE leadership team.

This column is part of our Last Word series, which invites noted professionals to provide closing thoughts at the end of each issue of Commercial Baking. See the full issue here.

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OVERLAND PARK, KS — Innovation is sparked by the ability to observe things that others do not. And it’s ignited by listening.

Suppliers, when you are in a customer’s facility, do you hear the complaints of operators or maintenance technicians? Plant managers, do you hear what your staff is saying about the operation, and do you communicate it to your suppliers? Are field service, installation, sales and project management groups incentivized to funnel information back to the innovation team?

Do you ask yourself what went wrong on the last project with the same frequency of celebrating what went right? Conversely, do you share as many wins with your vendors as you do complaints?

Innovation is about choosing to dissolve pain points rather than push them back down. Changing or resisting norms requires courage. Failure, although humbling at times, is a key element of innovation … and an excellent teacher.

Those who understand the power of innovation are the ones who thrive.

It’s okay to start small. Tweak some software or an HMI screen to make it more intuitive for someone who speaks another language. Discover how to eliminate a few parts or tools deemed necessary to service the equipment. Or create a new way to solve a problem using the mountain of data being collected from “smart” devices installed throughout the facility.

Make an industry issue your passion; workforce, supply chain and ingredient prices are all hot topics if you need a starting place.

Once it gets going, innovation is limitess. If you’re willing to listen, learn and make the necessary adjustments, customers will line up to do business. Commit to implementing one improvement each week. Make an industry issue your passion; workforce, supply chain and ingredient prices are all hot topics if you need a starting place.

Become a pioneer by responding to what your customers see, hear and need — and provide the same to your vendors. Through persistence and collective action, innovation will become the foundation for the future of bakery manufacturing.

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