Martin Friis-Petersen, Senior Vice President MRO Programs at MTU Maintenance, relies on the Innovation Cell™ to accelerate complex innovation projects in a short amount of time.
3DSE: Mr. Friis-Petersen, you have already chosen the Innovation Cell™ approach several times. Why?
Martin Friis-Petersen: We chose the Innovation Cell™ because we see it as a structured approach to realizing innovations. For me, it has become a proven method for laying the foundation for new products, services, or business models. In our last Innovation Cell™, for example, the central question was how to combine our profound engine experience with the potential of artificial intelligence and data analytics to generate additional and new value for our customers.
3DSE: As the internal MTU client, how satisfied are you with the results?
Martin Friis-Petersen: Each of us entered the Innovation Cell™ with a specific target vision. What was exciting was that no one came out of the “cell” with their original vision. Customers were also involved in defining the problem and developing possible solutions within the framework of the Innovation Cell™. This ensured from the start that the product to be developed would be highly relevant and meaningful for the market. A great deal of new momentum and a wide range of solution approaches were created, which were then consolidated. Overall, I am therefore very satisfied with the Innovation Cell™. Especially with the concrete results developed by our team and – crucially – the customers, with the support of 3DSE.
Furthermore, it is always important to me that a team radiates energy and enthusiasm for the innovation topic. That was definitely palpable during the eight days. This was despite the fact that the learning process the team undergoes during an Innovation Cell™ is not an easy one. However, it is deliberately chosen to “weld” the team together and thereby generate creativity. In the end, the team confirmed the suspected potential of the topic and developed clearly defined and prioritized results, which we are now implementing directly.
3DSE: What framework conditions should a manager create to not only initiate but also implement innovations?
Martin Friis-Petersen: Above all, you have to create enthusiasm. You have to provide inspiration, a vision, and an ambitious goal. And, of course, you have to create framework conditions in terms of resources, i.e., time and money. In addition, the team constellation plays an important role. My motto for this is “Brain, Passion, Experience”: You need team members with specific skills, team members who are passionate about the innovation topic, and team members who have already gained experience in a specific subject area.
The Innovation Cell™ itself also requires an interdisciplinary team constellation to achieve a holistic view of the problem and possible solutions. This was, of course, particularly important for our data analytics topic and the development of our “Cortex” product. During the project, I support my employees in gaining and maintaining an entrepreneurial view of things. It is important to me to awaken the “entrepreneurial spirit.” Here, transparency and measurability are decisive factors.
3DSE: How is MTU now proceeding with the results of the Innovation Cell™?
Martin Friis-Petersen: The results of the Innovation Cell™ were directly pushed forward by our MTU Inno Lab in an interdisciplinary team. We had three sub-teams, composed of internal and external members, working independently and responsibly toward the goal of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The client was only involved according to the pull principle—that is, when there was a need. Upon completion of the MVP, the initiative was transferred to a line organization due to its foreseeable success, and a dedicated team was built for it—all within a period of just 10 months.
Today, we have a product that is patented and ready for the market. It is called Cortex and generates engine fleet plans for our airline customers at the touch of a button. Such a product does not yet exist on the market and bundles MTU’s engine expertise. The product has enormous potential, is seen as a unique selling point for MTU, and will be further developed with focus in the line organization over the coming years.
3DSE: Would you recommend the Innovation Cell™ approach?
Martin Friis-Petersen: Absolutely. Personally, this is my second time as a client of an Innovation Cell™. I advise choosing the Innovation Cell™ approach specifically for innovation topics that involve a certain degree of complexity. It should be a topic for which there is not just one optimal solution. You simply cannot apply linear problem-solving approaches to non-linear problems. Our engine fleet management data analytics topic, for example, was exactly right for this. To soundly approach new innovation fields in the company, a certain systematic approach is essential. The Innovation Cell™ approach has proven itself for this. The compact learning and design process has brought us a big step forward. Such success naturally takes time. The typical eight days of the Innovation Cell™ are absolutely necessary to go through the process and generate momentum – from all participants.
3DSE: Mr. Friis-Petersen, thank you very much for the interview and continued success!
Information about Innovation Cell™
The Innovation Cell™ aims to generate robust breakthrough solutions for high-risk/high-impact challenges within eight days in an interdisciplinary team.
These can be solutions for new products, services, or business models in a dynamic market environment. Together, the team goes through a learning, design, and production phase to achieve the leap to the next innovation S-curve. Additionally, the team works directly with potential customers and receives regular jury feedback on current results. In addition to concrete results (solution approaches, their business cases, and implementation roadmaps), the Innovation Cell™ creates the momentum for further implementation of the results within the company. The Innovation Cell™ is a methodology of our cooperation partner Phasix and is offered in conjunction with them.
