One idea, a €40M order
Stabilus
Stabilus’s first global innovation challenge reached the factory floor — 428 ideas, and a winning concept that landed a €40M order.
The Challenge
Innovation had never been a central, cross-company function. The task was to establish it as one, and to prove that good ideas could come from anywhere — including the large share of blue-collar workers on the production line.
What we did
We launched a global innovation challenge built to reach every corner of the organisation, with local workshops and on-site promotion at the production facilities. After a successful first round, focus shifted to targeted "mini-campaigns" on the Nosco platform and to defining a global innovation process — one that brings customer feedback in early and pairs technical and commercial people on each idea team.
Results
428 ideas were collected. Of the five that reached the bootcamp, three matured significantly. The winning idea won its first order — worth €40M — from a major client and helped secure preferred-supplier status. A second idea drew €500k in German-state development funding; a third produced a prototype with real market interest. Beyond the numbers, the challenge built visible pride across the organisation and laid the foundation for Stabilus's new innovation process.
KPIs are necessary for me to secure backing from management and to structure my work. But the real value comes from creating connections among people.
