In today's VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, it can be tempting to avoid innovation due to the fear of failure and the perceived risk of making a catastrophic mistake that could harm our business. However, the real danger lies in not innovating at all. Failing to innovate is equivalent to failing to lead, and despite the uncertainty, innovation remains as crucial as ever.

In the first part of an engaging podcast discussion, I am joined by two experts from 42T: Simon Jelley, Head of Innovation, and Dr. Peter Brown, Director of Industrial. They generously share their insights, experiences, and ideas gleaned from working with clients across various industries and scenarios.

During our conversation, Simon and Peter explore the question, "What is Innovation?" They explain the different types of innovation, the innovation process, the importance of having a plan, and the crucial role of the right culture for ideation and problem-solving. We discuss how to create original and commercially viable ideas, the significance of having the right mix of people for success, and how innovation is evolving with exciting technologies like AI.

I believe this podcast is essential listening for anyone in business. Every business is built on a fundamental idea, and without innovation, it wouldn't exist. So, take some time to tune in and get inspired with ideas and thoughts that can lead to positive action.Simon Jelley spearheads the team researching, testing and implementing AI at 42T, a cross-industry technology consultancy with a strong track record in the field of printing.  Simon is a leading innovator, combining sharp technical skills across a broad range of fields with a keen eye for matching technologies with applications, and solving needs at a conceptual level with structured innovation. He has a deep understanding of the behaviour of fluids and heat transfer, and his experience and scientific understanding cross over into broader areas such as mechanism design, sensing, optics, acoustics and electronics enabling him to bridge between fields to give a more complete system-level view to development. He has applied these skills in a wide range of industries from groundbreaking process equipment for the manufacturing of foods and other FMCG, novel inspection vision systems, packaging design and decoration, consumer products, industrial tools, medical devices and even the design of payload deployment systems for space vehicles.

Simon is also an experienced innovation facilitator and helps educate best practices for innovation techniques. He is a strong proponent of structured innovation, and paired with a strong insight into the world of patents this gives a powerful capability to innovate ways of achieving functionality without infringing IP.

Dr. Peter Brown is a physicist by training who has spent much of his career inventing, developing and implementing innovative manufacturing techniques, with a focus on digital deposition and precision coating.  Specialisms include the printing of challenging functional fluids, particularly those that cannot be printed using conventional industrial inkjet printheads. Peter is responsible for leading 42 Technology’s business development and pro-active networking activities regarding our Manufacturing Innovation capability, with a personal focus on US-based clients. Peter has a PhD in the physics of semiconducting polymers from the University of Cambridge.

42 Technology (42T) is an ingenious team of engineers, scientists and designers that help companies address a wide range of far-reaching and valuable challenges and opportunities serving three business sectors: Industrial; Consumer; Healthcare and Life Sciences.

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