Innovation in the Construction Industry

The know-how and creative potential of one‘s own employees are among the most important sources of innovation for any company. This makes it all the more demanding when several locations and departments work together on developing novel ideas and implementing solutions. The establishment of a company-wide innovation culture becomes the central driver for effective innovation projects.

LEONHARD WEISS, as a full-range provider of construction services, is one of Germany‘s most productive and successful construction companies. The knowledge exchange of new ideas and solutions between individual locations and sub-sectors is of utmost importance for the innovation capability within the construction company.

Since 2014, LEONHARD WEISS has had a centralized idea management system called 3i (Idea, Initiative, Innovation). This system has been supported since 2017 by the ITONICS digital innovation platform. The EINZ platform (Entwicklungs- und Innovationszentrum = development and innovation center) has since evolved into the central and company-wide place to go for matters concerning exhibition scouting, ideation, and innovation portfolio management.

Initial situation at LEONHARD WEISS

• Idea management system 3i centralized in 2014, Share-Point technology for administration
• Multi-location and interdisciplinary knowledge transfer of new solutions
• Consideration of all ideas (from product proposals and occupational safety to machine development)
• Full-time support by an employee, further 100 employees assist by evaluating ideas
• Approx. 350 proposals submitted manually each year via SharePoint on proprietary system
• Lack of effective administration, transparency and communication of new ideas as well as implemented solutions