Leading global innovation strategies

In the manufacturing sector, constant innovation is the key to staying ahead, and in recent years, a number of leading global organisations have chosen Luxembourg as the base for their strategic R&D and innovation activities. To find out why, FOCUS spoke to Anne-Christine Ayed, Group Executive Vice President, Research, Innovation & Environment with flooring firm Tarkett, and Jean-Pierre Jeusette, General Director of Goodyear’s Innovation Center in Luxembourg.

Source : Focus 10
Date de publication : 20/11/2015

Why did your company decide to base its research, development and innovation centre in Luxembourg?

Anne-Christine Ayed: Tarkett is an international company that needs a creative, outward-looking environment. With its global outlook and skilled, multicultural, multilingual workforce, Luxembourg is the ideal location for our international Research & Innovation Center. The Center is the global hub of our innovation strategy; here, we conduct breakthrough research and development and supervise the work we do at the regional level to adapt our products and processes to local needs. We have 24 laboratories worldwide, sharing skills and best practice to create a solid and effective knowledge network.

Jean-Pierre Jeusette: One of Luxembourg’s major advantages is its international flair. Here, we have a talented, multinational workforce, a must for a global company like ours. Our Goodyear Innovation Center* Luxembourg acts as the technical support for our operations throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, which include 20 Goodyear production facilities. We work closely with our partners in the global vehicle manufacturing industry and we also maintain close contact with our markets and customers through regular product analysis trips. Ultimately, we are responsible for guaranteeing the quality and marketability of our tyres worldwide.

What other advantages does Luxembourg offer to innovative companies?

Jean-Pierre Jeusette: There is an extremely good support network here. We have an excellent relationship with the government and civil service, who are always willing to listen and to help when they can. The public research system is both well-resourced and responsive, and the University and Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) in particular add real depth to our innovation efforts. On top of that, there is an excellent mutual support network which gives us access to colleagues via the Chamber of Commerce, Fedil – Business Federation Luxembourg and the Automotive Components and Materials and Production Technologies Clusters. The country’s central location is also important; it helps us not only to stay in close contact with clients and suppliers but also to find the type of staff we need and provide them with an excellent quality of life.

Anne-Christine Ayed: There is strong financial support here for innovation. Projects receive substantial backing from the state, while Luxinnovation is highly proactive in helping businesses to understand the opportunities available and access the various funding mechanisms at both local and European level. The tax regime is designed in such a way as to promote the development of intellectual property. Like Jean-Pierre, we appreciate the mutually supportive environment and we work closely with the Luxembourg EcoInnovation Cluster as part of our strategic push for the highest possible environmental standards.

What facilities do you have here?

Anne-Christine Ayed: We have 3,000 m2 of laboratory and testing space in Luxembourg. We have at least one of every machine used within the group, so we can develop, fine-tune and pilot-test all our new products and production processes here. We also have chemical and physical labs for the design and testing of flooring formulations, as well as one creative space specifically dedicated to innovation. In the last five years, we have doubled to around 60 the number of staff at our research, development and innovation centre in Luxembourg, and these people support a further 120 staff worldwide.

Jean-Pierre Jeusette: GIC*L has tyre engineering and material divisions, tyre and vehicle test laboratories, an Advanced Design studio, several chemical, material and analytical laboratories, a prototype manufacturing facility and a test circuit, as well as business departments including a patent office and a film and photographic studio. Goodyear Luxembourg’s operations also include a major manufacturing plant. In total, we employ around 3,250 people from more than 50 countries, including over 1,000 engineers, scientists and technicians working in the Innovation Center.

Which are the most important products, processes and services that have come out of your R&D and innovation work in Luxembourg?

Jean-Pierre Jeusette: A tyre has between 25 and 30 rubber, steel and fabric components. We evaluate and optimise each of those components, as well as the underlying raw materials, to ensure the quality and performance expected and demanded by our clients. We develop new construction materials and rubber compounds, new tyre shapes and tread pattern designs. We are responsible for developing a wide range of new products, and we are particularly pleased with our recent UltraGrip 9 winter tyre and Efficient Grip A/A tyre ranges. The Efficient Grip tyre has received the highest EU tyre labelling rating for fuel consumption and wet grip, meaning that they are safer for the driver and beneficial for the environment.

Anne-Christine Ayed: Two recent developments illustrate the range of our work. We have just launched FloorInMotion, an intelligent, integrated flooring system combined with a monitoring service for use in care homes and medical facilities. The system has ultra-thin sensors which detect events such as a patient falling and trigger an alarm on, say, a mobile device. It is a real breakthrough and the result of substantial in-depth R&D, particularly in the areas of IT and service offering. In fact, some of these technologies are quite new to us; we worked with a range of experts, including universities, and coordinated the whole project from Luxembourg. We also have a strong commitment to high environmental standards and have recently completed a three-year project to replace all the phthalate plasticisers in our products. While there is no firm scientific evidence that these plasticisers present a health hazard, we want to be proactive and anticipate any new regulations. This has been a huge task, requiring us to reformulate the composition of our vinyl flooring to optimise technical performance, aesthetics and health and environmental benefits.

How do you see the future for your R&D and innovation centre in Luxembourg?

Jean-Pierre Jeusette: Much depends on the economic situation, but under normal circumstances we expect to enhance our R&D activities in Luxembourg.

Anne-Christine Ayed: Our ambitious innovation strategy means we need to adapt our organisation and our thinking to new realities. Luxembourg is the place for this because we have the right people and the right support here. We are in good shape here.