March 27, 1998

BATTELLE’S NEW BREAKTHROUGH CENTER GETTING “THE RIGHT” PRODUCT TO MARKET

When an idea for a new product begins to percolate in the back of someone’s brain, the process for getting that product to the marketplace has just begun. It can take years of toil before the product sits atop a store shelf.

Battelle is shortening that process, especially the “fuzzy front end.” The fuzzy front is the segment of product development where ideas emerge and new products appear on the horizon. It is a time when imagination can be more critical than engineering.

Battelle’s new Breakthrough Center is making the entire process of product development quicker and less painful. The Breakthrough Center is the place where ideas go to grow.

Call it an Idea Factory.

The new, ultra modem facility at Battelle is housed in Building Three, which just a few years ago was the hull of an outdated foundry type building. Battelle salvaged the building and turned it into a showplace for product development.

“Companies are looking for a way to gain a competitive edge, and the Breakthrough Center will help give them that edge,” said William J. Burke, Vice President of Consumer Products at Battelle. “It’s not just a new building, but we’ve created a collaborative atmosphere for innovation. We will maximize the use of interdisciplinary teams and unique tools to create innovative and profitable products and technologies.

“We’re helping our clients build a culture and a process of innovation. When a company comes to us with a problem, we know we have the personnel and the facilities to lead the client through to a solution. Innovation is rarely born of shifts in one technology, but rather through integration of several technologies and discoveries of new market opportunities. That’s what we do best.”

Burke said Battelle’s Breakthrough Center uses a five-step process to produce the products of tomorrow.

• Assessing: To start the process, Battelle identifies the internal and external opportunities and barriers to breakthrough product development.

• Futuring and brainstorming: Battelle looks to the future for market and technology opportunities. We generate the ideas for new products and technologies that meet future needs.

• Conceptualizing: Promising ideas are produced in two- or three-dimensional form. When possible, they are created in virtual reality form.

• Validating: In this process, innovative market research techniques are used to test consumer reaction to the technology or products.

• Planning: The new technology or product concept is readied for development and commercialization.

“The comprehensive approach would include all five components,” Burke said. “However, we will tailor our approach to the specific needs of the client, emphasizing the components and tools of the most immediate value.

“At the end of this process, a client coming to the Breakthrough Center has a specific product or technology definition that Battelle can seamlessly integrate into follow-up development.”

Battelle serves industry and government by developing, commercializing, and managing technology. With a wide range of scientific and technical capabilities, Battelle puts technology to work for clients in 30 countries.