Jungheinrich: A new prototyping culture
The Cross Innovation Lab focused on the tools of cooperation
The Jungheinrich Group is successful worldwide with its material handling equipment ("forklift trucks") and digital solutions for intralogistics. In the Cross Innovation Lab, interdisciplinary teams have strengthened the culture of innovation within the company.
The challenge
Many employees at the intralogistics company Jungheinrich are more familiar with computer-aided prototyping than with low-threshold forms of prototyping using haptic materials such as Lego or modelling clay. In the Cross Innovation Lab, employees from various departments - from production to sales to accounting - learnt with creative professionals how low-threshold prototyping can stimulate innovation processes.
"The Cross Innovation Lab was a unique experimental space in which we were able to experience, test and learn how to work with external partners and make the best possible use of creative input for ourselves."
"It was a great enrichment to involve creative people in the process, as they were able to look at our challenges from a different perspective and give us impetus to develop new ideas for solutions. That really was an aha moment for me."
Team: Kaja Jakstat, Maike Tödter, Annika Fitz, Axel Sylvester, Anke Günther, Rainer Rösing
Format & method
In the Cross Innovation Lab, companies come together in changing constellations over a period of six weeks to work together on product developments in a stimulating environment. Experts from the creative industries are specifically involved in the process.
- Field research: At the beginning, the challenges of the companies are analysed in a new kind of depth in collaboration with creative professionals - and their fresh perspective from the outside.
- Workshop phase: In a total of four workshop/lab days, the companies develop new solutions together with selected creative professionals.
- Feedback loops: Between the labs, a concept review takes place with all participating companies in order to further improve the products through joint feedback and exchange.
In the iterative work process, companies develop new products or product adaptations in a significantly reduced amount of time.
