Innovation - Laying the Groundwork for Success

Since the beginning, Americhem has been an innovator with a keen focus on providing high-quality products and services. Americhem has built a very compelling reputation and global brand. This is evident when speaking with our customers.

As we plot our business strategy for the coming years we ask ourselves, “What made Americhem stand out for our customers over 73 years and what can we do to build upon that legacy of innovation?” I have made some observations that I hope you can take and apply to your own business strategies.

Do what you do well. Build a foundation to strengthen and expand your core competencies.
Americhem’s core competencies in color science, dispersion, formulation, weathering and technical bench strength, together with our willingness to tackle big challenges lead us to our greatest opportunities. Identify what makes your business stand out. Take these core competencies, use them as building blocks and infuse them with everything your business does.

Be well connected to the market.
A close customer connection provides a great springboard for innovation. Unfiltered technical-to-technical relationships are instrumental to a growing organization. They provide the opportunity to better listen, observe, problem-solve and anticipate future trends.

Build a strategic technology roadmap and an innovation portfolio that promotes concepts.
By building customer needs into a strategic technology plan and innovation portfolio, there is a higher probability that you will engage customers early and be market leaders.

Ideas + Commercialization = Innovation
Ideas are only ideas without our ability to bring viable products to market. At Americhem, we introduced a development process to help teams navigate the complexities of product development and launch. What kind of ideas have been mentioned around your office? Maybe now is the time to gather ideas and brainstorm how to bring them to market.

Developing an innovation mindset.
Good innovators connect dots, challenge the way things are done and understand that experimentation is vital to gaining new insights and new knowledge. Curiosity, sharing, documenting and experimenting are all traits of an innovative organization.

Innovation is at the forefront of any business growth strategy. I’ve shared with you some of the key initiatives that can bring innovation to the head of your business strategies. The world is always looking for something new, something creative and something that shows how your company is innovative.

Wendy Shuttleworth

Director of Research and Development, Americhem Inc.