Discussion input
As mentioned before, an innovation is considered to be „the implementation of a new or significant improved product (good or services), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method in business practises, workplace organisation or external relations.“ (OECD, 2005).
Examples of innovations of the European pork sector
A various kind of innovations has been successfully established and is still being generated in the pork production in different countries. The following table is a result of a study carried out in the project Q-PorkChains (Nijhoff-Savvaki, 2008). The figure offers an overview of some innovations of the global pork sector from past years.
Table 1 : Major innovations in European pork chains and beyond (Nijhoff-Savvaki, R., 2008)
| Product innovations | Process innovations |
Breeding: genetic breeding (market-oriented, economic-productive and quality parameters); stress-free animal breeds; and certification for special bred sows / semen Feeding: feeding concepts to reduce piglet mortality; grain substitutes for feed (due to high costs); and better feedstuffs per phase of production and with higher biological value Health management: anti-pneumonia vaccine; and new and more-efficient drugs in general Transport: animal friendly transport Processing: advanced cold chain technology; biological own-branding / private labels; and on-going innovations related to convenience, healthy, quality, and new produce | Breeding: clean transportation of genes; use of molecular genetics (suitable genes); and the development of a health monitor Feeding: controlling and secure safe supply of inputs, including traceability systems; new, efficient, cost-saving technology such as improved pelleting facilities; and the use of new types of dried raw material Production: adjustments to stables (to meet legislation) and feed-intake registration stations; management software in-farm with PDA; and efficient identification of animals using a scanner Health management: development of new guidelines and methods (e.g. related to blood samples and salmonella); and pulse medication via water Transport: ensuring animal friendly and quality assurance elements such as ventilation, drinking water installations, mechanical refrigeration, air circulation, sound absorbing systems and loading lifts; new logistics systems Processing: inter-organizational information management and benchmarking of plants; internal information flows and decision making; ongoing automation of technology, hygiene and packaging processes |
| Market innovations | Organizational innovations |
Breeding: strong focus on quality and welfare Feeding: further international expansion; providing complementary products Health management: creation of animal health management systems Transport: HACCP/ISO certification to meet requirements Processing: reduction to few key market concepts and higher integration of process stages; obtainment of USDA accreditation for exports; biological meat promotion campaigns | Breeding: integration of breeding lines and the use of franchise contracts; centralization/dispersion of regional breeding locations; and centralization of information flows/decision making processes; Feeding: strategic and regional relationships with key suppliers Production: government support for biological producers Health management: cooperative buying, distribution, marketing and consultancy Transport: introduction of HACCP/ISO standards Processing: relations with retail for marketing of concepts; formalization of relation with suppliers; and growth through acquisition / sector-wide international marketing / export |
To expand this list and to initiate a performance shift of the pork sector main breakthroughs are expected by the research activities of the project Q-PorkChains.Within the project Q-PorkChains the following innovations are targeted:
- Consumer & citizens demands are the basement for guidelines for market potential and societal acceptance of production systems, processing technologies, and newly developed consumer products
- Concepts to improve pork production systems at farm level based on inventories and assessment of their sustainability, and identification of ways to improve it
- New approaches and technologies to obtain nutritionally enhanced, quality optimised and more convenient pork products
- New approaches, system designs and supportive tools for integrated management of pork chains, focusing on quality systems, sustainable chain logistics and management innovations
- Molecular tools that can be used by the industry throughout the pork chain for the production of high quality pork
- Validated models for use on a practical level to give guidelines accessible to the public for obtaining high quality pork with respect to quality, safety and welfare
The innovation process
Innovations are crucial to secure the economic future of companies. But innovations do not result from nowhere. Several activities are connected and essential to implement new ideas. The innovation process is described in Figure 1. Even if the innovation process is not a linear process it somehow starts with the identification of innovation needs (problem definition), the idea generation phase follows. The main question of this stage is: how to reach the targeted aim. The development and finally the implementation of new concepts is following. Last but not least it is important to launch the alterations in the market. Only if a product is successfully launched in the market or a new process or organisational concept is used in practice the innovation process can result with an innovation.
Figure 1: Innovation process
Moreover, innovations do not take place in the company as a closed system. Innovation is the result of interactions between companies and the environment. The environment of a company plays an important role in the release of innovation processes as well as in its further development. At the stage of problem definition activating outside influences often play a crucial role as a starting point of innovations. These impulses are of various kinds like changes in the market conditions, new governmental guidelines that force companiess to make changes in the business practice, incentive systems (e.g. public innovation programms) or societal concerns that maintain innovation activities.
How to innovate?
To master various innovation activities and challenges collaboration with different institutions can be a major advantage. Public Private Partnerships (PPP) is a form of cooperation where state financed science and private business work together. This offers the possibility to use knowledge which is not available in the own company and to develop new knowledge in science-to-business collaborations. Collaboration can be arranged and make sense in one or more stages of the innovation process. In the Q-PorkChains project especially the marked stages of the innovation process are comprised in cooperation (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Q-PorkChains innovation process
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