Today's technology is evolving rapidly, enabling faster development, and ultimately exponential change. What it means for all of us is having a strong desire to support all this innovation constantly stoked with news of “the next big thing” and having to stay current with new technology trends.
With so much change, trends are rising and falling like tides and you want to be on the right side of history. A wide offering of new technology is great but you’ve got to be clear on what’s just a passing trend and what’s going to leave true, lasting change. And, you want to be clear on following industry leaders who have the expertise to show the way forward in a way that is beneficial and inclusive.
In a world of new tech and new trends, a great place to start with a sure footing is understanding what innovation is, what it means and its relationship to emerging technology.
To Create Or Innovate
There are so many definitions for innovation so, let’s make it as simple as possible:
Innovation is taking what already exists and adding value by doing something different that has a positive impact.
Now, innovation is often confused with invention. With invention, something that didn’t exist before is created. Innovation, however, draws on existing knowledge, systems or even inventions to produce a new way of thinking or doing or an entirely new product.
A great example of innovation is Twinbru’s digital fabric twins. Using the Bru Textiles expertise and knowledge of fabrics, Twinbru and the digital fabric twins were born out of a desire to bring fabrics into the digital era and lead the way with a sustainable, innovative solution for fabrics and its associated industries.
Innovation and change exist in a symbiotic relationship. Innovation arises because of a need for change and change comes about because of innovation. In business, innovation is driven by the need for growth and new value - changing the way things are done to reinvigorate the business or an entire industry. Innovation grows businesses, it helps enterprises stay ahead of the competition and innovation helps businesses take advantage of new technology.
Tech It Out
There’s an undeniable relationship between innovation and technology. Technology changes how companies produce, market and distribute their service or product and also how they manage their teams. It also changes the pace of business together with customer expectations.
As new technologies are established, these new behaviours represent potential new markets, new business patterns and consumer roles. New technology can change business models, operations as well as value chains and operations of an entire industry.
Now, the question you may be asking is, “Does innovation drive the creation of new technology or is it new technology driving innovation?”
It is both. Innovation is a process that is human-centric that may or may not result in new technology. Technology can be a tool to implement innovation, but technology on its own doesn’t lead to innovation. It is clear that technologies are becoming important in the process of innovation; the two are interlaced and one can need the other to achieve maximum positive result.
What technology can do is unlock the potential for more innovation by supporting the cognitive element of innovation. AI, AR and VR give us a new way to visualise and experiment with ideas and new processes, streamlining the process of refining concepts. As a practical example, digital fabric twins can be used in digital prototyping to get an accurate visualisation of a new design. For wholesalers, they can be applied in a shift to e-commerce or online platforms for order placements and tracking. With digital systems to help us think differently and expand on ideas, innovation can reach far and wide.
Change Is As Good As A Holiday
While the myriad of emerging technologies can seem overwhelming, embracing some of the trusted solutions can go a long way in terms of transformation. Change is necessary for long-term growth and cultivates a spirit of innovation. In an industry where everyone thought fabrics are fabrics and that’s it, there’s innovation in the form of recyclable fibres, smart technology and, of course, digital fabric twins.
Twinbru offers a modern solution to some age-old challenges that is a boon for the industry overall. It proves the convergence of digital technology and physical fabrics and provides an array of benefits for businesses in various industries.
In so doing, we encourage broader thinking in terms of how things are done as well as new innovation. Innovation always comes from the perspective of adding more value to the customer and, for Twinbru, this is clear with digital fabric twins. Imagine what you can do in your business and your industry with a little innovation and a helping hand from technology.