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Pioneers of the Ocean ๐
With more than 150-years of dredging experience, and nearly 5,600 skilled professionals around the world, DEME has established itself as a leader in marine infrastructure, environmental projects, and offshore energy.
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An organization that actively shapes the industry around them, bringing tailor-made solutions and innovative technologies to their customersโ projects, using the largest and most advanced fleet of vessels worldwide.
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DEME understands the difference innovation plays in going from good to great, and this is captured brilliantly with the following quoteโฆ
โWe donโt follow. We explore, push boundaries, innovate.โ
Summary
Challenge
DEMEโs ambitious innovation horizons required the tools to capture ideas across its workforce, but one obstacle stood in its way. Around 50% of its people are based on vessels across the globe, making collaborative ideation difficult.
Solution
Innovation management software would give DEMEโs workforce the tools to engage in ideation, have a voice for innovative change, and play a role in shaping the companyโs future.
Results
With edison365, DEME has rapidly evolved its ideation management, creating 100s of new ideas and launching several new ventures.
DEME also understood that to explore solutions for major global challenges, they needed to hear from the people at the heart of their industryโtheir employees.
edison365 had the opportunity to sit down with DEMEs Program Manager, Fabien Donze, to see first-hand how they continue to be industry leaders with impactful innovation using our suite of innovation tools and features.
Uncovering Ideas in Global Teams
Originally, DEME relied on physical suggestion boxes and an ideas mailbox to gather input from its diverse workforce at sea. With around 50% of employees โ including crew members, marine engineers, dredging operators and surveyors โ working on vessels across the globe, this method proved to be difficult and inefficient. The slow and manual process limited the flow of innovative ideas and hindered collaboration.
Recognizing the need for a more effective solution, DEME turned to edison365. The platform provided a centralized space where all employees, regardless of location, could log in and actively engage in the companyโs innovation process.
Engaging Entrepreneurial Talent โจ
Looking to the future and to further advance their innovation journey, a group named DEMEx was setup to steer the ship of new ideas. This included around 40 top innovators from a pool of one thousand, primarily focusing on younger employees within the company.
The department signals an ever-growing need to boost innovation at DEME, and consists of four major phases: Inspire, Innovate, Incubate, and Invest. The group was created to achieve several goals:
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- Uncover transformational ideas
- Engage their younger generation in innovation
- Achieve both top-down and bottom-up innovation
- Encourage networking beyond departments
DEMEx knows that transformational ideas donโt come easily. Itโs only by building a culture of innovation and engaging younger generations that they can find fresh for a sustainable future in an already competitive industry.
This is further emphasized in the groupโs drive to create a top-down, bottom-up approach, where everyoneโs ideas are heard. By setting ambitious targets like this, DEMEx serves a purpose that is close to the companyโs values, to pave the way for great innovation!
Join the worldโs most innovative brands using our end-to-end innovation management tools.
Inspire โจ
At this stage, DEMEx brainstorm their way through current challenges and ways to meet their future objectives. From megatrend exercises to new materials outlining focus areas, this is where innovative direction is set for DEMEx
Innovate ๐ก
In the Innovation phase, around 300 colleagues utilized edison365 to capture 100+ new venture ideas. Each documented and stored in a digital environment that is globally accessible to everyone, whether theyโre on land or at sea!
Incubate โ๏ธ
From there, DEMEx began a rigid selection process, picking out the best ideas from edison365 that align with key objectives and validating assumptions through desk research and expert interviews. Itโs here DEMEx were able to identify 9 exceptional ideas in the sweet spot of innovation.
Invest ๐ฐ
This is the final stage of the DEMEx innovation lifecycle. From submitting an idea in edison365 to receiving investment, DEMEx currently has 3 ongoing ventures that the team is working on.
This four-stage cycle outlines the formula for innovation success DEMEx has found supported by edison365! A process that gradually eliminates ideas, resulting in promising opportunities captured from their workforce around the world.
Sailing for Innovation Greatness
So why is this story of innovation success a special one? It showcases how DEME, an organization with a vast number of colleagues based offshore, can engage in creative problem-solving and ideation together.
No matter where in the world their team is based, a simple internet connection and the right innovation management software enables DEME to discover game-changing ideas that ensure they remain at the top of their industry.
But the results donโt stop there! DEME is soon to migrate to a new and improved edison365 environment, one boasting a suite of holistic tools to turn ideas into full-fledged business cases, innovation projects, and more.
We very excited to watch DEME turn more ideas into ventures and want to thank Program Manager Fabien Donze for his support in telling their story.
Join the worldโs most innovative brands using our end-to-end innovation management tools.
