Bjoern Hedlund: “Innovation requires collaboration across companies, borders, sectors, and government”

Bjoern Hedlund
Vice President, High Performance Polymers
DuPont Performance Polymers

Speaker at PolyTalk2014

DuPont has established eleven Innovation Centres featuring polymers worldwide, employing more than 10,000 scientists and customers. What is the goal behind this strong commitment to research and development?

Our goal is to connect and collaborate. 

We use these centres to directly connect locally with customers. We can access the relevant experts among our 10,000 scientists and engineers to that specific customer project, no matter where they are in the world and offer solutions for specific needs by leveraging our knowledge. 

DuPont is a science company. We believe that the most successful model for connecting science to the marketplace is collaboration. At the Innovation Centers, we work with customers and partners to develop new sustainable solutions for specific needs to make lives better, safer, and healthier for people everywhere.We’re using the power of integrated science to build our strengths in three areas. 

The three areas where our expertise lies are: material science, biosciences and agricultural sciences.  Our goals are:

    • Advanced materials. We’ve been a leader in materials science for a long time and our strategy here is to further strengthen and to grow our position in highly differentiated performance materials. 

    • Bio-based industrials. Our strategy here is to develop world leading industrial biotechnology capabilities to reduce dependence on finite resources and transform to a more bio based materials industry. 

    • Agriculture. To become the clear global leader in the high value, science-driven segments of the agriculture-to-food value chain, and to leverage the linkages across these segments. 

Connecting customer-driven, market insight with our technology capabilities is proving to make a difference in the global markets we serve.

The European Commission stated this year that innovation remains a priority in the EU and that the continent needs more innovative companies. Is this grist to the mill for your innovation-driven company? And do you think Europe is supporting industries enough to bring innovations successfully to the markets?

We do not innovate in a vacuum. Innovation requires collaboration across companies, borders, sectors, and government. 

These innovations must spring from pressing human needs, and to be successful they must be introduced to the marketplace and accepted by society, which involves dialogue and understanding with all stakeholders. 

Market driven Innovation starts with an interactive culture. It involves interacting and building networks with external stakeholders, whether with peers, customers, or regulatory bodies.

Given the variety of insight that goes into a market-driven innovation process, it is only logical that the result is not just a new product, but new technology platforms, or simply new ways to operate altogether.

In order to accomplish this, industry needs stable policies and streamlined regulation that reduce risk and justify investment. Uncertain policies invariably lead to a reduced investment climate.

We can provide the technology, the investments, the people… but we need government to create the climate that drive and support innovation to meet the big global challenges and opportunities. 

At PolyTalk, you will be talking about innovation as the answer to the global megatrends. Can you briefly explain how plastics and the plastics industry are helping to deal with worldwide urbanisation, demographic change or the increasing strain on natural resources?

An example would be how plastics are supporting the transformation of the automotive industry towards sustainable mobility. 

As emission and fuel consumption standards continue to be a moving target for car companies, we collaborate with car manufacturers to develop new materials and solutions to enhance performance and reduce weight of cars. We are committed to discovering and developing lighter-weight alternatives to metal, materials that can withstand the intense heat, the aggressive chemicals, and the high pressures in constant play within automotive engines. 

More recently, our industry collaborations led to the creation of DuPont Energain separators, based on nano fibre science, for high-performance lithium ion batteries in all types of electric and hybrid vehicles.

If someone would ask you why she/he should attend PolyTalk, what would you answer?

Come and get inspired by the opportunities polymers offer in enabling innovation and sustainable economic growth.

Patrick Thomas: "We need a clear-sighted European policy focusing on a long term strategic vision"

Patrick Thomas
President, PlasticsEurope
and
CEO, Bayer MaterialScience

Speaker at PolyTalk 2014

Do you believe Europe is serious about an industrial renaissance and does it have the means to launch one? What are your views on a European Industrial Revolution?

In general, I very much welcome the European Commission’s increased focus on the industrial sector. If you take our industry as an example, initiatives that help the plastics industry have a major knock-on effect further down the chain to SMEs. Europe has a competitive edge in terms of innovation and our industry consistently demonstrates its ability to develop innovative products and novel industrial processes that not only benefit society, but the environment as well. But, if I have a criticism, it is that Europe should be welcoming and employing these leading technologies more than it currently does. To help achieve this, we require policies that better support industry in areas like innovation and particularly its implementation. Policies in the areas of research, education in general and science education are examples. We, as an industry, also have a role to play in raising the awareness of European citizens to the critical role our industry plays in securing improved living standards, as well as enabling and driving innovations that address some of the major threats to society now and in the future. Climate change, increasing urbanization, scarcity of resources and caring for an ageing population are just some of the problems that our industry is addressing through innovation. I believe we need a clear-sighted European policy focusing on a long term strategic vision and not simply a series of targets. If we are to get to where I believe the vast majority of European society wants to reach, we have to work together in Public Private Partnerships and not independently as we appear to be doing at the moment.

In your opinion, what should Europe do to strengthen its economy and keep its industrial base?

A strong industrial base must be the foundation for strengthening the European economy, in terms of employment and trade. There are many ways that Europe can help to strengthen the industrial base; through competitive and sustainable energy, for example. There is huge potential to increase energy efficiency in buildings, where our industry makes key contributions, and Europe can also push for global solutions to the climate change challenge. We need a true single market and free trade agreements with other regions of the world since the markets are now global. But also, we need legislative frameworks for our industry that are based on scientific evidence.

What assets can the plastics industry bring to the European economy?

I think we are already bringing a lot of benefits to the European economy, and hopefully we can strengthen these further: cutting edge technology, employment, leading the way in demonstrating energy efficiency, large investments in R&D and supplying innovative SMEs.

This November PlasticsEurope will organise PolyTalk, the industry summit, dedicated to Europe's Industrial Renaissance. Why is it a must for member companies and external stakeholders to attend this summit of the plastics industry?

Both the European decision makers and our industry want to see healthy industries in Europe. We can only move forward on this through joint dialogue and cooperation – it is important for stakeholders to exchange in order to get policy frameworks and road maps that lead to sustainable growth. For anything to be sustainable, it needs to address all three aspects: people, planet and profit. PolyTalk is gathering some of the main policy makers and industry representatives so I for one am looking forward to the opportunity of meeting and discussing with a range of stakeholders and I do encourage PlasticsEurope members to be there and to join the dialogue.