FutureOptions: Creating a Foundation Where Groundbreaking Ideas Can Take Shape

Without innovation, there can be only stagnation. Encouraging innovation is a key cornerstone of Bekaert’s philosophy, which comes together in our purpose of Establishing the new possible. 

With this in mind, and with the aim of leveraging the great amount of knowledge and creativity that is present in our company, we’ve recently introduced new processes, provided supporting tools, and developed a specific training program to change how our teams view innovation . We want to empower our people with the freedom to develop their creative ideas. Even when they happen at the most unexpected times and places.

Many people see innovation as the process of inventing an entirely new product or implementing never-before-tried technology. This mindset can lead to questions like "How am I going to innovate now?" The result can be stagnation and a continuation of the status quo. In truth, there are countless ways to innovate.

Great ideas can occur anywhere, at any time. Inspiration may strike during a lunch break or at a casual conversation at the coffee machine. A wealth of knowledge exists within any organization, even outside the dedicated innovation team. Creativity is everywhere. Our approach is to harness this potential by listening to the crowd.  

We wanted our teams to dare to go beyond traditional thinking and reimagine the possibilities of steel. To explore new materials, new services, and new areas where our products can add value. That’s why we introduced a dedicated platform to encourage and foster innovation: FutureOptions.

FutureOptions represents the ideation and scoping phase of our innovation pipeline, where we identify and explore long-term opportunities. With FutureOptions, we ensure that our people can provide us with a continuous influx of innovative ideas to prepare us for the future. FutureOptions is where ideas are born and then evolve into significant projects as they progress through our innovation pipeline.

Bekaert aims to develop solutions for a smart, safe, and sustainable future, by focusing on innovation. Even though our legacy belongs to steel products, our current capabilities and innovation go far beyond steel

Bekaert strives to go beyond steel by focusing on innovation, creativity, and diversification. We’re achieving this goal by empowering our people and reaching out to our partners and clients.    

Product research and development is the largest innovation contributor at Bekaert. However, innovation is not solely about bringing new products into the market. True innovation also occurs when a company scrutinizes its own internal processes and embraces new ways of approaching entrenched methodologies. 

Good ideas can come from surprising places, but innovation can’t flourish without the right support. Creativity needs to be encouraged and new ideas must be nurtured. That’s why Bekaert has put in place a way of working that provides our people with the processes and tools they need to think outside of the box. Our teams are free to break free from their boundaries and share disruptive, new concepts.

Creativity relies on people being able to make the right connections. Productive collaborations can only occur if teams have effective communication tools. Information siloes need to be broken and cross-departmental collaboration encouraged. This is especially true in a dynamic multi-national company like Bekaert. 

FutureOptions is an internal communication tool to facilitate connections between innovators, no matter what department they are in or where they are located. It’s a dedicated platform where employees can share ideas and brainstorm together. 

Recent research suggests that the "21 days to learn a new habit" rule is a myth. We accepted this challenge to prove the experts wrong. To launch the FutureOptions platform, we asked our teams to reflect on a variety of topics to trigger new ideas over the course of 21 days. The challenge was to imagine “what if” scenarios to spark new ways of approaching tasks.

The goal was to increase awareness about the existence of the FutureOptions platform. We wanted our people to know there is a place where they can share ideas freely without judgment and receive valuable feedback. 

The FutureOptions internal communication campaign challenged employees to rethink approaches to topics such as (but not only):

• Products
• Services
• Internal processes
• Sustainability
• Digital solutions
• Technology

FutureOptions has five key aspects:

• Discovery: Team members are encouraged to identify opportunities and generate new ideas based on customer pain points, market needs, current trends, and new technological advances.
• Creativity: We spark creativity with dedicated workshops, ideation sessions, and collaborative brainstorming sessions.
• Concept Validation: A rigorous screening process ensures that only the most promising ideas that align with our strategic goals move into the development stage.
• Iterative Process: We use an iterative process to hone front-end innovation. Ideas and assumptions are constantly refined, reevaluated, and reimagined using new data.
• Decision Gates: Experts and business leaders are studiously screening the hundreds of ideas we have generated to find the most viable and exciting proposals. These concepts will be reviewed and optimized in accordance with ISO 56007. 

You never know where the next big idea will come from. With FutureOptions, everyone has the chance to submit their concepts and our systematic approach ensures nothing important is overlooked. Each idea is discussed with our internal experts and we aim to feedback to every contributor.

FutureOptions acts as Bekaert’s innovation pipeline and funnel. It provides us with a common, standardized working methodology to foster new approaches and push the limits of what's possible through ingenuity.  

Creativity doesn’t stop when a person walks out of their office for the day. Inspiration can strike anywhere, at any time. While we respect people’s boundaries, we don’t want to restrict the capacity for innovation. Through a series of workshops, we have encouraged our community of innovators to rewire how they think about generating ideas. We urge people to be open to ideation at any time, whether they are in the office, at home, or out with friends.

Bekaert has introduced our team to a different way of approaching ideation. This holistic method teaches innovators to apply their past experience when assessing the current situation while at the same time looking to the future and trying to visualize possible scenarios.

Excellence and creativity should be rewarded. The Bekaert Technology and Innovation Awards are awarded annually to teams that have gone beyond expectations to develop exceptional projects. This recognition program motivates our people to step out of their comfort zones and go beyond the horizon.

Bekaert also embraces a strategy of open ideation. We recognize that using external sources can expose us to knowledge, ideas, technologies, and expertise. 

We firmly believe that by analyzing the precise needs of our customers we can formulate innovative, efficient, and effective solutions. Our ideation process focuses on developing an outside-in approach. The market-specific challenges that our customers face form the foundation of our ideation process. In this method, the customer becomes a true collaborative partner.

Finding the way to true innovative practices can’t just happen internally. It is equally important to listen to our customers and stay attuned to emerging trends and technologies. Other experts from outside the company can also greatly contribute to exploring new pathways. This is why we cultivate and maintain relationships with universities, research institutes, startups, engineering firms, and innovators across the globe.  

For more than 140 years Bekaert has proudly been a leader in steel wire products. As we look to the future, we are constantly developing better and more effective solutions for our customers and diversifying into new realms of creativity.  

A culture of continuous improvement is crucial to our evolution as a company. Our innovators are encouraged to adopt a proactive mindset that inspires them to be curious, to be adventurous, and to be truly bold in their thinking. We invite our customers and our partners to collaborate with us and forge a pathway beyond steel.

Growth requires action. Success is built on the courage to experiment and innovate beyond conventional boundaries. 

As we step into a new era of technology, Bekaert will continue to develop groundbreaking solutions that redefine industry standards.