Panel II - Instruments of support in process of transformation
of invention into innovative process
Paper N2.1 - Innovation Tools for Commercializing Process Technology
Robert H. Jensen, Stanley A. Gembicki, UOP LLC
Abstract: The worldwide process industry, which includes
chemicals, petrochemicals, and petroleum refining, is a huge, complex,
and interconnected global business. It achieved tremendous growth
and development in the 20th century, driven primarily by innovation
in chemistry and engineering. The industry also evolved in an era
of relatively cheap energy and a seemingly limitless supply of raw
materials. Today, new technology innovation in the process industry
must not only seek to improve beyond the very high level of technology
sophistication which already exists but also must recognize the
limits articulated by Sustainable Development.
As a leading technology supplier, UOP LLC must continuously renew
its process technology portfolio. UOP has employed a suite of innovation
tools to enhance and accelerate its technology commercialization
process. These tools have been implemented all along the commercialization
path, providing fundamental knowledge that is essential to making
correct decisions in a stage-gate process for technology delivery.
This paper will give an overview of these innovation tools and will
present some examples of their application at various stages of
the commercialization of process technologies.