The third semester MBA students started off their Innovation Management II course with a visit to Lindau and a workshop at Rose Plastic. The company is family-owned and based in Hergensweiler, in southern Germany, only a few minutes away from the Austrian and Swiss border. With over 700 employees worldwide, it is one of the leading companies in the sector of plastic packaging for industrial applications and operates globally. 

On the first day at Rose Plastic, Dr. Frank Maile, Director BU Coatings & Plastics at <link http: www.schlenk.com external link in new>Schlenk AG, introduced the students to Mr. Markus Mayer, who is responsible for Design and Development at <link http: rose-plastic.de external link in new>Rose Plastic. He introduced the company’s origin and culture, showed the students around the production and packing facilities and explained in further detail what the company was doing regarding worldwide innovation.

Afterwards, Mr. Ulf Trabert, Product Manager Branded Goods at <link http: www.gabriel-chemie.com home external link in new>Gabriel Chemie, spoke about the various possibilities for innovation and its application to solve real life problems and turn them into marketable products that satisfy customer needs.

In the evening, Dr. Maile, Mr. Mayer and Mr. Trabert took the students out for dinner at a Moroccan restaurant in Lindau, located at Lake Constance. The relaxed atmosphere offered a chance to chat with the company representatives and to exchange impressions of the day.

On the second day, all students participated in Dr. Maile’s Innovation Workshop. In three groups, they had to add an innovation to an already existing product. In the end, the groups presented in front of a jury. Since the students had time pressure, they experienced real life difficulties of creating a new product and bringing it to the market within a short time.

Towards the end of the day, Mr. Peter Woerner, designer and director and founder of Friendly-Objects, gave a different perspective on innovation from a designer’s point of view, based more on long-term usage of products.

During these two days, the MBA students experienced first-hand innovation applied to a company and its products. With new perspectives, they are now ready for their next Innovation Management course.