At Bachem, innovation isn’t just a buzzword – it’s ingrained in our culture. We want to foster a work environment where employees think creatively about innovation and explore new technologies.
Innovation is critical not only to the success of our company but also to finding solutions to the challenges faced by our customers — from managing ever-larger production volumes to developing more complex molecules for medicines to constantly improving the ecological footprint for the chemical synthesis of peptides and oligonucleotides (TIDES).
A highlight of our innovation culture is the annual Bachem Innovation Award, which recognizes employees who make an impact by challenging the status quo and coming up with value-creating new ideas.
Here’s a look back at the Bachem Innovation Awards 2023, which took place at all Bachem locations worldwide and where we proudly recognized outstanding innovative contributions from colleagues worldwide. The sense of community we felt as we celebrated together was inspiring.
Innovation Management at Bachem
Bachem actively supports employees with innovative ideas, recognizing that breakthroughs can come from any level of the organization. Our innovation management system ensures that:
- promising ideas are implemented swiftly,
- bureaucratic hurdles are minimized and
- impact is maximized.
Ideas are awarded in three categories that – together with our culture – our breeding ground- make up Bachem’s Innovation management model:
The EDGE – TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT – Ensure manufacturing technology leadership
The ENABLER – BUSINESS PROCESS ENGINEERING – Implement efficient business processes
The BASE – CONTINOUS IMPROVEMENT – Increase efficiency in daily work
The BREEDING GROUND – Innovation Culture – all employees may, want, can innovate
Voices of the Bachem Innovation Award Winners
We asked this year’s Innovation Award winners what innovation means to them and what motivates them to strive for excellence every day.
BASE
The BASE comprises continuous improvements in our day-to-day work. We implement these improvements in the simplest way. The sum of many incremental improvements can result in significant progress.
1st Place Base
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
To drive innovation, you should think outside the box, collaborate across teams to bring in different perspectives, be entrepreneurial in your day-to-day responsibilities, and advocate for the freedom to explore and implement innovative ideas within your organization.
Can you tell us about a project or idea that did not receive recognition but was particularly meaningful to you and reflects your innovation journey?
Over the past two years, the Oligo Department has made many innovative improvements in its day-to-day operations. One of the most important innovations was the development and implementation of a new packing process for IEX columns, which allowed faster and more reliable preparation of the columns for the campaign. Before the new process, the columns had to be periodically unloaded and repacked. With the new protocol, however, we reduced the number of repackages to zero in 2023.
This is just one example of the team’s many small innovations to improve productivity and efficiency continually.
How do your personal passions or interests outside of work contribute to your ability to be innovative in your job?
I am a passionate player of board and card games, including (or especially) those with a high degree of complexity. In such games, skillful resource management is usually the key. You have to choose the right strategy with the given resources and know all your options. I love delving into different strategies, weighing their strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes thinking outside the box.
2nd Place Base
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Production colleagues have an efficient view of their work, and we should use that knowledge to share with chemists or others when problems arise. This equipment and process control knowledge allows us to find simple solutions to complicated issues.
3rd Place Base
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
As advice, you can take inspiration from your personal life/hobbies to be more innovative. I would also tell my colleagues to believe in their ideas. It might seem that our concept could be more creative, but every little innovation will help to develop the company and improve our daily work. I would remember this saying: From tiny acorns grow giant oaks.
ENABLER
We improve our business processes with strategic reach. To that end we target processes with suboptimal performance. Often these business processes operate across departments and sites, so a given improvement’s reach may be enormous.
1st Place Enabler
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
During my Lean Six Sigma training, I learned the five Lean Principles, which continue to shape my search for innovative improvements and guide me through the process in a structured way.
• Value: Define value from the customer’s perspective
• Value stream: Identify the value stream
• Flow: Optimize the flow
• Pull: Focus on customer needs
• Perfection (Kaizen): Strive for perfection
One of the most significant takeaways from my Lean Six Sigma training is the importance of understanding value from the customer’s perspective, be it internal or external. This understanding has allowed me to identify deviations from the actual process, enabling me to fulfill requirements almost flawlessly, completely, and profitably.
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Be curious and open to new ideas: Be willing to think outside the box and explore new perspectives. Be curious about your field’s latest technologies, trends, and best practices.
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Innovation and new ideas/solutions are everywhere. We need to challenge our daily work. Very often, a way of doing things is no longer appropriate!
2nd Place Enabler
How do your personal passions or interests outside of work contribute to your ability to be innovative in your job?
As an avid bridge player, I always look for the most efficient bid that will allow my partner and I to win. Looking for efficiencies and thinking on my feet helps me be innovative in my work.
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Get involved, and don’t be afraid to think about your processes and how to use continuous improvement tools to make your role easier. Even a tiny improvement can give significant results.
Can you tell us about a project or idea that did not receive recognition but was particularly meaningful to you and reflects your innovation journey?
My first experience with practical process improvement (PPI) was an improvement in storing and retrieving batch production records.
Although we already had ideas for improving this process, following the 8-Step PPI method, we identified many other opportunities to improve it. This gave me the incentive to seek out other opportunities for improvement.
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Get out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself, and always keep an open mind when running processes to identify areas for improvement.
3rd Place Enabler
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
If you have a good idea about making processes more efficient, secure, or simply more fun, share it with other stakeholders and incorporate their suggestions into your implementation to turn a good idea into a great one.
EDGE
By expanding our technological leadership, we make it possible to apply the best manufacturing processes for our products. We are constantly looking for new technologies and implementing them in effective ways.
1st Place Edge
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Keep an open mind and challenge how things are done if you see potential for improvement. If you have an idea, be persistent, speak up, and discuss it with your colleagues.
2nd Place Edge
How do your personal passions or interests outside of work contribute to your ability to be innovative in your job?
The three of us participate in sports outside of work. Sports also increase general well-being, teach you to strive for your goals, and can help reset your mind after a stressful day at work.
Can you tell us about a project or idea that did not receive recognition but was particularly meaningful to you and reflects your innovation journey?
Growth in the In Vitro Diagnostics sector led to the commissioning of a new 40 L reactor at BUK. This required careful planning and process redesign. Staff praise the new reactor for its ease of use and professional appearance, which impresses external visitors—an exciting project to be involved in.
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
Always keep an open mind and think about your processes. Do not be afraid to look for efficiencies.
3rd Place Edge
What advice would you give to colleagues who want to be more innovative in their work and make a difference?
One should strive for greater awareness of the daily pain points one encounters in one’s work. Look at the problem from as many different “shoes” as possible. This provides insight into why the problem exists and clarifies the path to the simplest solution. The simplest and most sustainable solution addresses the root cause(s), and addressing these will have the most significant impact and provide the best value per unit of time spent finding a solution.
Innovation thrives on combining creative thinking, collaboration, and a willingness to challenge existing norms. At Bachem, we draw inspiration from various sources, including personal hobbies and experiences. We make a difference daily through continuous improvement and our desire to explore new ideas. By thinking outside the box, sharing knowledge across departments, and fostering a culture of curiosity and openness, we solve immediate challenges and pave the way for long-term success. Recognizing that even the smallest improvements can lead to innovation, we encourage each other to believe in our ideas and persevere in the search for better solutions. By approaching problems solution-oriented and looking for the most straightforward, most effective solutions, Bachem ultimately opens opportunities for personal and professional growth and development.
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Innovation at Bachem
Read more about how technological leadership and innovative strength have been the cornerstones of our success since the very beginning.
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