Some 42% of respondents say most of their new product innovation takes place internally, with incremental changes to design processes and production. This is a slight increase on the 2018 figure of 40%. However, the number of respondents innovating internally with structured programmes to implement new products has remained constant at 21% for both years.
Cross-sector collaboration has had a modest increase to 10% in 2019, from 9% in 2018, while innovating with academia has dropped from 3% in 2018 to 2% this year.
When it comes to investing in innovation, 78% in 2019 funded programmes internally (across both strategic plans and ad-hoc projects), compared with 84% of respondents in 2018. However, there was also a reported drop in bank, venture capital or private equity financing, from 24% in 2018 to 13% this year.
This funding confusion has not halted innovation, though. Respondents report a substantial drop in innovation programmes being halted by a lack of investment, with such closures now at 30% in 2019, down from 37% in 2018.
Looking at the barriers to innovation success, the inability to commercialise innovation is the main obstacle. Brexit uncertainty and a lack of funds for innovation were given an equal weighting. However, there was a notable drop in the issue of skills being such a barrier, from 15% in 2018 to just 6% in 2019.
“These figures paint a picture of a cautious industry,” explains Gordon Kirk, event director, Subcon. “While Brexit clearly has a role in that, it seems that 2019 is a continuation of established levels of sceptical business activity from last year. There is, however, room for some optimism. It seems we are finally cracking the issue of business skills in engineering and manufacturing, and there has been a decent drop in innovation programmes being stopped.
“We need to nurture these tentative causes for celebration, and part of our role in that will be the likes of Brian Holliday, managing director of Siemens Digital Industries, delivering a keynote address at the Subcon conference covering the latest developments and momentum around Industry 4.0, and Lina Huertas, head of technology strategy - digital manufacturing, at the MTC, covering the technologies set to transform manufacturing.”
