Sometimes just doing what we have always done, with maybe minor tweaks as we progress is not enough. This is where  innovation comes in to play. Typically, we progress in most things by evolution, small changes and improvements. This  applies as much to products as it does to our own lives, however sometimes it is good to go for revolution rather than  evolution and look to apply major innovations. At the extreme this might be a knock it out of the park that achieves a similar  result to an existing product but is totally different. A good example might be the iPhone which revolutionised what a phone  could be and pretty much obsoleted all other phones overnight, even if it took a while for them to realise it. Streaming on  demand TV such as Netflix might be another example. In your personal life it might be a major change such as becoming  vegetarian (or alternatively changing from being vegetarian to eating meat).

We have a great example of automotive innovation in our Engine parts feature this month looking at how Dayco, in  conjunction with Ford, turned the whole concept of engine accessory drives on its head. This came about through necessity  as Ford wanted to put a V8 in the new third generation Mustang and the engine bay was too short using conventional drive  belts. Dayco developed the single Serpentine belt design that required much less length for the accessories, today most  vehicles utilise this concept.

Some other innovative developments happening currently in the automotive field are the change from hydraulic to electrical  actuation for a variety of key vehicles systems including steering, brakes and active suspension.

In our business we are also innovating with the constant growth of our digital options for communicating with readers  growing, with around 300 people a month now reading Motor Equipment News digital version rather than print. (If you want to change, email us at subs@adrenalin.co.nz).