Trend of Increasing Degree of Trimming
When do you really have the impression of disruption? When do you have that “wow” impression?
Very often this happens if something very common was trimmed. The physical keyboards of mobile phones is one example. The trimming of the keyboard and screen by smart speakers is another logical step. However, the trimming of pilots or drivers in drones or autonomous vehicles goes even further. See also https://www.dhirubhai.net/post/edit/road-disruption-dr-stefan-schaper to determine how to trim.
When a system evolves, it is very common to observe such steps and they belong to the evolution of technological systems. These trends, summarized as “trends of technology evolution” in Triz, give several relevant hints to the future of such systems. They are universal and branch independent.
“Trimming” means leaving out one or several components or functions of a system. This can be achieved in several ways.
A. A component can be trimmed if the object of the function can be trimmed
B. A function carrier can be trimmed if the object can perform the function itself
C. Another component can take over the function
X. A component can be trimmed if the function is not needed anymore
These trimming rules can be applied to any technological system and unlock great innovation and cost saving potential. These are some examples: The dust bag in vacuum cleaners was trimmed by applying a new scientific effect (particles are removed from airstream by micro-cycles instead of filters (Rule X).
In the premium model of a Californian carmaker, there is no specific door handle. The door paneling is designed in a way that a person can open and close the door. This facilitates the production, reduces complexity and looks better (Rule C).
So, even a simple piece such as a door handle can be a factor for innovation.
Many products or their production and supply chain have parts or steps that could be trimmed. A structured process can lead to substantial savings and improvements. At the same time, customers will have that “wow” expression at their face….
Ready to trim?
Contact us www.schaper-tech.com
Presidente CEO da Camara de Comércio do BRICS e MERCOSUL
5 年As usual your articles are very good indeed. Disruptive business happens all the time and those organizations that do not pay attention are cut off. We have thousands of examples, among them the UBER which is an extremely simple idea but that has obtained phenomenal result. The computer was invented by XEROX but for lack of attention and lack of imagination of the marketers who made money with the invention was Apple and Microsoft that took advantage of the invention Xerox, where the whole question was not the invention but the commercial idea and the Xerox Got behind. In 1973, Xerox was already a billionaire company when it invented the first computer called Xerox Alto and for Xerox to stay focused on its copier businesses it did not believe in the ideas and potential of the young Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and history shows that Xerox was cut off from the map when it might have been the biggest company in the world if it had been more humble and listened to the idea more closely. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had no business skills for Xerox. So sometimes focusing on your own business is stupid.
Presidente CEO da Camara de Comércio do BRICS e MERCOSUL
5 年My mosquito-control program without insecticides is highly disruptive and will change the old and outdated form of insecticide fighting in the planet's cities. There is another energy production project called OPEC that will revolutionize the production of clean energy in the world, superior in quality and quantity than any system used today. You can see that it is a vision of businesses and organizations, however powerful they are at the moment, if they can not see ahead, if they can not have marketing skills they will be cut off from the market and become obsolete and outdated with so many others due to disruption.