PUTEAUX, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Toshiba Group today announced its Open Innovation strategy, unveiling partnerships with five French SMEs plus an international company, in a whole range of fields of innovation.
“All too often, innovation is restricted in terms of both its goals and its scope, with an over-emphasis on the technology itself and its outcomes. Here at Toshiba, we strive to see things differently, developing our own particular approach.” This brief summary is how Philippe Delahaye, President of Toshiba Systèmes France and Toshiba TEC France Imaging Systems, introduced his vision of Open Innovation.
Ranging from energy efficiency and street lighting to document management as well as home care for the elderly and mobility, these social issues could not possibly be dealt with by a single company, however large; but the fact is that firms, local authorities and the general public are expecting concrete solutions in these areas. In full awareness of its vocation as project manager, Toshiba has devised the Open Innovation concept to address these needs. The company is now bringing together a range of partners, each of them working with the very latest technologies, to design 360° offerings for each of these areas of future development.
Energy efficiency is a key field for Toshiba, and is backed by two strategic partnerships in particular.
- With Managed Energy Services (MES) and the Building Energy Management System (BEMS), Toshiba and Avob are bringing down energy bills for offices and shops by integrating and coordinating all their various types of energy use, including power for computers and office equipment, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
- With the Home Energy Management System (HEMS) Toshiba and iJenko are addressing domestic energy use, providing services relating to energy efficiency as well as home comfort and protection.
In another partnership with French SME Isidor (which develops simplified interfaces for a range of computer tools), Toshiba has invented a new concept for home care of vulnerable individuals, more especially the elderly. The success of this partnership has allowed Toshiba to create an offering directed at local authorities and the beneficiaries themselves.
To address the needs of businesses in the field of document management, Toshiba has joined forces with two French partners and another that is internationally recognized.
- French firm Avob, specializing in energy management, with which Toshiba is working on the design of “Managed Energy Services” (MES) to cut power use by computer and office equipment such as PCs, monitors and multi-function printers.
- French firm Eukles, a specialist in electronic document management, with which Toshiba is creating an ‘archive terminal’ to manage both electronic and hardcopy documents.
- Japanese firm Pilot, a world leader in writing products that has developed erasable toner for the first ever eco-MFP, allowing the same sheet of paper to be used up to five times.
Mobility is also central to many of the projects being led by Toshiba. Its pioneering work in mobile computing is based on the Windows 8 platform and the related app store. Today, Toshiba is one of the first manufacturers to have implemented a Resource Management solution geared especially to nomad workers. Toshiba and its partner Noledge have joined forces to design Mobile Sales Optimizer, a sales performance solution.
Toshiba is also a pioneer in the field of LED technology, and is now developing this for public lighting. The firm is working to bring down the power use of all outdoor lights and set up a smart management system – in particular with partners Landis+Gyr, part of the Toshiba Group – in order to develop new technologies for the deployment and coordination of public lighting of all kinds.
These are just some of the ways Toshiba is implementing its Open Innovation concept. “Progress belongs to everybody – and so should the innovation that drives it. Bringing together all the players in innovation of this kind calls for a global firm with tried and tested experience in major projects for cities, homes and offices. Toshiba is proud to be playing such a role,” concluded Philippe Delahaye, President of Toshiba Systèmes France and Toshiba TEC France Imaging Systems.
About Toshiba
Toshiba is a world leader and innovator in
high technology, spanning a range of electrical and electronic
appliances: digital consumer products, electronic devices and
components, energy solutions including nuclear power, social and
industrial infrastructures, and household appliances.
Established
in 1875, today Toshiba has an international network of over 490
companies, with a global workforce of 203,000 and annual revenues in
excess of $77 billion.
Website: www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
Headquartered
in Neuss, Germany, Toshiba Europe GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
the Toshiba Corporation, Tokyo.