Innovation is driving development

Over the past 15 years, Coor has been a driver on development in the Nordic FM and industrial services sectors. Change and continuous improvement have always been part of Coor's offering. But now, the standards that the market's purchasers apply are also rising.

"Where previously, our customers expected improvement and progress, now, they also expect innovation," explains Fredrik Sandquist, who heads up Coor's innovation program.

At Coor, customer expectations about cost-efficiency, their increasing focus on sustainability, challenges in attracting and retaining competence, and their endeavor for greater productivity are clear drivers of innovation. Moreover, the availability of new technology is paving the way for new, smart solutions.

"We see great potential in partnering with other members of the innovation process. In our innovation model, the relationships with and between customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders are the most important parameters. We call this our innovation ecosystem," continues Fredrik.

Many Coor customers and suppliers have new and exciting technologies, products and services that sometimes, they have difficulty getting out there, which is where Coor can help as a service provider, firstly by adding more value, and secondly by getting to market faster by offering its customers these solutions.

By listening to what other people are developing and what's going on within and outside the FM and industrial services sectors, Coor has identified inspiring collaborations. Its arrangement with Ricoh, an existing Coor supplier, is an example of the two parties offering several of Ricoh's innovative products and services.

"For example, we're offering Coor Virtual Meetings, where we deliver high-quality videoconferencing equipment as a service, as permanent installations or portable units. The customer doesn't need to invest in equipment, and only pays when it's actually used."

The collaboration with TeliaSonera, involving joint research into applications for new sensor technology, is another example. With TeliaSonera, Coor is part of an innovation ecosystem built around Intel's IoT Ignition Lab, intended to make various devices smarter so they can communicate with us and each other. Fredrik sees several benefits with this type of collaboration.

"Apart from this setup giving us a fantastic insight into current and future technology, it also opens up the possibility of more innovations by us accessing completely new collaboration networks that we otherwise couldn't."

But how will your customers notice this?

"Hopefully by us being able to identify innovative ideas, products and services to package, sell and deliver together. We're already inviting customers and suppliers into our new head office to dialogue on innovation, showcase our latest innovations and discuss potential areas of partnership. We'll be continuing this process, simultaneous with us becoming far more visible in social media, at trade events, and in other contexts. One consistent aim is to build our innovation ecosystem progressively, drive development and create value-added for our customers," concludes Fredrik.