Think tank #innofriday: Deloro employees inspire with creative innovations

It is a concept that works and is well received by the Delorians. This is impressively demonstrated by the projects that have already been implemented and the keen interest shown by our employees. It was clear from the outset that every employee – regardless of position or department – should have the opportunity to contribute their ideas and enrich the company with their innovations during #innofriday. “The attitude ‘We’ve always done it this way’ was yesterday. With #innofriday, we want to encourage our employees to get creative beyond their job and think about what could be done differently, better and in a more contemporary way to make their daily work easier,” explains Michaela Steffens, who is responsible for #innofriday at Deloro. And the Delorians are seizing this opportunity: nine projects have already been successfully implemented – including the company’s own app “myDeloro“.

Innovation in communication:
the “myDeloro” app

For around two years now, our employees have been regularly informed about all company news in the app. In addition to organizational information on canteen opening times or maintenance work, this also includes announcements of events, the introduction of new employees or other news and insights into various projects. All these news can now be accessed easily via the app on the smartphone and does not fill up the inbox. Around 285 of the 300 Delorians have downloaded the app and benefit from its many functions and gadgets – including competitions and an advent calendar in which our employees sweeten the run-up to Christmas with little puzzles, funny songs or a crazy photo. The D*Talk section is also particularly popular. It is used to share detailed information on current projects, technical innovations or production processes with all Delorians – regardless of their department in the company. In short video sequences, the contact persons present their projects and answer all important questions. These short presentations are then available to everyone at any time in the “myDeloro” app.

Other projects that are currently running or have already been successfully completed include “S€ll the Lab”, which involves marketing free laboratory capacity on the external market independently of production orders, and the “Deloropedia” project, which involves creating a knowledge database for sharing and using internal expertise. In the “Sales Controlling” project, the project members develop and visualize key figures, while in other projects, sales documents are redesigned, OCR software is introduced for electronic invoice posting or the trainees make their own trainee film.

More than innovations: #innofriday promotes team spirit in the company

As part of #innofriday, fun and further training are not forgotten either. The members have already taken part in training sessions on topics such as project management and change management or have gone dragon boating on the Moselle to strengthen team spirit. However, #innofriday also includes the experience that not everything always goes according to plan. “The biggest challenge is certainly overcoming dry spells. You start a project full of motivation and then unexpected obstacles appear that have to be overcome first. Staying on the ball and not giving up is not always easy,” explains Michaela Steffens.

Nevertheless, the employees are highly motivated and willing to keep developing new innovations and presenting them to the project committee. “I think every company should have an #innofriday – completely uncomplicated, without rules, just let the employees do it. It’s great how Delorians want to and are allowed to participate in the company’s progress. #innofriday has already achieved so much in our company. Not only have great new projects been created and implemented, but a positive error culture has also developed and the networking between departments has grown in an impressive way. Suddenly, colleagues are working together who would not have any points of contact in normal day-to-day life. At the same time, employees always have the opportunity to raise their hands if there is a conflict between day-to-day operations and project work – together we find a solution,” concludes Michaela Steffens.

#blog #insidedeloro