Innovation

Innovation means being open to new ideas. Thinking flexibly and working hard. And sometimes taking a risk. This approach is helping Implenia create new business models and useful solutions for our customers in the construction and real estate industry. We are developing into an integrated multi-national construction services provider that actively drives the fundamental changes in our industry, and anticipates trends such as urbanisation and infrastructure at an early stage.

In 2020 we increased our investment in digital construction and BIM and accelerated the industrialisation of our processes; we continued to expand our integrated project execution with IPD and validated more than 350 start-ups with regard to innovative ideas, new technologies and possible cooperation. We also intensified our work with external experts and academic partners, including the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP and ETH Zurich. For example we tested a composite wood ceiling that was co-developed with Implenia. The patent is pending.

We are also proud of our Innovation Hub. In just its first year, the new Hub made a huge contribution to the development of ideas and solutions proposed by our employees, helping them with coaching, budgets and the right tools to take their innovations forward. Since the Hub was established in October 2019, it has dealt with 62 proposals, eight of which have now been taken through to the market pilot stage. Meanwhile, the internal community centred on our Group-wide ideas platform has grown steadily and now has almost 700 members.

Read more in Insight “Added value through innovation” and Implenia’s latest Sustainability Report.