Milestone for innovation @ Implenia

The idea comes from a concrete application: Commercially available yielding elements that serve as buffers in tunnel construction are expensive and heavy. Manuel Entfellner, construction manager at the Semmering Base Tunnel (Lot 1.1) in Austria, thought: It can be done better! And developed a model made of high-strength polystyrene - lighter, cheaper and safer. (LINK Squeezing zone inside the mountain - Impact (implenia.com))

Manuel Entfellner, who already focused on the use of yielding elements as part of his studies, is pleased with the success of his development - and with the recognition he has received from his employer. "Many colleagues were sceptical at first. Fortunately, our geotechnical engineer Helmut Wannenmacher and Rudolf Knopf supported me from the beginning."

Successful intrapreneurship

In the Kickbox process, after successful validation (Redbox) and piloting (Bluebox), the third stage "Goldbox" has been reached, where the idea is implemented and introduced to the market. "This is a wonderful example of intrapreneurship," explains Karel van Eechoud, who heads the Innovation Hub. "A practical need gives rise to an idea, which is then developed to market maturity with the support of the Innovation Team and experts. In this way, Implenia not only demonstrates its own expertise in tunnelling, but also makes the innovation from our own ranks available to the entire industry."

The first Goldbox to be awarded at Implenia is also a milestone for the Kickbox programme at Implenia, which has been running since September 2019. Since then, 88 ideas have been submitted, 14 of which have reached the Bluebox stage. There are already a number of promising candidates for the next Goldbox - we'll stay tuned!