Innovate for impact

We are determined to retain our position as a technology leader and further differentiate ourselves from our competitors. To achieve that aim, we will continue to accelerate our innovation and technology capabilities. While innovating, we always keep in mind that innovation at Barco should deliver impact, i.e. add value for all our stakeholders, including the broader communities in which we operate.

Innovating for impact is about more than mere technology innovation. It includes:

  • enhancing and extending our product portfolio

  • increasing the efficiency of our operations with focused factories and a stronger supply chain

  • creating new business models to strengthen our downstream value chain.

Assessment

Overall, we score between 2 and 3 out of 4 on the focus areas in the ‘Innovate for impact’ lever. In 2022, we were successful in minimizing the supply-chain constraints caused by the pandemic. We managed to instill a stronger innovation governance, which will help us achieve more breakthrough innovation in the mid to long term. The focused factories strategy, for its part, has just been launched and will help us optimize the manufacturing footprint in the coming years

Focused factories

Strategy meter 2 4
  • Kick-off of focused factories approach: create factories that produce a limited set of products, for a particular business unit.

Strengthen supply chain, reducing component dependency through redesign and bringing critical components in-house

Strategy meter 3 4
  • Reduction of dependency on critical components (semiconductor and other) through product redesigns that allow for more flexibility to change components during the products’ lifecycle

  • Bringing production of critical subassemblies in-house (e.g. optical components for projectors or bonding glass for healthcare displays)

Rebalance R&D investment portfolio

Strategy meter 3 4
  • 11% of turnover spent on R&D, with a more balanced R&D pipeline focusing more on new growth investments

  • Strengthened patent management with 13 new patent filings and holding 550 patents at year-end 2022

  • Global platforms software development strengthened under cross-divisional management in SWIT (Software and IT) organization

  • Barco selected as Euronext Tech Leader, among Europe’s top innovative high-growth companies

Develop adjacencies and new solutions based on core technologies

Strategy meter 2 4

Enhance ROI in innovation combining entrepreneurship and financial discipline

Strategy meter 2 4
  • R&D managed in the business units, close to customer, enhancing market effectiveness

  • Strengthened innovation governance, led by CEO An Steegen, with frequent innovation boards and fast-fail principles