The Consumer Durables, known as the market for less frequently purchased goods, is a segment that includes consumer products with a life cycle longer than 3 years, such as household appliances, furniture, or electronics. Innovations in this industry often focus on increasing the utility value of products, improving their durability, and adding features that can significantly enhance the quality of life for users.
The Multidimensional Innovations in Durables
The multidimensionality of innovation in the durable goods sector can be broken down into several key categories that, working together, drive enterprises to continuous development and maintain competitiveness. Companies often focus on innovating new functionalities, greater efficiency, innovative design, or better product accessibility. An enterprise’s openness and willingness to respond to changing consumer preferences can significantly affect its market advantage.
Process innovations, such as automation, digitization, or new tools, support management; with these innovations, companies can optimize their internal operations, reduce costs, and increase efficiency. Some enterprises focus on adopting new technologies, like advanced materials, IoT systems, or AI, to transform their operations and enhance their product. Technology also plays a critical role in addressing global climate challenges, offering innovations that help protect our planet within the bounds of legal regulations.
By leveraging the achievements of others and establishing partnerships, companies can strive to maintain their market leadership. In a constantly changing world, this can help enterprises to track trends and respond to them.
Innovators in durables
Welcome to “Startup of the Month by Innovatika”, our new series of articles designed to showcase the innovative edge that is shaping the future of business across the globe. Our mission? To highlight, each month, startups that are redefining industries, reinventing technology, and reshaping societal norms.
Sweep: Support for organizations in achieving ESG goals – France
Sweep is a platform that enables companies to measure, manage, and reduce their carbon footprint using advanced data analysis tools and collaboration features. Sweep assists organizations in understanding their CO2 emissions and taking action to reduce them. The platform offers user-friendly interfaces that help meet current reporting standards and engage employees and the entire value chain in building a greener business. Sweep aims to transform carbon-related challenges into a driving force for innovation and positive growth, helping businesses to thrive sustainably.
Learn more on their website: https://www.sweep.net/
Pigment: Strategic planning in an intuitive, collaborative way – France
Pigment is a business planning platform that facilitates the creation and management of operations. It integrates people, data, and processes into one intuitive space, enabling the quick creation of reliable strategic and operational plans. The platform allows data import from various business tools and the building of connected plans across all company departments. Users can utilize AI for quick summaries and analyses. Pigment reduces the time needed to build business models from weeks to hours, automates reports, and enables effective interdepartmental collaboration, strengthening decision-making and eliminating the limitations of traditional spreadsheets.
Learn more on their website: https://www.gopigment.com/
Talkin’ things: RFID tags as data carriers: from ingredient sources to expiration dates – Poland
Talkin’ Things offers comprehensive RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification) solutions. This technology uses radio waves to store and retrieve data from so-called RFID tags, which are attached or embedded in the items being tracked. Talkin’ Things is involved not only in the production of tags but also provides strategic consulting, custom hardware design, and the development of necessary software, all aimed at increasing operational efficiency and reducing costs through IoT solutions. RFID technology enables real-time asset tracking, consumer behavior analysis, distribution management, and process automation.
Learn more on their website: https://talkinthings.com/
GROWN bio: No more styrofoam, time for mycelium! – Netherlands
GROWN bio offers packaging, packaging fillers, insulation panels, and decorative items created from MycoComposite™ – a material made from the root structure of fungi, which acts as a natural binder, and local agricultural waste. It’s an excellent alternative to styrofoam or plastic foam due to its properties, durability, and comparable costs, with the potential to completely replace synthetic materials in the industry. Mycelium packaging can become an interesting home decor element or compost for the garden after its life cycle, decomposing within a few months.
Learn more on their website: https://www.grown.bio/
Smartex: Quality Assurance for textile production – Portugal
Smartex offers advanced artificial intelligence solutions for knitting machines. By using cameras and sensors, it can detect any significant material defects. Integrating this system with textile machines allows manufacturers to optimize operations and increase quality control. An additional module collects fabric roll level data, drastically improving supply chain communication. Introducing AI into the textile industry enhances efficiency, productivity, and environmental responsibility by preventing waste.
Learn more on their website: https://www.smartex.ai/
Elliptic Labs: Software sensors for electrical devices – Norway
Elliptic Labs eliminates the need for physical sensors with AI-based software and ultrasound technology. Their virtual sensors can detect human presence, position, gestures, and even breathing and heart rate, without any additional hardware, using standard built-in speakers and microphones. The sensors have a wide field of view and are independent of lighting, making them more versatile than passive infrared sensors. Elliptic Labs’ solution helps reduce costs, shield against supply chain issues, and simplify integration.
Learn more on their website: https://ellipticlabs.com/home/
Inuru: Can OLED technology change packaging industry? – Poland
Inuru has developed ultra-thin Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) devices that can be applied to any surface using standard production processes. These OLEDs are durable and flexible, suitable for integration into labels or materials through methods such as sticking or molding. This technology is used not only in entertainment but also in security and healthcare, offering interactive labels that help manage medication timeliness.
Learn more on their website: https://www.inuru.com/
Our start-up of the month – November 2023:
Envision Glasses: AI-based glasses support people with vision impairment – Netherlands
Envision Glasses are spectacles that transform visual information from the world into spoken words, describing the surroundings, recognizing faces and colors, and alerting to dangers. With advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities, Envision Glasses handle all types of text, including handwritten, in over 60 languages. Built on Google Glass technology, these glasses provide new possibilities for interaction with the world – from reading street signs to assisting in video calls (the glasses transmit the image to a sighted person who can guide the user) and enhance the independence of individuals with vision impairment or low vision.
Learn more on their website: https://www.letsenvision.com/glasses
Is your start-up our next winner?
Eager to be recognized for your exceptional achievements? Obtain an exclusive badge from Innovatika by emailing us at: welcome@innovatika.com.
Share your accomplishments and contributions, and our team will proudly present you with a personalized badge. Highlight your commitment to innovation, and let the world acknowledge your exceptional expertise with an Innovatika badge. You also get a chance to get featured in one of the next editions of Startup of the Month series.
You can check out our last month’s list here.
