INNOVATION: AHEAD OF THE PACK(AGING)

Customers want the packaging to be more capacious, to accommodate ever hotter materials, to reduce dose rates, to have quicker approvals, not to mention to come in cheaper. On the other hand, Safety Authorities want increased safety, thorough justifications, and essentially no new concepts. To make ends meet, the key is innovation on all fronts. AREVA's Logistics Business Unit has introduced a new concept, internally known as the ID school. It is a unique combination of innovation tools and methods. It blends an all-round technological watch, a system for collecting internal ideas, an extensive R&D program, state-of-the-art research and problem-solving software, a network of experts, an array of innovation methods and dedicated facilities that promote an innovative spirit. These tools apply to engineering, freight forwarding, organization... and favor both individual initiative and teamwork. This paper describes each of these aspects, stressing the successes and expected benefits to come. It discusses some of the future developments in the ID school concept, and is also a plea to Safety Authorities for looking neutrally, or better favourably, upon innovative features and designs, which often offer safety and radiation exposure benefits. This paper will elaborate on the following three questions: Where are the most crucial needs for technological innovations? What is the role of innovation? How do we make it happen?