AVN regularly convenes its professional and technical staff for presentations of ideas for new products, processes or services. Designated staff prepare a short presentation and colleagues will ask clarification questions. As a result of these meetings, ideas are frequently selected for further investigation. A preliminary review is undertaken to determine the value proposition of the proposed technology, its fit with AVN’s capabilities, and the market potential versus cost to market. Ideas that survive this rigorous review sometimes result in a new company being formed to seek venture capital funding for commercialization efforts.
A similar process is applied to customer development projects or dilemmas for which they are seeking solutions. Teams of diversified experts collaborate to solve R&D technology development challenges. A multi-disciplinary team including, as appropriate, project managers, chemical engineers, subject-matter scientists, organic, inorganic or analytical chemists, process engineers, and master technicians will review the project or problem to determine the most effective course of action, set project protocol and data collection standards, and perform technological and economic assessments as required. The extant knowledge from all of these sources produces a sequenced action plan that reduces or virtually eliminates errors and false starts, thereby greatly reducing the time required for effective development or resolution.
These teams will follow a project to its conclusion. While individual participants may change as the process moves from the research stage to pilot to implementation, the core team remains. This continuity allows the teams to develop exceptional rapport with customer representatives, which helps ensure the success of the project.
Not only do these processes benefit our customers, but the benefit to employees cannot also be overlooked. Interesting and varied work is most often cited by employees as the primary factor in their decision to join AVN. The ability to interact across disciplines is also recognized as a differentiator, as is AVN’s policy of undertaking only developmental research projects that have the potential to impact industries or market segments.
Learn more about our technical staff here.