EDITOR’S CHOICE
THE MATERIAL DIFFERENCE
M&I MATERIALS
MOVING FROM DEVELOPMENT TO
COMMERCIALISATION IN DEMANDING APPLICATIONS
By Giles Salt, CEO of M&I Materials
Thousands of new materials are developed
each year, many of which could be game-
changing. But even with the concept proven
there is still a long way to go. How do you
commercialise materials for use in demanding
applications?
START WITH A DOUBLE TAKE
In the excitement of having developed an
innovative, new material it’s easy to get
carried away. It’s important to start by taking
two things: a breath, and a step back.
The hard work is not over. Now is the time to
invest in developing a deeper understanding
of the material’s potential customers, markets
and applications.
radiation shielding on the other. The two
applications aren’t closely related so finding
these commercial opportunities depended on
judicious and comprehensive research.
The business model for demanding, niche
applications is often likely to be one of high
value, low volume; so understanding each
potential customer and their specific needs is
doubly important.
MARKET MAKING
Not all suitable markets already exist.
Sometimes it’s not as simple as saying: “I’ve
got a great material, what do you think” - it’s
about creating the market.
Working specifically in demanding
applications can be a blessing and a curse;
competition may be less fierce but higher
specificity means more effort is required
to understand precisely where commercial
opportunity lies. This could involve working with companies
who are developing new technologies so
that the materials become integral to the
design. For our MIDEL transformer fluids, we
work closely with transformer manufacturers
as they looked to design new models; our
product helps to push their design in terms of
performance.
One of our brands, Wolfmet, produces a
tungsten heavy alloy that found its niche
in providing fine balance to Formula 1 cars
and Boeing 737s on the one hand and These sorts of opportunities don’t occur
by themselves. It involves going out and
collaborating to create the market providing
benefits for all.
COMMERCIAL SKILLS
Developing a new material and its early use
cases calls for very specific types of technical
expertise. Commercialising it requires a
different set of skills. Chief among these are
patience and tenacity.
For materials designed for specialist,
demanding applications it can feel like
forever getting the first customer, signing the
contracts and putting the supply chains in
place. Engineers can be risk averse, preferring
to stick to what’s tried and tested; tenacity is
required at every step to bring them around.
But it can also go the other way. Certain
applications, such as Formula 1, are always
looking for something that can give them
an edge, making them more receptive to
innovation.
PICK YOUR PARTNERS
Frequently manufacturers need to seek out
organisations with complementary expertise
to bring a new product to market.
This might take the form of research
from universities or private laboratories,
collaboration with potential customers, or
even other private companies.
There are also a host of agencies that exist
purely to help promising, young technologies
scale by providing tailormade, commercial
support.
KEEP INNOVATING
Perhaps the most important thing to do is to
never stand still. New applications may still
be developed for successfully commercialised
products. At M&I Materials, we’ve been
making Apiezon, a range of high vacuum
greases, sealants and lubricants, for over 80
years. Yet we recently created a new grease
to work at a wider range of temperatures
replacing several products.
Commercialising a material for demanding
applications is a complex process with no set
formula, the key is to remembering that the
material itself is only ever the start.
For further information visit
www.mimaterials.com
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PECM Issue 38