Incremental innovation: fourth color layer technology by Fujifilm

Abstract

Due to globalization, corporations had to adapt themselves to a new reality, generating,  thus, a  situation of continuous improvement, so as to be  able to maintain their position in the marketplace.  Therefore,  it’s  necessary  to  analyze  the  real  importance  of  both  radical  and  incremental  innovations within organizations. In this sense, the present article approaches “key” concepts in relation to innovation and its consequences regarding competitiveness of companies or industries. The method used was  the study of the Fujifilm corporation  case.  The technological innovation in the photographic material industry was evaluated, as well as the effective changes which this new technology brought to the corporation. This study is based on a theoretical frame of reference and interviews made through a semi-structured questionnaire.  The  main  conclusions  indicate that  the  most  effective  form  Fuji lm  found  to remain  competitive  was  investing  on  research and  development,  on  continuous  improvement process  and  on  incremental  innovation  of  the fourth color layer technology, which utilizes the concept of light reproduction, in a similar way as the human vision perceives an image.