Innovation, agility and resilience: how to stay ahead in a disruptive world
By Antonino Spatola, Chief Commercial Officer, Filtronic
Keeping pace in a disruptive world means adapting to fast-changing technologies and different modes of operation from customers. Success relies on innovation to solve problems, agility to adapt on the fly, and resilience to ride out the challenges.
In today’s fast-changing world, disruption is not an exception – it’s the norm. From technological advances to global supply chain shifts, from geopolitical upheavals to business visionaries turning the world on its head – the accepted order is constantly being challenged.
The companies that thrive in this disruptive environment are not necessarily the biggest or the most established, but those that can innovate on demand, adapt swiftly, and build resilience into their operations.
In sectors such as telecommunications, defence, aerospace and satellite communications, disruption brings both challenges and opportunities. The emergence of mmWave technologies, the demand for greater performance and power in smaller packages, and next-generation space connectivity are reshaping the communications landscape. To stay ahead, businesses must embrace innovation, agility and resilience as their core principles.
Innovation – empowering progress
Disruption often stems from new technologies that emerge to challenge existing ways of doing things. In RF communications and satellite technology, for example, the shift into higher mmWave frequency bands (Ka, Q, V and E-band) is unlocking new possibilities for data throughput and low-latency connectivity and high capacity datalinks for both user and feeder side. This introduces new design challenges and manufacturing complexities that require real innovation to overcome. Some of the key ingredients for innovation in the RF communications sector include:
- Research and development – investing in research to develop the next generation of RF solutions. By having the right people, and scaling up our R&D resources when required, Filtronic has delivered significant improvements in time, cost, production volumes and manufacturing yields for complex transceiver and amplifier technologies – delivering the performance required for new terrestrial and satellite applications.
- Strategic planning – innovators need to have a clear strategic roadmap that takes into account the bigger picture, including likely future developments. That means having a well-defined, forward-looking technology plan, so that today’s innovation can focus on solving the challenges of tomorrow.
- Materials selection – some innovations require iterative improvements to existing systems or components. Others require a complete rethink or step-change in materials to achieve the desired results. As an example, Filtronic is at the cutting edge of using gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors as a replacement for gallium arsenide (GaAs) to achieve higher power and efficiency in amplifiers used for defence, telecommunications and satellite applications.
- Collaboration – forging partnerships with industry groups, research institutions, universities and trade bodies allows diverse specialists to unite to address challenges and accelerate innovation. At Filtronic, we have strong connections with universities including Bristol, Birmingham and Durham, and work closely with organisations such as the UK Space Agency, European Space Agency (ESA) and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) to foster innovation.
Agility – adapting at pace
When you’re working for disruptive customers who think differently and want to advance at speed, you need to respond quickly to keep pace with their ambitions. Achieving such agility in practice requires a combination of factors, including a culture that empowers people to think creatively, work flexibly and make decisions, and having the right tools and processes to enable adaptability. It’s about having the confidence in your ability to make the right decisions, at pace.
At heart, we are problem solvers at Filtronic. We have the skills, experience and resources, combined with the operational structure, to adapt quickly to meet customer challenges. Our agility is supported by our vertical integration, which enables design, process, manufacturing, operations and testing teams to collaborate freely to solve problems. We also have scalable manufacturing capabilities, enabling us to develop products from prototypes through to high-volume production to facilitate rapid technology deployment.
Resilience – overcoming external challenges
In a rapidly changing world, events beyond your control can have significant consequences – from natural disasters and pandemics to trade restrictions and political events. Riding out these bumps in the road and continuing to support customers requires resilience.
Building resilience requires foresight and forward planning. In the microelectronics sector, for example, global semiconductor shortages are posing a major challenge. But Filtronic is well prepared, thanks to our “just-in-case” supply chain policy, which we adopted during the pandemic as an alternative to the classic just-in-time model. It means we plan ahead, stockpile key components and build an inventory buffer of critical components to ensure continuity of supply for our manufacturing plant.
We also build resilience by sourcing a whole range components from multiple suppliers, to avoid over-reliance on a single source. Alongside this, we design our RF modules with swappable components, so that flexibility is built in to our products – reducing reliance on parts that may become difficult to source.
Winning in a world of disruptors
In a world where the geopolitical environment is changing fast, and technology is advancing at breakneck speed, organisations at the forefront of new developments need the support and expertise of market-leading suppliers.
Filtronic has always led the way in research and development in RF communications technologies, anticipating future trends and developing the components required to deliver next-generation performance. Our experience has taught us that the key characteristics for any business hoping to thrive in a disruptive, ever-changing world are innovation, agility and resilience.
Unlock the potential of high-capacity data links. Get in touch with our experts to discover how Filtronic’s innovative solutions can meet your specific needs.
For more information about Filtronic’s range of components and solutions, visit the website here. Alternatively, you can speak to a member of the team on +44 (0)1740 618 800.
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