
Danfoss Drives case
October 2021 saw the culmination of an Innovation Sprint facilitated by Odense Robotics, where robotics and automation companies across Denmark were able to send their ideas to Danfoss Drives and seven were selected to participate in the final two-day sprint at the company headquarters.

Why is Danfoss Drives collaborating with Odense Robotics on an Innovation Sprint?
Danfoss Drives’ “Engineering tomorrow” strategy is all about providing innovative automation solutions faster tomorrow than today. And this involves finding new ways of working with suppliers. Collaborating with Odense Robotics and companies in the cluster through the Innovation Sprint is a great opportunity for them to attract more and better automation suppliers than they otherwise would do through a traditional market screening.

What does Danfoss Drives hope to achieve from the Innovation Sprint?
Our experience shows that this type of integrated development is a quick and effective way of generating good ideas for solving specific challenges. It’s also a good way of securing commitment among participants. Danfoss had considerable success with other forms of innovation sprints previously, so they have high expectations for this sprint with Odense Robotics. It’s a great opportunity for them to meet and network with potential suppliers and they hope that the companies participating in the Innovation Sprint are full of energy, ideas and ready to be challenged.

How will companies benefit from taking part in Innovation Sprint?
This is a chance for companies to demonstrate their expertise and learn about automation challenges in a large industrial company. Ultimately, this could lead to a collaboration with Danfoss Drives, participating in future projects and deploy their technologies and ideas. Companies can look forward to a fun couple of days with like-minded people sharing a passion for robotics and automation.

What do Odense Robotics hope to see at the Innovation Sprint with Danfoss Drives?
As every other Innovation Sprints we hope to see innovative, inspirational, and viable solutions to the technological challenges Danfoss Drives faces and haven’t been able to solve. That would be a tremendous achievement and a clear illustration of the advantages in connecting innovative, agile robot and automation companies with large manufactures.
Furthermore, we also hope it will inspire other manufactures to consider an Innovation Sprint another time. Sparking new dialogue and paving the way for new partnerships helps strengthens the entire ecosystem.