Encourage, reward
and protect

Technology-driven companies like Punch Powertrain depend largely on the added value of their technology for their survival. Innovation can enhance that added value. By innovation, I mean new or updated products that have a positive impact on the customer and, preferably, on society. Innovations are meant to stand out from the competition or to be more cost-effective.

Not every innovation is an invention and vice versa. In fact, an innovation is a change with a positive impact. It need not necessarily be new or technical in nature. A patentable invention, however, must be new to the whole world and precisely technical. Obviously, successful inventions also create innovation. And that can be extremely valuable to the company.

Although invention using software (AI) is a hot topic, it is mainly people who generate almost all real innovations, not computers. The innovations almost always come from the minds of our employees. At Punch Powertrain, we have an active program to encourage, screen, evaluate, harvest and secure innovations. In doing so, we try to keep the threshold for employees to come up with new ideas as low as possible. We also encourage this by rewarding inventors if an invention turns out to be patentable.

Still, an employee may choose to leave the company, causing knowledge to flow away. That's why it's important to identify and protect the most impactful innovations as early as possible after their creation. One of the ways Punch Powertrain prevents the drain of innovations is by including it in employment agreements. These stipulate that any intellectual property developed as part of the company's business is automatically transferred to Punch Powertrain. We also see this practice more often in technology-driven companies, such as ours, which is also well received by employees.

At the same time, of course, especially in this day and age, there is a desire to retain your best employees. My message: encourage and reward innovation by your employees and protect what is valuable.

Pascal van Troost

Global IP Leader

Punch Powertrain nv