Pursuing innovation with an MIT-certified tool

The Schubert-Consulting team, a division of Schubert Packaging Systems GmbH, advises international customers from almost all sectors on the packaging process. A few years ago, Michael Graf, Director of Consulting at the Schubert subsidiary, caught wind of the TRIZ method. In 2016, he attended his first seminar, during which the most important basics, as well as the various TRIZ tools, were introduced. Graf believes in the benefits of this innovative method: “It is interesting to see how we can work with our customers and project managers to find creative solutions to seemingly impossible challenges.” He has just successfully completed the third stage of his training and is currently working on an in-house transfer of knowledge within the Schubert Academy. He sees parallels between the TRIZ method and the innovative spirit of company founder Gerhard Schubert. He, too, approached the improvement of packaging automation in a systematic manner.

In the 1940s, Russian scientist Genrikh Altshuller developed the TRIZ method to investigate the nature of inventions. He analysed around 40,000 patents and discovered that inventions follow a certain pattern. As a result, he established 40 inventive principles (IP). These show that innovations can often be brought about by scientific discoveries outside the immediate field of activity. The acronym TRIZ comes from the Russian name “Teoriya resheniya izobretatelskikh zadach”, meaning “theory of inventive problem solving”. The TRIZ method consists of a multitude of tools that are often used in combination. MATRIZ, the international organisation for TRIZ, certifies users in five stages. There are around 90 certified TRIZ Level 3 specialists in German-speaking countries. The contents of the MATRIZ certification courses are coordinated with Dr Sergei Ikovenko’s Systematic Innovation courses at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As a result, graduates of the MATRIZ Level 3 training course (including special seminar) run by Dr Sergei Ikovenko also receive an MIT certificate from Jürgen Jantschgi.