Name: Chris Varley on what innovation really means
Uploaded: 2022-09-23T13:08:07.720Z
Duration: 760.38
Description: Hear from Chris Varley what his perceptive is on what is truly innovative and how people should approach innovation to provide maximum value to customers and their respective markets.

FEI TV_ Chris Varley - Goodyear.vtt

English

{{00:00:06}}
So I wanted to start off by asking you, you know, not all
ideas turned into products and services are considered

{{00:00:11}}
an innovation from your perspective, what makes something
truly innovative and how should people approach innovation

{{00:00:18}}
to provide maximum value to customers and the respect?

{{00:00:23}}
That's a great question.

{{00:00:24}}
I like that.

{{00:00:25}}
You're right.

{{00:00:25}}
The franchise operations sustaining
improvements to products,  that has to go on.

{{00:00:31}}
But usually when people are thinking about
innovation, that's not what they're thinking about.

{{00:00:34}}
And for me, a true innovation is
something that is a non-obvious solution.

{{00:00:40}}
If it were obvious somebody else had already done it, to a problem.

{{00:00:44}}
And that problem doesn't necessarily even have to be a real problem.

{{00:00:46}}
A lot of them were just perceived.

{{00:00:49}}
That once it takes, hold in the marketplace, it not
only becomes obvious, it becomes the new standard.

{{00:00:57}}
And it's that interplay with the market.

{{00:01:00}}
It's not enough just to invent something.

{{00:01:02}}
It's not enough just to put something out in the
market, you have to have a conversation with the market.

{{00:01:07}}
And when the market says, I really like
this tweak that do that, it evolves.

{{00:01:11}}
And that's when it becomes the innovation.

{{00:01:12}}
So the market responding.

{{00:01:15}}
Wow.

{{00:01:16}}
I get it.

{{00:01:16}}
Not only do I get it, this is now the standard is so obvious.

{{00:01:20}}
Well, wasn't it always around?

{{00:01:23}}
You can think of Steve jobs with the iPhone, people who made phones
didn't think that a screen without any keys would be successful.

{{00:01:35}}
Now you think, well, what do I need keys for?

{{00:01:38}}
So, yeah, very interesting.

{{00:01:40}}
And are there any game changing innovations that you're
aware of in development or currently on the market

{{00:01:46}}
that you could see pushing this industry forward?

{{00:01:49}}
So we look rather than specific products.

{{00:01:54}}
We really look at major trends and how
they're going to impact our business.

{{00:01:58}}
And right now there are four major trends.

{{00:02:00}}
We have an acronym called face.

{{00:02:02}}
So fleets, autonomous vehicles connected and electric.

{{00:02:07}}
Those are the trends that are occurring right now.

{{00:02:09}}
They're going to have the greatest impact on our industry.

{{00:02:13}}
We know a lot about fleets in mining and truck
service, but there are changing models of ownership.

{{00:02:19}}
And what happens when consumers no longer buy cars and
cars are now parts of fleets with autonomous vehicles,

{{00:02:27}}
you don't have the same level of a person taking a look
at the vehicle, and noticing that the tire is flat.

{{00:02:34}}
Yeah.

{{00:02:35}}
So we have to think about what that means, connected
means a lot to us and I can expand on that later, but

{{00:02:42}}
connected opens up a whole new world of things for us.

{{00:02:46}}
And then electric electric has had a radical impact already
on our industry because in a conventional combustion engine

{{00:02:52}}
vehicle, only 20% of the power, it makes it to the wheel.

{{00:02:56}}
In an electric vehicle, a hundred percent to the wheel.

{{00:03:00}}
So the torque is incredible and a conventionally
designed tire, the tread can't handle that.

{{00:03:05}}
So we've had to reformulate things for electric.

{{00:03:08}}
Then you also have to deal with the noise issues.

{{00:03:10}}
Noise is completely different with an electric
vehicle than it is with a combustion vehicle.

{{00:03:14}}
So there are lots of opportunities, lots of trends
that are emerging and we're looking and playing what

{{00:03:19}}
if, one of those trends really, really interesting.

{{00:03:25}}
So you mentioned that there's, you have to really kind
of take a look at a lot of the external factors trends

{{00:03:30}}
that are happening in the industry and I imagine you need
really creative and innovative people in the company,

{{00:03:36}}
sort of taking on those challenges to think differently.

{{00:03:40}}
How do you foster creative and innovative thinking
within your organization and what are the, some

{{00:03:45}}
of the ways that ideas are shared and implemented?

{{00:03:47}}
Okay, sure.

{{00:03:49}}
So it's a culture where we really encourage people to say what if.

{{00:03:53}}
Um, I like to say we're kind of the, our
organizations where the rubber meets the blue sky.

{{00:03:58}}
Yeah, our core product is attire, but it's part of an ecosystem.

{{00:04:05}}
So what if it could do this?

{{00:04:07}}
What if it could do that?

{{00:04:08}}
And I, I think it's important not to lose sight of the fact
that as a company, Goodyear has always been innovative.

{{00:04:14}}
There are only a few tires that are on the
moon and they all say Goodyear on them.

{{00:04:18}}
Wow and we've looked and we've played what if with that?

{{00:04:21}}
We said, okay, well, what are the terrestrial real applications?

{{00:04:24}}
What could we do with that technology on earth?

{{00:04:28}}
We have groups who look at what a conventional tire is made
of and said, well, what if we can make it be more sustainable?

{{00:04:33}}
What if we could replace some of the petroleum oils
would say soils and we've been able to do that.

{{00:04:38}}
We actually released a tire this year or beginning of this year,  that
has soils instead of patrolling when I was in the tread compound.

{{00:04:45}}
And now we're saying, okay, well, what if
we could do it in other parts of that time?

{{00:04:48}}
Yeah.

{{00:04:48}}
So really interesting.

{{00:04:49}}
So in your organizations, do you have teams that are
dedicated, let's say to sort of existing models means

{{00:04:58}}
products and are there ones that you sort of have delegated
to kind of thinking out the box and creating new things?

{{00:05:05}}
So yes, we have.

{{00:05:07}}
People who are dedicated engineers, who are dedicated to existing
product lines, focused on making those product lines better.

{{00:05:14}}
Then we have sort of a twin team approach to new things.

{{00:05:18}}
So we have a, well, you have a new ventures group that is
looking at new business models, new ways of doing business.

{{00:05:24}}
And then we have the external science group, which is looking outside
of the company, sort of an open innovation group and seeing what

{{00:05:31}}
is happening outside that we could bring in what's new different.

{{00:05:35}}
So, you mentioned a bit about your teens and I'd love to know
if you think that, you know, leaders have a responsibility

{{00:05:43}}
to tackle gender diversity issues within their organizations.

{{00:05:47}}
How do you think the innovation industry
specifically might benefit from greater diversity?

{{00:05:52}}
And it's, it's critical.

{{00:05:53}}
It's mission critical.

{{00:05:55}}
You can't be trying to figure out new ways of
doing things for large markets without having a

{{00:06:01}}
diversity of opinions and a diversity of views.

{{00:06:03}}
Yeah I'm thrilled with the approach that Goodyear takes, to diversity.

{{00:06:10}}
We have, support groups for minority, various minorities.

{{00:06:13}}
But for me, what's even more important is when I'm walking around
in the halls, I'll hear different conversations in different

{{00:06:19}}
languages and, you know, just totally different ways of, of
dressing and acting and, one of my favorites is an organization

{{00:06:30}}
called hero, which has helping educate regarding orientation.

{{00:06:34}}
Wow.

{{00:06:34}}
That's amazing.

{{00:06:35}}
You know, you wouldn't necessarily think that a 120
year old,  old line manufacturing company based in

{{00:06:41}}
the Midwest would be on the Vanguard of LGBTQ issues.

{{00:06:44}}
And yet we are.

{{00:06:45}}
Wow.

{{00:06:46}}
And it's just, it's a joy to, to be walking around
with a hugely diverse group of people and know that

{{00:06:53}}
we're getting all kinds of different perspectives.

{{00:06:56}}
Sounds like an incredible organization to work for.

{{00:06:58}}
It is yes.

{{00:07:03}}
What do you think that your industry
will look like in the next 10 years?

{{00:07:07}}
So I go back to face the, these are the trends that
are hitting us and in particular, I think the connected

{{00:07:16}}
piece is one that's going to have the greatest impact.

{{00:07:18}}
If you think about it on your vehicle, the only connection between
you and the road are four tiny contact patches on your time.

{{00:07:27}}
And for the longest time, that's really
been the only connection that we focused on.

{{00:07:31}}
But now we're thinking there's a lot more we can do.

{{00:07:33}}
So we still have the core business being about tires, but
we're also looking beyond tires and we're not talking about

{{00:07:40}}
brakes and suspension systems that we're talking about.

{{00:07:42}}
What can we do with the data that's being thrown
off in the connectivity that's being allowed, to

{{00:07:48}}
enhance the offer and the value of the product.

{{00:07:52}}
So that connection to the road, is critically
important, but do we have the ability now to

{{00:08:00}}
communicate information to the vehicle about the road?

{{00:08:03}}
Do we have the ability to communicate information
about the health of the tire to the vehicle?

{{00:08:08}}
Can the tire somehow communicate with the infrastructure
in a way that is able to help other vehicles figure

{{00:08:16}}
out where they should be and what they should be?

{{00:08:17}}
There's a, there's a problem called the black ice problem.

{{00:08:20}}
So if you're driving on a road and you hit black ice, you
know, when you hit it because the wheels are spinning.

{{00:08:25}}
Well, imagine if you could have that information, when that
occurs, be cascaded up into the cloud and back to other vehicles

{{00:08:32}}
who now know that when they get to this point, this is dangerous.

{{00:08:35}}
You got to slow down and then we look at
connections even be beyond and into our market.

{{00:08:42}}
So we need to have better connections into our wholesalers.

{{00:08:48}}
That'll give us better connections into the dealers.

{{00:08:50}}
As we're collecting all this data, we're able to
have more informed processes and offers that we can

{{00:08:55}}
make, then through our dealers, to the end users.

{{00:08:59}}
So in trucking fleets today, we have something called proactive
solutions where we offer the ability for us to communicate

{{00:09:08}}
directly to the driver or to the dispatcher what's happening on the
vehicle and say, Hey, you know, we're, we've detected a problem.

{{00:09:15}}
Yeah, it's not serious next time, the vehicles in check it out.

{{00:09:20}}
But we also have the ability to say, no, this is a serious
problem, you are two and a half miles away from our nearest

{{00:09:25}}
service stations, service center, and B3 is waiting for you.

{{00:09:29}}
Now.

{{00:09:30}}
Eventually those things should be able to move
down into consumer services and consumer offers.

{{00:09:34}}
And we've also now integrated the w trying to work
on changing the purchase process because purchasing

{{00:09:40}}
tires doesn't happen that often once every four years.

{{00:09:44}}
You usually, when you go through the process, you kind of
feel like, wow, this is the, really, do I do I get ripped off?

{{00:09:52}}
Yep.

{{00:09:53}}
So with all the, the connections that we're able to build, now we
can have a direct, more direct line to the consumer and help them

{{00:10:01}}
really understand what they need and when they need it, you can even
purchase the tires online and then you can select the time and the

{{00:10:08}}
place, the store of your choice to go to your store of your choice.

{{00:10:11}}
Have it set up.

{{00:10:12}}
So it's painless.

{{00:10:14}}
We've also, and if you can't get to a store, we have a mobile van
that we're launching, so it can come to you and take care of you.

{{00:10:21}}
So the connection piece is where I see the greatest
opportunity for us to do things beyond tires.

{{00:10:27}}
So it seems like it's about sort of data and really trying to
make things easier and simpler and kind of again, that connection.

{{00:10:36}}
Yeah.

{{00:10:37}}
Do, do you think that.

{{00:10:39}}
It might fall as well into extending the life of a tire.

{{00:10:42}}
Yes, yes.

{{00:10:45}}
Low pressure is the thing that hurts the tire the most and so
if we're able to either have a system that will automatically

{{00:10:53}}
maintain the pressure in the, in the tire or alerts you
that little light on the dash, By the time that thing comes

{{00:11:00}}
on, technically I would consider that to be a flat tire.

{{00:11:03}}
Oh, wow.

{{00:11:03}}
Okay.

{{00:11:04}}
So if we can have a communication that enables
people to know or just to take care of it for them.

{{00:11:12}}
Then that just makes it a better experience.

{{00:11:14}}
All the way around improves the fuel
economy improves the life of the tire.

{{00:11:18}}
In the end, we all benefit.

{{00:11:19}}
Everyone uses cars.

{{00:11:21}}
So it's definitely something that will impact everyone.

{{00:11:25}}
And to finish off, do you do anything in your daily life to
ensure that your growth and development continues as a leader?

{{00:11:33}}
Absolutely.

{{00:11:34}}
I mean, the single most important thing is to get out of the building.

{{00:11:36}}
If I just went to my office and sat behind my desk
and listened to the people in the office, then I'd

{{00:11:44}}
have a very narrow understanding of what was going on.

{{00:11:46}}
So I tried to get out of the office as much as possible.

{{00:11:49}}
I read any and everything and get my hands on,
it doesn't have to be related to my industry.

{{00:11:54}}
Yeah I come to places like this, talk to people.

{{00:12:01}}
Just anything I can do working with startups,
I mentor startups in the tech stars program.

{{00:12:08}}
Other programs I'll work with as well, just to get an idea
of what's happening out there, what trends are coming up.

{{00:12:15}}
If it's not something that will directly fit into my industry, I
still am willing to help and try to get them over to somebody who can.

{{00:12:23}}
In the long run that's going to benefit me.

{{00:12:24}}
Someone else will come back and go, oh, this guy.

{{00:12:26}}
Yeah, you should go see him.

{{00:12:28}}
Yeah.

{{00:12:29}}
Fantastic.

{{00:12:29}}
Well, thank you so much for joining us.

{{00:12:31}}
It's really been great speaking with you.

{{00:12:32}}
Thank you.

So I wanted to start off by asking you, you know, not all
ideas turned into products and services are considered

an innovation from your perspective, what makes something
truly innovative and how should people approach innovation

to provide maximum value to customers and the respect?

The franchise operations sustaining
improvements to products,  that has to go on.

But usually when people are thinking about
innovation, that's not what they're thinking about.

And for me, a true innovation is
something that is a non-obvious solution.

If it were obvious somebody else had already done it, to a problem.

And that problem doesn't necessarily even have to be a real problem.

That once it takes, hold in the marketplace, it not
only becomes obvious, it becomes the new standard.

It's not enough just to invent something.

It's not enough just to put something out in the
market, you have to have a conversation with the market.

And when the market says, I really like
this tweak that do that, it evolves.

And that's when it becomes the innovation.

Not only do I get it, this is now the standard is so obvious.

You can think of Steve jobs with the iPhone, people who made phones
didn't think that a screen without any keys would be successful.

Now you think, well, what do I need keys for?

And are there any game changing innovations that you're
aware of in development or currently on the market

that you could see pushing this industry forward?

So we look rather than specific products.

We really look at major trends and how
they're going to impact our business.

And right now there are four major trends.

So fleets, autonomous vehicles connected and electric.

Those are the trends that are occurring right now.

They're going to have the greatest impact on our industry.

We know a lot about fleets in mining and truck
service, but there are changing models of ownership.

And what happens when consumers no longer buy cars and
cars are now parts of fleets with autonomous vehicles,

you don't have the same level of a person taking a look
at the vehicle, and noticing that the tire is flat.

So we have to think about what that means, connected
means a lot to us and I can expand on that later, but

connected opens up a whole new world of things for us.

And then electric electric has had a radical impact already
on our industry because in a conventional combustion engine

vehicle, only 20% of the power, it makes it to the wheel.

In an electric vehicle, a hundred percent to the wheel.

So the torque is incredible and a conventionally
designed tire, the tread can't handle that.

So we've had to reformulate things for electric.

Then you also have to deal with the noise issues.

Noise is completely different with an electric
vehicle than it is with a combustion vehicle.

So there are lots of opportunities, lots of trends
that are emerging and we're looking and playing what

if, one of those trends really, really interesting.

So you mentioned that there's, you have to really kind
of take a look at a lot of the external factors trends

that are happening in the industry and I imagine you need
really creative and innovative people in the company,

sort of taking on those challenges to think differently.

How do you foster creative and innovative thinking
within your organization and what are the, some

of the ways that ideas are shared and implemented?

So it's a culture where we really encourage people to say what if.

Um, I like to say we're kind of the, our
organizations where the rubber meets the blue sky.

Yeah, our core product is attire, but it's part of an ecosystem.

And I, I think it's important not to lose sight of the fact
that as a company, Goodyear has always been innovative.

There are only a few tires that are on the
moon and they all say Goodyear on them.

Wow and we've looked and we've played what if with that?

We said, okay, well, what are the terrestrial real applications?

What could we do with that technology on earth?

We have groups who look at what a conventional tire is made
of and said, well, what if we can make it be more sustainable?

What if we could replace some of the petroleum oils
would say soils and we've been able to do that.

We actually released a tire this year or beginning of this year,  that
has soils instead of patrolling when I was in the tread compound.

And now we're saying, okay, well, what if
we could do it in other parts of that time?

So in your organizations, do you have teams that are
dedicated, let's say to sort of existing models means

products and are there ones that you sort of have delegated
to kind of thinking out the box and creating new things?

People who are dedicated engineers, who are dedicated to existing
product lines, focused on making those product lines better.

Then we have sort of a twin team approach to new things.

So we have a, well, you have a new ventures group that is
looking at new business models, new ways of doing business.

And then we have the external science group, which is looking outside
of the company, sort of an open innovation group and seeing what

is happening outside that we could bring in what's new different.

So, you mentioned a bit about your teens and I'd love to know
if you think that, you know, leaders have a responsibility

to tackle gender diversity issues within their organizations.

How do you think the innovation industry
specifically might benefit from greater diversity?

You can't be trying to figure out new ways of
doing things for large markets without having a

diversity of opinions and a diversity of views.

Yeah I'm thrilled with the approach that Goodyear takes, to diversity.

We have, support groups for minority, various minorities.

But for me, what's even more important is when I'm walking around
in the halls, I'll hear different conversations in different

languages and, you know, just totally different ways of, of
dressing and acting and, one of my favorites is an organization

called hero, which has helping educate regarding orientation.

You know, you wouldn't necessarily think that a 120
year old,  old line manufacturing company based in

the Midwest would be on the Vanguard of LGBTQ issues.

And it's just, it's a joy to, to be walking around
with a hugely diverse group of people and know that

we're getting all kinds of different perspectives.

Hear from Chris Varley what his perceptive is on what is truly innovative and how people should approach innovation to provide maximum value to customers and their respective markets. 

Chris Varley

Principal 

Chris discusses that innovation is not just the product but the importance of how the product interplays with the market and the market responding back.


Chapter 1: What is innovation?

Chris explains that they look at major trends that would impact their business and industry - FACE fleets, autonomous vehicles, connected and electric


Chapter 2: Any game-changing innovations in the market? 

What if? It's explained that Goodyear has the only tyres in space and within the company always having people thinking what if, for example, could make a tyre more sustainable?

Chapter 3: Innovative Thinking within Goodyear

'It's mission-critical, you can't be trying to figure out new ways of doing things for large markets without having a diversity of opinions and diversity of views.' Goodyear has a good approach, making sure there are support groups and implementing diversity within the company. 

Chapter 4: Innovation industry and Diversity

Chris goes back to the trends 'FACE' and goes into detail about which one he thinks will have the greatest impact and opportunity.  