2015 Global Industrial Hand Protection Technology Innovation Leadership Award

13 Pages·2015·0.54 MB·English

2015
2015 Global Industrial Hand Protection
Technology Innovation Leadership Award
BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH
Contents

Background and Company Performance ........................................................................ 3

Industry Challenges .............................................................................................. 3

Technology Attributes and Future Business Value ..................................................... 3

Conclusion........................................................................................................... 6

Significance of Technology Innovation .......................................................................... 7

Understanding Technology Innovation .......................................................................... 7

Key Benchmarking Criteria .................................................................................... 8

Best Practice Award Analysis for Ansell Limited .............................................................. 8

Decision Support Scorecard ................................................................................... 8

Technology Attributes ........................................................................................... 9

Future Business Value ........................................................................................... 9

Decision Support Matrix ...................................................................................... 10

The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................... 11

Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 11
Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best

Practices ................................................................................................................. 12

About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................. 13

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Background and Company Performance
Industry Challenges
The global industrial hand-protection market is highly fragmented. With growth in end-
user industries and increased safety awareness, Frost & Sullivan points out that the global
industrial gloves market recorded significant growth - particularly in the cut-protection
segment. Cut-protection gloves have become a basic requirement for all kinds of work
groups; for instance, Level 1 and 2 cut-protection gloves are a commodity, as most
mechanical and thermal gloves are required to have a minimum of Level 2 cut-protection
capabilities. In contrast, Level 3 to Level 5 cut-protection gloves have formed a growing,
niche segment. The latest trend is the growth of Level 5 cut-protection gloves, as users
seek better cut-protection.
Within the cut-protection segment, the main end-users are the automotive, machinery,
and metal fabrication sectors, which together account for 80% of the demand for cut-
protection gloves. Workers in these industries require a higher degree of cut protection.
Traditionally, as the level of cut-protection increases, gloves become thicker, resulting in
diminished dexterity and comfort. Furthermore, with continuous use, the gloves start to
wear out, become uncomfortable, and result in hand fatigue. Frost & Sullivan notes that
this reality has a direct impact on the productivity of workers and results in lower
compliance. In addition, end users have expressed a need for thinner gloves that workers
can comfortably use throughout the day, without having to replace or remove them. As a
result, there is a continuous demand for gloves that offer more comfort, durability, and
abrasion-resistance properties. To meet these needs, the type of yarn used to knit
different levels of cut-protection gloves is the key factor that will determine the
effectiveness and market success of these products.
Technology Attributes and Future Business Value
Product Impact
Ansell s a global leader in industrial hand protection and introduced a new range of
HyFlex® cut-protection gloves using its innovative INTERCEPT®™ Technology™ yarns.
Ansell introduced its new INTERCEPT™ Technology™ as a product development platform to
manage its current and future cut-protection innovations. The INTERCEPT®™ Technology™
is a proprietary cut-resistant yarn technology that provides the ideal balance of comfort,
protection, and dexterity. Moreover, the special-knit construction creates a soft,
comfortable yarn that optimizes the gloves’ fit and feel while providing excellent cut
protection
Ansell launched the INTERCEPT®™ Technology™ with a whole new suite of eight light- and
medium-duty gloves under the HyFlex® portfolio. These lightweight and ultra-light styled
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gloves offer EN (European Standard) cut-protection levels of 2, 3, 4, and 5. The light-duty
products are also nitrile-coated and have 2.5 times more breathability when compared to
other cut-protection gloves. Furthermore, these gloves not only provide cut-protection,
but also provide all day comfort to workers, thus enhancing compliance. The INTERCEPT™
Technology™ gloves are also designed to decrease injury expense, without reducing
productivity or quality. The gloves also provide cut protection, abrasion resistance, grip,
tactility, and dexterity. Four styles are new to market introductions offering cut protection
with higher degrees of comfort than is currently in the market.
Frost & Sullivan appreciates the fact that Ansell has a unique knowledge base of many
core technologies, such as cut resistance, abrasion resistance, grip, and manual dexterity
parameters. Moreover, these technologies incorporate end-user insights and are coupled
with great design and efficient manufacturing to provide breakthrough products to their
customers. For instance, the HyFlex® gloves are tailored using the ®heir ZONZ™ Comfort
Fit Technology of open-weave zones and knit designs; this technology used around the
knuckles and areas of high stress to enhance hand comfort. Some of the gloves are also
nitrile- or Polyurethane-coated using the proprietary FORTIX™ Abrasion Resistance
technology. This coating formulation offers the gloves eight-times more durability than
similar lightweight gloves; in addition, these coatings are silicone free. This is particularly
advantageous to the automotive industry, as it enables users to avoid any hazardous
substance during the painting process. As such, these gloves clearly have a user-friendly
focus. The gloves also incorporate Ansell’s patented, gripping-surface technology that
minimizes the force required to grip wet and oily surfaces, thereby reducing hand fatigue.
Furthermore, when Ansell’s INTERCEPT®™ Technology™ is combined with other proprietary
technologies, it only enhances the product leadership position of Ansell. The new HyFlex®
gloves have shown consistent performance in their ultralight weight styles and have
redefined cut-protection innovation. The Ansell INTERCEPT®™ Technology™ is built to
provide superior comfort and protection. Moreover, Frost & Sullivan agrees that this
solution is unique to the market and highly differentiated.
Visionary Innovation
Ansell, being the market leader, places significant emphasis on understanding customer
needs. For instance, the company performs thorough customer research and visits
customer plant-sites to understand the worker environment and needs. To achieve a more
effective understanding of demands, the Ansell GUARDIAN® analytics are applied. The
Ansell GUARDIAN® prograqm is a customer-centric diagnostic methodology, whereby the
customer’s needs and safety requirements are analyzed, and a product solution
assortment is devised to increase safety and improve productivity and business
performance.
Ansell also conducted hundreds of global audits at client sites and performed assessments
in different applications to properly understand the needs of the customer. These needs
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were then addressed by engineers working in different Ansell R&D laboratories across the
globe. The goal was to develop a unique composition of fibers for the yarn and provide
the highest levels of comfort and dexterity - thereby exceeding the benchmark set by
other competitor yarns and providing a better value proposition.
The INTERCEPT®™ Technology provides extremely lightweight gloves that fit almost like a
second skin, making it comfortable for the worker to throughout their shift. In addition,
these gloves offer the best combination of comfort and safety, thereby enhancing the
productivity of the workers.
Using this technology, Ansell has produced a proprietary yarn and re-engineer other cut-
protection gloves in their portfolio. This technology has enabled Ansell to serve the needs
of the market and has also provided the company with a distinct advantage over the rest
of its competition.
The new range of HyFlex® gloves with INTERCEPT®™ Technology is a comprehensive
portfolio solution for customers and end users around the world. The designs are
grounded in user insights , while the quality ensures glove safety and compliance
Application Diversity
The INTERCEPT program is grounded in market intelligence about global industry demands
for more comprehensive cut protection solutions. The program targets high volume
applications in key vertical markets where cut risks are known to drive product selection
and where Ansell has intimate segment and work process knowledge. Cut-protection
gloves can be used in a wide variety of applications. Although every application requires a
certain degree of cut-protection, the main users are the automotive, machinery and
equipment and metal fabrication sectors. Within these industries, the work processes that
require cut-protection the most are final assembly, metal stamping, and body press .
These gloves also find applications in aerospace, glass manufacturing, transport,
construction, and other manufacturing sectors. The HyFlex® gloves withINTERCEPT®™
Technology™ are designed for the core-work processes of these industries. These
extremely thin and lightweight gloves also enable day-long wear, thereby improving
compliance by increasing comfort and dexterity.
Industry Impact
INTERCEPT®™ Technology combines high performance fibersinto a high-performance
yarn. It combines the superior properties of the different fibers and provides optimum
protection for workers.
The gloves are designed to provide high levels of dexterity, such that they can be worn all
day long. This enhances the comfort, productivity, and protection of the workers, thereby
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increasing wearer acceptance of cut-protection gloves. This, in turn, reduces the chances
of hand fatigue and costs associated with hand injuries.
Frost & Sullivan firmly believes that the Ansell INTERCEPT®™ Technology is a game
changing enhancement in the cut-protection segment. Frost & Sullivan expects this
solution to boost hand protection and support enhanced productivity at the workplace and
increased compliance
Brand Loyalty
Ansell is an undisputed global leader in protective gloves. For industrial hand-protection,
Ansell has always been on the forefront of technological advancements. With its
INTERCEPT™® Technology, the company has raised the bar in terms of providing cut-
protection solutions. Ansell introduced the INTERCEPT®™ Technology with their globally
recognized brand, HyFlex®, which is among the most-recognized industrial brands for
hand protection. By engineering this new innovation into its flagship brand, HyFlex, Ansell
has been able to successfully launch its innovative solution in the global market. However,
despite a highly fragmented market where it is difficult to gain brand loyalty, Ansell has
admirably maintained its leading brand position and is growing its market share.
Technology Licensing
While developing its new INTERCEPT®™ Technology, Ansell established the notable goal to
exceed the benchmark set by its other competitors to provide better value. Ansell’s
patent-pending INTERCEPT®™ Technology provides cut protection and the ideal balance of
comfort, protection, and dexterity for its end users. This new technology also marks
Ansell’s first venture into developing a new yarn technology; it has also opened a bigger
opportunity for the company through supply-chain simplification, as the backward
integration in yarn technology has provided Ansell with the opportunity to re-engineer
other cut protection gloves using its own proprietary yarns.
Conclusion
Frost & Sullivan applauds the fact that Ansell is a highly committed provider of industrial
gloves, and the company’s success in this industry clearly demonstrates its innovations.
Ansell has continuously pioneered exciting new breakthroughs in the industrial hand
protection market. With each new innovation, the company has also proven its
commitment to work place safety and customer satisfaction. Through the INTERCEPT®™
Technology, Ansell has introduced a product development platform for future innovations
in the cut protection market.
With the strong overall performance of the INTERCEPT®™ Technology, Ansell has earned
the 2015 Frost & Sullivan Global Technology Innovation Leadership Award.
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Significance of Technology Innovation
Ultimately, growth in any organization depends upon finding new ways to excite the
market, and upon maintaining a long-term commitment to innovation. At its core,
technology innovation or any other type of innovation can only be sustained with
leadership in three key areas: understanding demand, nurturing the brand, and
differentiating from the competition.

Understanding Technology Innovation
Technology innovation begins with a spark of creativity that is systematically pursued,
developed, and commercialized. This spark can result from a successful partnership, a
productive in-house innovation group, or the mind of a single individual. Regardless of the
source, the success of any new technology is ultimately determined by its innovativeness
and its impact on the business as a whole.
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Key Benchmarking Criteria

For the Global Technology Innovation Leadership Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts
independently evaluated two key factors — Technology Attributes and Future Business
Value — according to the criteria identified below.
Technology Attributes
Criterion 1: Industry Impact
Criterion 2: Product Impact
Criterion 3: Scalability
Criterion 4: Visionary Innovation
Criterion 5: Application Diversity
Future Business Value
Criterion 1: Financial Performance
Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition
Criterion 3: Technology Licensing
Criterion 4: Brand Loyalty
Criterion 5: Human Capital
Best Practice Award Analysis for Ansell
Decision Support Scorecard
To support its evaluation of best practices across multiple business performance
categories, Frost & Sullivan employs a customized Decision Support Scorecard. This tool
allows our research and consulting teams to objectively analyze performance, according to
the key benchmarking criteria listed in the previous section, and to assign ratings on that
basis. The tool follows a 10-point scale that allows for nuances in performance evaluation;
ratings guidelines are illustrated below.
RATINGS GUIDELINES

The Decision Support Scorecard is organized by Technology Attributes and Future
Business Value (i.e., the overarching categories for all 10 benchmarking criteria; the
definitions for each criteria are provided beneath the scorecard). The research team
confirms the veracity of this weighted scorecard through sensitivity analysis, which
confirms that small changes to the ratings for a specific criterion do not lead to a
significant change in the overall relative rankings of the companies.
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The results of this analysis are shown below. To remain unbiased and to protect the
interests of all organizations reviewed, we have chosen to refer to the other key players
as Competitor 2 and Competitor 3.

DECISION SUPPORT SCORECARD FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION LEADERSHIP AWARD
Measurement of 1–10 (1 = poor; 10 = excellent)
Technology Future
Average
Technology Innovation Attributes Business Value Rating

Ansell 9.6 9.4 9.5
Competitor 2 8.3 8.5 8.4
Competitor 3 7.5 7.7 7.6
Technology Attributes
Criterion 1: Industry Impact
Requirement: Technology enables the pursuit of groundbreaking new ideas, contributing
to the betterment of the entire industry
Criterion 2: Product Impact
Requirement: Specific technology helps enhance features and functionality of the entire
product line for the company
Criterion 3: Scalability
Requirement: Technology is scalable, enabling new generations of products over time,
with increasing levels of quality and functionality
Criterion 4: Visionary Innovation
Requirement: Specific new technology represents true innovation based on a deep
understanding of future needs and applications
Criterion 5: Application Diversity
Requirement: New technology serves multiple products, multiple applications, and
multiple user environments
Future Business Value
Criterion 1: Financial Performance
Requirement: High potential for strong financial performance in terms of revenues,
operating margins and other relevant financial metrics
Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition
Requirement: Specific technology enables acquisition of new customers, even as it
enhances value to current customers
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Criterion 3: Technology Licensing
Requirement: New technology displays great potential to be licensed across many sectors
and applications, thereby driving incremental revenue streams
Criterion 4: Brand Loyalty
Requirement: New technology enhances the company’s brand, creating and/or nurturing
brand loyalty

Criterion 5: Human Capital
Requirement: Customer impact is enhanced through the leverage of specific technology,
translating into positive impact on employee morale and retention
Decision Support Matrix
Once all companies have been evaluated according to the Decision Support Scorecard,
analysts can then position the candidates on the matrix shown below, enabling them to
visualize which companies are truly breakthrough and which ones are not yet operating at
best-in-class levels.
DECISION SUPPORT MATRIX FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION LEADERSHIP AWARD

High
Ansell
Competitor 2

e
u Competitor 3
l
a
V

s
s
e
n
i
s
u
B

e
r
u
t
u
F
Low
Low High
Technology Attributes
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