Generational perspectives on Research & Development.

The richness of a company’s culture is also found in the diversity of perspectives individual members of the various function teams can bring to the table. The more diverse, the richer the discussion, and the more successful the organisation. In other words, diversity is good for your bottom line. And what better source of diverse perspectives than the age divide?

Here three generations are confronted with general questions about R&D, and their answers are enlightening. Though all matching Homa’s culture and values, a tell-tale sign of good internal communications, they offer some surprisingly interesting and inspiring differences.

Zhicheng Yang 杨志成, from Zhongshan City in the Guangdong Province, is the wise, being the most senior of the three interviewees. Zhengyu Li 李征宇 from Ezhou city in the Hubei province, is an established, authoritative member of the R&D function, and is next in terms of seniority. Our enthusiastic, blue-eyed young newcomer is Yang Dunliang 杨 敦亮 from Guigang City in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

First, let’s find out what makes them tick, what motivates them to come to work every morning:

The young: combining product planning and performance design into competitively priced products.
The prime: I love working with my leader, Simon Wu, creating new ideas and transforming them into new projects.
The wise: Passion, and the love for mechanical engineering. Finding solutions

Next, let’s discover what they think about what makes Homa different from other companies in the eld of R&D:

The young: Respect for all the employees, especially for the elders and the experienced.
The prime: at Homa, the R&D function offers working on important projects.It also has a global vision, working with international agencies.
The wise: Homa is inclusive, and gives you space to think freely. The shorter decision-making chain makes it easier to see projects through.

Now they tell us about what intheir opinion is the most significant innovation projects they’ve worked on at Homa:

The young: the FF2-695 American side by side model with ICE&WATER (enjoy the Marketing Academy to discover more about our new dispenser) : a totally new product in terms of performance and design, which also allowed me to cooperate with our Italian privileged design house  UP Design founded and managed the eclectic Umberto Palermo (discover more here), who over the past decade, in collaboration with the pivotal guidance of Federico Rebaudo (Homa Europe, General Manager), has been instrumental in shaping our design transformative journey. An unforgettable experience.
The prime: cost-saving projects on older products.
The wise: the model FF4-730 (download here detailed info): An incredibly innovative platform, enriched with concepts closely tied to Food Preservation, such as our proprietary MultiClimate System™. We were given a total free hand on our innovation and design abilities. This ground-breaking system offers varying levels of temperature and humidity, ensuring the preservation of different foods under conditions best suited to them, closely mimicking their natural environments.

Finally, we’ve asked about the current and future challenges facing R&D:

The young: Balancing the crucial need for heightened productivity in large-scale industrial manufacturing with the increasing desire for personalized solutions is pivotal. As our company undergoes remarkable growth, you might come across the same product (industrial platform) crafted by Homa but under different brands in diverse markets. The seamless integration of these products in the same retail space ensures that consumers, even within the same store, may not discern the commonality. This achievement is attributed to our adept design capabilities and unwavering dedication to honoring the distinctive brand identities of our B2B clients.
The prime: As pure ODM players, the di cult of serving client brands’ own distinct personalities while respecting the competitiveness principles of massive-scale production.
The wise: Persisting in designing products that cater to the needs identified by our marketing offices in their market analyses and the requests received from our most discerning clients by our sales teams. We engineer products within the context of the rising costs of labour, especially for labor-intensive products, likely achieved through an increasingly driven automation in production. This is coupled with the imperative to deliver highly efficient, top-quality, and ever more diverse products.

From this interview, the Homa Company Culture came out vividly in persistently designing products that resonate with market needs and client demands, reflecting our deep commitment.

This dedication extends globally, exemplified by recent international expeditions, a testament to Homa's global outlook.

These trips underscore our corporate ethos, reaching out to diverse cultures worldwide to better understand the backgrounds of our clients and their end-users.

This commitment is pivotal for our R&D specialists, offering invaluable first-hand insights into the mentalities, aspirations, and needs of the people impacted by the innovations they craft.

A bright example to conclude with lightness but depth during the Italian leg of our journey, as they immersed themselves in Italy's rich cultural tapestry, exploring cutting-edge design yet without forgetting to savour pasta-based specialities, it became clear that Homan dedication to diversity enriches professional endeavours and personal experiences.

FYI: They all had different orders at the restaurants, but sadly, we didn't have time to check out the preferences of the young, the prime and the wise in this case!

The wise, the prime, and the young—each contributing uniquely to our collective journey!

Copyright HOMA 2023- This article is from "Manufacturing, " a Homa white paper. Editorial Coordination: Studio Volpi. Editor in Chief: Federico Rebaudo. 
Copyright HOMA 2023 Issued By Homa Marketing dept. on November 2023
For further Information and Press Contacts: info@homaeurope.eu