It always adds to the impact of a presentation when customers are willing to take time to talk about how they benefit from the products. At this summit, it was impressive to hear from large customers, such as Dreamworks talking about the key role of HP workstations and solutions in making high profile animation movies, and Kingfisher on their partnership with HP in driving Sustainability.
A truly
mind-boggling statistic from Dreamworks was that just one of their films
required the management of half a billion computer files.
In
addition, there were compelling statements from some newer, less well-known
customers. Glaze Prosthetics and ZiggZagg provided fascinating insights into
how they are using HP 3D printing technology, respectively to make prosthetic
arms personalised to individual users, and to run a service bureau making
specialised components for manufacturers in a diverse range of industries.
The 3D printing industry is still at an early stage of development, with a wide range of technologies and suppliers, so it is difficult to gauge how it will develop, and who will emerge as the winners.
However, the way these customers talked about HP’s 3D technology and how they use it, provided a glimpse into a future which really could represent a new industrial revolution, and one in which HP looks well-placed to play a big role. A key point mentioned is that the industry is now starting to coalesce around common standards and file formats, with HP taking a lead in these areas.
There were
three big new announcements from HP at the Innovation Summit. These were:
HP Sure Sense. This harnesses the power of deep learning and Artificial intelligence, to provide real-time protection against malware, with much faster detection and response than traditional anti-virus software, which relies on recognition of previously identified threats. HP emphasise, though, that Sure Sense is intended to complement, not replace anti-virus software. In combination with DaaS Proactive Security Services, Sure Sense will enable HP to take defence against malware to a new level.
HP Reverb Virtual Reality Headset. This is a lighter, easier to use VR headset which delivers truly immersive and transformative experiences for both work and life. To develop the product, HP worked closely with customers across product design, architecture, engineering, training, healthcare, and location-based entertainment, to better understand their needs.
HP Stitch. This marks HP’s entry into the large, rapidly growing market for textile printing, with a range of machines using thermal ink-jet print heads combined with dye-sublimation ink for the first time. This represents a significant technological break-through, overcoming the challenge of exposing the heat-sensitive dye-sublimation ink to the thermal ink-jet process. Other manufacturers in this market all use piezo ink-jet technology, which is more complex and requires more time and cost to replace print heads, resulting in more down-time. HP’s new technology looks set to deliver real differentiation in terms of greater reliability and lower operating costs.
In conclusion, the 2019 Innovation Summit
show-cased the range and depth of HP’s offerings, the vision they have for the
future, the new ideas they are developing to turn this vision into reality, and
the investment and resources they are deploying to make this happen. As ever,
vision and strategy are one thing, but successful execution is another, and
this has not always been HP’s strong suit. The performance of HP Inc. over the
last three years, since the division of the company, suggests this may have changed,
so it will be interesting to see how the new ideas and plans presented are
implemented. If HP can succeed with all or most of these, they will take a big
step forward. In the meantime, competitors are not standing still, and even if
the scope of their forward planning is not as ambitious as HP’s, they will
still fight very hard in the existing business areas. HP will need to take care
not to take its eye off the ball of the core business while it develops its
exciting new innovations.