SEAT S.A. emphasises the importance of innovation as the main cornerstone for achieving more efficient ways of working, and also for creating new products and services that will be a differentiating factor for the business of the future. Furthermore, it positions its employees as generators of this innovation, strengthening their innovative spirit with the aim of creating new solutions that add value to the company.
Employees come together to solve challenges as if they were entrepreneurs.
After two editions of Innovation Day, a showcase where the company unveils the ideas, visions and projects that could shape the future of the automotive industry arising from the initiatives of internal teams, SEAT S.A. has launched the SEAT INNOVA platform to provide continuity and promote innovation throughout the year. SEAT INNOVA is a participatory space that aims to bring together people with innovative concerns and new projects, regardless of the area they work in. The goal is to promote new ways of working based on going beyond the day-to-day and creating solutions jointly and transversally among employees. Moreover, SEAT S.A. employees have access to useful content and training on this platform, provided by renowned educators.
“Innovation is essential for the future of the automotive sector. At SEAT S.A. we want to foster this spirit in our own employees, because at the same time as we make them stakeholders in the future of the company, we draw on their talent to discover ideas and projects linked to new mobility solutions, Industry 4.0 and new business models” says SEAT S.A. Executive Vice-president for Human Resources and Organisation Xavier Ros.
SEAT INNOVA, connecting people and projects
David Aguilar, the bioengineer known as “Hand Solo”, inaugurated the site.
SEAT INNOVA is a place where people can acquire knowledge and gain experience, find new business opportunities, gamified and collaborative innovation ideas, as well as prizes and surprises. The platform also features inspirational content, talks, podcasts and other interesting topics for participants. Participation is the key to the success of this new space, which is why real company challenges will be posed so that employees can look for solutions as if they were entrepreneurs working on their own start-up.
As part of the presentation of the platform, SEAT S.A. employees were treated to a presentation by David Aguilar, a young man who at the tender age of 9 designed the first prosthesis for his right arm with pieces from a construction set. He went on to create four more prostheses, which he even presented to NASA at the Cross Industry Innovation Summit when he was 19 years old. He calls himself “Hand Solo”, holds a Guinness World Record and is studying bioengineering with the aim of continuing to create prostheses and improve the lives of other children. SEAT S.A. and “Hand Solo” share a passion for innovation, and in the case of the automotive industry, to create the mobility of today and the future.
The Pitch presents 4 innovative projects for real challenges
Presentation included SEAT MÓ+, The Tribe by CUPRA, CONTI-GO and SEAT E-KIDS.
Following on from the initiatives presented at Innovation Day, this year also saw the first The Pitch event, featuring the projects from the hackathon held during last year’s Innovation Day, which sought to respond to real challenges faced by the company. The aim of the event, which was supported by members of the Executive Committee, was to present the projects to the business areas, in search of sponsors and synergies to implement pilot programmes.
The projects presented were SEAT MÓ+, a multimodal B2B mobility service; The Tribe by CUPRA, a digital community to take the CUPRA brand experience to the next level; CONTI-GO, a car accessory rental service; and SEAT E-KIDS, a mobility service for children with parental control. Of these, the Tribe by CUPRA and CONTI-GO are currently in the pilot phase.